Sandhills Horticultural Society Events
Spring Lectures and Workshops
All classes and workshops are held in the Burlingame Room at the Ball Garden Visitors Center, Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, unless otherwise noted. Registration for each event is listed below.
Waking Up to the Spring Equinox - MONTHLY TOUR
Thursday, March 13th
10:00am
Spring Equinox is March 20th this year. It marks the day that we will experience more daylight than darkness each day. In the gardens the increasing sunlight inspires the birds to sing more, worms will reappear, animals to shed their coats and trees to bud. We will explore the changes we see in our gardens.
This event is FREE
Limit 15 people.
Wild Spring Medicinal & Edible Plants of the Southeast
Thursday, March 13th
1:00-3:00pm
Herbalist and holistic health coach Kate Smith of Made Whole returns this spring to share her wisdom and expertise about wild plants once again. This workshop will teach you the fundamentals of wild medicinal and edible plant identification and usage. During the classroom part of the class, you will learn basic botanical terminology and how to use book, online, and app resources in order to positively identify wild plants. During the practical part of the class, we will take a wild plant walk to locate plants commonly found in the Southeast that can be harvested for use as medicine and food, and learn how each is processed, and for what purpose. We will taste wild edible plants that we find and make a sample tea from a wild medicinal plant. Items to bring: Notebook, pencil/pen, camera or phone that can take photos, mug for the wild medicine tea, allergy medicines you usually carry, water, and snacks. Wear clothes and shoes you feel comfortable walking in, and potentially encountering critters, poison ivy or poison oak in.
COST: $15 Members / $25 Non-Members
Limit 20 people.
Warm Season Turf Grasses - *DATE CHANGE*
Friday, March 14th
1:00pm
Join Grady Miller, PhD, Extension Specialist and the ENVU Distinguished Professor of Sustainability at NCSU, for a comprehensive presentation about warm season grasses. He will cover information about pest management, minimum-risk pesticides, share his knowledge of common turf issues, how to address them and much more.
*This event was rescheduled from February 21st to March 14th.
This event is FREE
Limit 100 people.
Cultivating Beauty & Bounty: The Foodscape Revolution
Wednesday, March 26th
10:00am
Welcome to the world of 鈥淔oodscaping鈥� led by bestselling author Brie Arthur! Drawing from the wisdom within her books, she will ignite your creativity and transform the way you view vegetable gardening. Prepare for an exploration of culinary and floral harmony, as she reveals the art of pairing edibles with the most exquisite flowers for your region. Unveil easy planting techniques that infuse your landscape with beauty and bounty, all while deterring pesky intruders like deer, rabbits, groundhogs, and voles.In this dynamic and informative presentation, Brie will guide you through a whirlwind of insights, leaving you invigorated and prepared to embark on your own foodscape journey. Get ready to sow the seeds of inspiration and revolutionize your approach to gardening.
*PLEASE NOTE: This event will be held on the SCC main campus in Foundation Hall. Details for exact location and parking will be emailed prior to the event.
This event is FREE
Limit 160 people.
Green with Envy - MONTHLY TOUR
Thursday, April 10th
10:00am
You will be 鈥済reen with envy鈥� when you see our gardens bursting with its bouquet of spring arrivals. As the phlox creeps and the ferns peep, we will be discovering plants that can be many shades of green. Let鈥檚 look for emerald, chartreuse, and sage in the gardens!
This event is FREE
Limit 15 people.
Container Gardening Fundamentals
Friday, April 11th
10:00am
Learn the principles and practices of successful container gardening from NC State
Extension. Best practices for container selection and size, potting media, fertilization,
and watering will be discussed. Discover winning combinations of annuals, perennials,
herbs, and vegetables that can be grown successfully in containers, opening up new
gardening possibilities in small spaces.
This event is FREE
Limit 100 people.
LSG Spring Bedding Public Plant Sale
Saturday, April 26th
9:00am-1:00pm
Petunias, begonias, marigolds and more will be on sale at the annual Landscape Gardening
program鈥檚 Spring Bedding plant sale. All of these plants will be grown and cared for
by our students in the greenhouses this spring in preparation for this sale. Plan
to buy some plants to support the students and the LSG program.
*Pre-sale will begin in mid-March with pre-sale pick-ups April 23rd-April 25th.
Birds of the Sandhills
Friday, May 7th
1:00pm
We are delighted to welcome Susan Campbell, licensed hummingbird bander, researcher
and Seasonal Naturalist for a talk about the birds of our unique Sandhills area. She
will be introducing us to some of the most common species found in the area throughout
the year. Identification tips will be discussed as well as preferred foods, nesting
habits and basic ecology. A variety of resources will be shared including a handout,
online links and apps, as well as 鈥渙ld fashioned鈥� field guides.
This event is FREE
Limit 100 people.
A Bloom with a View
Thursday, May 8th
10:00am
Join our garden docents for a Spring walk to see what鈥檚 blooming this month and how
the gardens are just starting to make their transition from Spring to Summer.
This event is FREE
Limit 15 people.
Gardening in Deer Country
Friday, May 23rd
10:00am
Here in the Sandhills, deer are a reality in our gardens. Just ask your hostas how
they feel about that! As we know, it鈥檚 not only hostas that they love to munch on.
Come and learn about a few tactics to deter them, but more importantly learn about
plants that deer don't prefer to eat!
This event is FREE
Limit 100 people.