Container gardening is one of the topics taught in National Garden Club’s Gardening Study SchoolThe Gardening Study Schools were established in May 1977 as a program through the National Garden Clubs. The Gardening Study Schools are conducted in each Region of NGC and its International Affiliates and covers a wide range of horticulture.
School starts with the basics of botany, soils, plant propagation, houseplants, and continues with the study of pests and diseases, container gardening and vegetables, pruning, and plant growth. Topics covered also addressed are questions about “how to prune,” “what to plant where,” “what is toxic,” etc.
Most Gardening Study Schools take a “hands on approach” for gardeners, who bring plants to class, discuss them, and then plant them. The Gardening Study Schools Handbook encourages budding green thumbs by:
- Stimulating interest in the growth of plant materials to their peak of perfection
- Giving students an understanding of how and why a plant grows
- Teaching soil structure and methods for making the soil more productive
- Providing an understanding of plants’ reactions to certain weather conditions and how to modify these conditions to encourage optimum growth
- Providing an understanding of commercial and natural fungicides and pesticides, growth regulators and other chemicals used in general horticultural procedures
- Illustrating methods for rapid propagation
- Offering plant identification instruction
- Exploring growing techniques for garden plants, vegetables, fruits, houseplants, trees, shrubs, and specialized styles of gardening
- Developing a respect for and appreciation of plants and their roles in our lives and activites
Over the life of this program, many gardeners have learned and absorbed what it takes to cultivate a green thumb. Most have said, “Why didn’t I take this years ago?” Check out this list of National Garden Clubs by state for more information.
