For Hudson Valley gardeners, spring arrives not with the first crocus but with Garden Day—Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) annual horticultural happening. This year’s installment, “Garden with Confidence,” sprouts on April 5 at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge, promising a full day of hands-on learning, expert guidance, and green-thumb camaraderie.
The Master Gardener volunteers of CCE have curated 16 classes designed to bolster botanical know-how for everyone from budding beginners to seasoned soil-turners. Attendees can customize their experience, choosing four sessions from an eclectic lineup covering topics like heirloom tomatoes, native pollinator meadows, edible flowers, and pest management—a veritable garden buffet of practical knowledge.
The event kicks off with a keynote from Michael Hagen, Curator of the Native Plant Garden and Rock Garden at the New York Botanical Garden. His talk, “The Challenges of a Public Native Plant Garden: Maintenance, Interpretation, and Compromise,” offers an inside look at the evolving strategies that have shaped the garden’s stewardship of northeastern native flora. Expect insights on design, sustainability, and the unexpected hurdles of maintaining an ecological showpiece.
From there, attendees can dig into a range of classes. Those struggling with unruly wildlife and shifting weather patterns may find salvation in “Flooding, Drought, Shade, and Deer—Oh My!”, while visual-minded gardeners can refine their aesthetic instincts with “Color Theory II for Gardeners.” If fungi fascinate you, “Cultivating Mushrooms for the Home Gardener” provides a crash course in homegrown mycology. Meanwhile, “Danger in Your Backyard! Not All Plants Are Safe” sounds like the gardening world’s version of true crime—who knew your flowerbed might be harboring a botanical villain?
CCE’s Garden Day is a perennial favorite among regional horticulture enthusiasts, and slots fill up faster than a raised bed in May. Registration is $55 (or $67 with a box lunch), available online. If your green thumb is feeling a little rusty, consider this your seasonal tune-up—because a gardener armed with knowledge is a gardener who truly grows with confidence.
This article appears in March 2025.
