Not sure what to do about your home landscaping? An inexpensive night-school class might give you the answers. (GoodSeed Farm photo)

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Steve Boehme

Are you a homeowner who is dissatisfied with your landscaping? Perhaps you’ve been living with the shrubs your builder installed “way back when”, or landscaping done by the previous owner. You’d like your home to look nice, but for someone without a landscape design background it can be hard to know where to start. Calling in a professional could be costly, and you’re not sure what to ask for or how to tell good design work from bad.

Landscaping has dollar consequences. It can affect the value of your home, and can have an impact on your maintenance costs. Well done, it can increase your property value and save you energy cost. Or, it can create a maintenance nightmare. How can you get started without making a huge commitment up front?

We’re offering a “crash course” in low-maintenance landscape design, installation and maintenance starting March 5th at Grant Career Center in Bethel, Ohio. In a few evenings we can share with you a lifetime of practical experience. Do-it-yourselfers can learn how to expand your living space, install like a professional and maintain your landscape the easy way, by “teaming up with nature”. Non-gardeners will come away with enough knowledge to shop for and compare landscape services intelligently.

There will be four 2-hour classes plus a “hands-on” workshop on tree and shrub pruning and grooming. The pruning workshop will be held at GoodSeed Farm near Peebles. This hands-on session is free for anyone who enrolls in the four-session low-maintenance landscaping class.

Here’s the schedule:

Overview of low-maintenance landscaping Tuesday, March 7 7-9PM

Landscape Design Basics for the Home Owner Tuesday, March 12 7-9PM

Selecting the Right Perennials, Shrubs and Trees Tuesday, March 19 7-9PM

Planting & Care of Low Maintenance Landscapes Tuesday, March 26 7-9PM

Bonus Class: Pruning Workshop at GoodSeed Farm Tuesday, April 2 7-9PM

Tuition for the course is $49 for all five sessions. Advance registration is required. for this course. You can enroll by calling Grant Career Center at (513) 734-6222, and asking for the Adult Education department at Extension 3105. The school is located at 718 West Plane Street, Bethel, OH 45106.

Too far away? Here’s a suggestion: forward this column to a local school that has adult education evening classes. We’d be happy to offer this program there.

Steve Boehme and his wife Marjorie own GoodSeed Nursery & Landscape, located near Winchester, Ohio at 9736 Tri-County Highway, ¼ mile from the intersection of the Appalachian Highway and State Route 62. More information is available at www.goodseedfarm.com or call (937) 587-7021.