WICKER PARK — A Saturday morning landscape design workshop begins next month and could be a gift for yourself or a loved one with a green thumb.
Organizers from the Wicker Park Garden Club, who tend to the neighborhood's namesake park gardens, have assembled a lineup of professional designers and avid gardeners to lead its ninth season of workshops.
"Winter is a great time to create and plan. It is probably the best class we do all year, and people have a great time and meet people from all over Chicagoland," said Doug Wood, president of the Wicker Park Garden Club.
Scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays from Jan. 10 - Feb. 28, the weekly series is geared toward folks who want to create gardens for their homes, businesses, empty lots and places of worship.
Participation in the series, which provides 24 hours of training, costs $110. The classes take place in the Wicker Park Field House, 1425 N. Damen Ave.
The series will take students through the process of design, both in lectures and hands-on projects.
Activities will include creating a site plan, determining usage and bed areas, incorporating architectural influences, selecting plants for sun and shade and understanding native and sustainable plant palettes, among other topics.
Each week will spotlight a different design focus and require homework. The final week will culminate with each student delivering a semi-formal presentation on his or her landscape garden plan — a blueprint for spring when outdoor work can begin.
For more information or to register for the series, which is limited to 55 students, email Doug Wood.
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