Seminars at Cashman Nursery

Saturday, March 4th Seminar

10:00 Grow Your Own: Starting Seeds Indoors – by Cheryl Moore-Gough, M.S. Plant Sciences – local author and Montana gardening expert
Eager for Spring? Learn what you can start doing right now to get your garden going. Cheryl literally wrote the book on Montana vegetable gardening and in addition to early season tips, she’ll teach you the basics of starting plants from seed. You’ll learn about timing, indoor set-up materials, care, and ultimately the unmatched satisfaction of transplanting your own plants outside when the weather is right. Grow local, grow your own!
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, March 11th Seminar

10:00 Spring Container Gardening – by Lucia Christie, Skagit Gardens Bedding Plants
Celebrate hope of the Spring season by planning your container gardens. Lucia will teach you how to apply design principles and share ideas to create the most stunning combinations using layers, form, texture and color. You’ll learn tips on choosing the best blooming plants and tricks to keep your pots and planters looking fabulous all season.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, March 18th Seminar

9:30   Curing Landscape Design Distress – by Emily Talago, M.S., C.P.P., Cashman Nursery
Spring Fever progressed into something more serious? When walking around your yard, have you experienced an inability to focus? A sense of hopelessness or resentment? A fear of perpetual disappointment? You may be suffering symptoms of Design Distress. Caused by the pitfalls of piecemeal planning, this affliction is easily treated by learning the essentials of landscape project formation. Our consultation design staff will share tried and true remedies they use every day to reestablish project focus, peace, and determination.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, March 18th Workshop

Make and Take Microgreen Tray – Drop-in anytime from 10am to 4pm, get your hands dirty, and create your own indoor greens garden. $15/tray includes humidity dome, growing media, and your choice of microgreen seeds. Fun for all ages! No registration necessary.

Saturday, March 25th Seminar

9:30   Grow Your Own: Vegetable Gardening in Gallatin County – by Don Mathre and Frank Erickson, Gallatin Gardeners Club
It’s no secret that home grown veggies taste incredible compared to their bland single-variety grocery store counterpart. Growing your own allows complete control over production methods, builds community resilience, and yields numerous other health benefits. Last year, the Gallatin Gardeners Club celebrated its 40 year anniversary. Join us as members Don and Frank reflect on their own decades of experience growing vegetables here in the valley. They’ll share what’s changed, what hasn’t, and their favorite varieties proven as easy and productive in our short growing season.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, March 25th Workshops

Make and Take Microgreen Tray – Drop-in anytime from 10:30am to 4:30pm, get your hands dirty, and create your own indoor greens garden. $15/tray includes humidity dome, growing media, and your choice of microgreen seeds. Fun for all ages! No registration necessary.

11:00 Make Your Own Indoor Herb Garden – 
**WORKSHOP CANCELED**
Unfortunately, our herb shipment was suddenly pushed back a couple of weeks, and while we do have a handful of herbs in the greenhouse, we will not have enough to offer this workshop. Our sincere apologies for the bad news. But some good news for those who can’t wait to get your hands dirty, we are offering the microgreens workshop again this Saturday! We hope to still see you this weekend.

Saturday, April 1st Seminars

9:30   For the Love of Sweet Peas – by Jennifer Weiss, Owner, Gardening Under the Big Sky
In the 1850s and 60s, pea plants powered Gregor Mendel’s experiments which pioneered our modern understanding of inheritable genetics. We’re still enjoying those traits and the products of intentional selections today. Loved for their heavenly fragrance, rich colors, and old-fashioned simplicity, these endearing flowers cultivate a sense of local nostalgia. Join us to learn why Bozeman was dubbed “The Sweet Pea City” (with a carnival and full regalia parade to boot), how to easily start growing your own, and the best ideas for enjoying these cut flowers this summer.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

10:30   Growing Long Season Vegetables – by John Austin, Local Gardening Innovator
Known for his 4th of July ripe tomatoes and adventures in Russian Heirloom varieties, John has spent years honing methods to successfully grow peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes, and other long season crops under the Big Sky. Join us as he shares his experience, tips, and tricks to extend your own garden season.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, April 1st Workshops

Make and Take Easter Basket – Three times available, (10:30am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm REGISTRATION FULL) 
Bring the joy and vitality of Spring inside with our popular greenhouse workshops. Our staff will help you create a beautiful Easter basket centerpiece planted with annual flowers and live grass. $40 per basket cost includes all plants and materials.
Registration Required. Sign-up or call ahead to reserve your spot.

Saturday, April 8th Seminars

10:00 Grow Your Own: Backyard Berries & Superfood Small Fruits – Zach Miller, Ph.D, Superintendent, Western Agricultural Research Center
Looking to add some sweet satisfaction to your yard? Join us to learn which small fruits you can grow with our local climate constraints. Dr. Miller will teach you how to plan for and plant tasty, nutritious, cold hardy bushes like dwarf tart cherries, currants, or haskaps (and why you might think twice before attempting blueberries). Perennial and edible, try these plants to make your yard both beautiful and bountiful.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

11:00 Tree Pruning Essentials – by John Noreika, ISA Certified Consulting Arborist
Did you know that proper pruning is essential for maintaining structural integrity, aesthetics, and overall health of your landscape trees? In addition, fruit trees require pruning to increase yield and fruit quality. John will teach you the fundamentals of best pruning practices, go over proper tools for the job, what to cut and when. You’ll then see these skills in action while he demonstrates pruning a tree in the Cashman Family Orchard.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, April 15th Seminars

10:00 Stewardship Spotlight: Landscaping for Birds – by Doug McSpadden, Sacajawea Audubon Society
Join us to learn about wild birds’ basic needs and how certain plants and practices can provide food, shelter, water, and nesting sites. Whether you have a brand new yard, an existing landscape, or only enough room for a few potted plants on the patio, environmental stewardship matters. The choices you make can help restore lost habitat and make your yard a welcoming haven for local songbirds and wildlife.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

11:00 Do It Yourself Landscape Pruning – by Jerry Cashman
Sharpen your horticulture skills as Jerry teaches you the principles of proper pruning and maintenance with a demonstration here at Cashman’s landscape beds. You’ll learn how to improve and maintain the shape, size, and overall health of your plants so you can work on your own landscape knowing what methods to apply to which plants and when.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, April 22nd

It’s Earth Day!  Celebrate by visiting Earthday.org and find ideas for the whole family! 

Saturday, April 29th Seminars

9:00   Native Plants for Your Backyard, Bozeman, and Beyond – by Denise Montgomery, Cashman Nursery
Interconnections between plants and wildlife are necessary to ensure a healthy future for all. No matter the size of your space, you can make ecologically important choices with Native Plants which support biodiversity. Join us and learn how to evaluate a landscape, select native species, properly plant them, and cultivate a growing hope at home.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

10:00 The Proper Way to Plant a Tree – by Joe and Mike Cashman
Passive solar efficiency, wildlife habitat, artistic inspiration, cancer-fighting therapeutics- just a few of numerous economic, environmental, and social benefits provided by Trees. In honor of these exceptional organisms and in celebration of Arbor Day, Joe and Mike will show you how to give trees a healthy start in a new home. They’ll break down the steps to correctly plant bare root, potted, or large balled-burlap trees, protect them, keep them healthy, and answer any questions you have along the way.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, May 6th Seminars

9:00   Branching Out: the Bio-Art of Bonsai – by Rod Maclean, Gallatin Valley Bonsai Society
Majestically trained, mature trees in miniature. Most of us can’t help but be captivated by the beauty of bonsai. This introductory seminar is for anyone who’s ever wanted to know more about these curiously crafted living sculptures. Join us as Rod Maclean shares his experience and knowledge of bonsai-growing. He’ll cover the basics, address common misconceptions, demonstrate the accessibility of this ancient art, and show how anyone can bring a bit of bonsai into their life.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

10:00 Grow Your Own: Strawberries, Raspberries, and Asparagus – by Jerry Cashman
Perennial and Edible. Plant a patch once and enjoy the harvest year after year. Head out to the garden with Jerry where he’ll demonstrate how to establish and maintain your own strawberry, raspberry, or asparagus plot. He’ll cover the best varieties for our area, when and how to plant, pruning, fertilizing, and weed suppression.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.

Saturday, May 13th Seminars

9:30   Sustainability Spotlight: Where there’s a Will, there’s a Worm – by Karl Johnson, Owner-Operator, YES Compost
Vermicomposting uses worms to digest food scraps and other organic material into an excellent soil amendment called Castings. This process completes the nutrient cycle efficiently and produces an ecological alternative to synthetically derived fertilizers. Karl is passionate about capturing our community’s food waste stream and converting it to Castings. Join us to learn how his local business diverts food-scraps away from our landfill to produce an natural, bio-available product that plants love.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.  

10:30 Energy Smart, Water Smart: Resource Conservation in Bozeman Home Landscapes – by Anna Mack, CLIA, QWEL, City of Bozeman & Emily Talago M.S., C.P.P., Cashman Nursery
Shade trees can lower the energy required to keep a house comfortable in the summer, while an evergreen windbreak can reduce winter wind chills. Mulch slows surface evaporation and keeps plant roots cool, conserving water for essential uses. Anna and Emily will team up to share tips on selecting water wise plants for your landscape, efficient irrigation methods, and other best practices to preserve natural resources.
Seminar is free and open to the public. No registration necessary.