Susan loves sharing her experience and knowledge through teaching and speaking. Schedule a class on a variety of topics or work directly with Susan to create a custom workshop for your event.

NW Flower & Garden Festival

Feb. 14, 5:15 PM

Late winter can be an unexpectedly exciting and satisfying time to garden. Cold fingers aside, this is a great time to clear the decks and get the garden ready for the spring growth that's right around the corner. The pruning, cleanup, and soil care you do at this time of year can make the upcoming growing season more successful and much easier. We will discuss what to do, how to do it, and why you do it so you'll be all set to go home, bundle up, and get your garden ready for spring.

Buy tickets online to the NW Flower & Garden Festival. 

Susan has too many favorite plants! But she will narrow it down and show off some the best. She shares the trees, shrubs and perennials that she turns to to solve problems and provide impact and teaches you how to keep them looking their best. Susan will also give you ideas for mixing and matching these plants based on sun exposure and space.

Learn how to put together a great container with a burst of seasonal plantings or a mix of evergreens and interchangeable supporting plants to create displays that last through the season, but can also be easily refreshed or retooled if your mood changes! Susan will discuss plant combinations and variation as she demonstrates planting up a pot. 

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Getting started in your first garden can be a little daunting, but it doesn't need to be. A little information about which ones are the weeds, what tools you need, and what tasks to tackle each season can go a long way to helping you get going in your garden. Susan will get you started with some basic skills, ideas for making your garden your own, and resources for you to explore further.

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Ever wonder what that little plant in the nursery will look like when it grows up?  Or do you want to know the names of the trees on your block? Take a neighborhood garden walk with Susan, and see the plants in real life - learn more about how they grow, what looks good together, how to take care of them, and explore the highlights of the season.

Susan will teach you some rules of thumb for pruning your trees and shrubs and cutting back perennials. She’ll cover techniques and timing and help you learn how to determine what, when and where you should cut to optimize growth and flowering. She’ll also help you avoid some common pruning pitfalls.

Not only can you grow the plants, you can wear the plants! Rings, necklaces, bracelets, hair combs and more can be adorned with cuttings from you garden to create beautiful, original botanical jewelry. Susan will provide you with the supplies and instruction to create your own wearable botanicals. This class works especially well for a private party. To learn more about Susan's botanical jewelry visit Olivie's website.

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Photo: Marissa Sohn

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When the sun comes out and we can enjoy dining and lingering in our gardens on warm summer nights, our gardens often look a little bedraggled. Learn great plants and gardening techniques to keep your garden looking fresh and abundant through the long summer days.

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Photo: Rafael Soldi