Composting Class: Ann Arbor

Mom, Dad and the whole family can get down and dirty with a little composting at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens during a green thumbs program. On Saturday, May 12 10:00 a.m. - noon, learn about the secret to making the most of your vegetable scraps and leaves by creating "super soil" for the garden.

The program cost just $5/person and you even get to decorate and take home your own counter-top compost bin. This is a great course for the kids to learn about contributing to a beautiful, healthy garden.

For more information or to register, call 734-647-7600 or visit the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum website.

Gifts for the Gardener

I love Downtown Home and Garden in Ann Arbor, and don't know ANY gardener who wouldn't appreciate a holiday gift from there... So when planning what to get that hard-to-buy-for gardener, think of bringing them a garden in Winter!

They even have a great web coupon available for this month:

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere...

Like many local gardeners, I began to get the incurable "wanna plant" itch. It comes on so strong throughout much of the Michigan winter that I plan and visualize what my upcoming year's gardens will look like. Like other gardeners too, what we plan and what is our reality are two different visions. This is because of one thing, and one thing only - plant and flower sales.

I LOVE planting "newest" the "greatest" and even the "not expected". I wander many a plant and garden sale seeking out what (hopefully) other's won't find. And I look for the perfect specimens. So for all of you Michigan Backyard Gardeners, here is a partial list of Plant and Flower Sales for the month of May:

Friday May 8:

• 29th Annual Matthaei Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale. More than 1,000 varieties of perennials, annuals, native plants, and kitchen favorites at SE Michigan's destination plant sale fundraiser. Plus: free gardening demonstrations for kids and families during the sale. Join Matthaei at the sale and receive 10% off!

Friday May 15:

• Washtenaw County Conservation District Tree & Plant Sale8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Order your plants and trees online today for delivery May 15.

Saturday May 16:

• Growing Hope Plant Sale, Ypsilanti. Growing Hope, an Ypsilanti-based nonprofit organization, is holding its fifth annual plant sale May 16 from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Some of the items available for sale include raised beds, vegetable and herb seedlings, edible planters and youth-made hand balm. All proceeds benefit Growing Hope, which aims to help people improve their lives and communities through gardening and healthy food access.

Sunday May 17:

• The annual Eastern Market Flower Day - Admission is free. Attended by more than 150,000 people annually, Flower Day at the Eastern Market is one of the largest flower shows in the country. Hundreds of flower growers from Michigan, Canada and neighboring states fill the market with their colorful array offerings. Over 15-acres of the highest quality annuals, perennials, foliage, shrubbery, trees, exotics, tropical plants, flats, hanging baskets and more will be available for purchase.

Let me know about additional May 2009 plant & flower sales and I will add to the list as I receive them! Happy planting...