Spring Cleaning?

If the recent warm temperatures have got you scrubbing windows and digging around in the garden, poking through piles of leaves to see what’s growing on, you are not alone. We’re not out of the woods yet in terms of snow, but it sure does feel like it’s time to get into spring action!

There are many ways that people use this time of year to overhaul or refresh their garden and home. Perhaps this is the year you want to redesign part of your yard (like mine). Gary Hendrickson’s class on Feng Shui for Your Secret Garden might have just the new twist on an old idea that you are looking for. His hands-on workshop will examine each student’s garden in detail and provide concrete, inspiring solutions to creating your own nurturing, private relaxation space.

Or perhaps you – like me – have been saving your cash diligently for a truckload of new xeric perennials to give your garden that lush rainbow of year-round color that will make it the envy of all your neighbors (especially when they see your water bill is less than theirs!). Then your muse might just be Lauren Springer Ogden, whose expertise in Water-Smart gardening is nationally known. Lauren will present a multi-part course on the Water-Smart Flower Garden, covering all seasons and everything from bulbs to perennials to shrubs. I hope that she will present plenty of photos of her own incredible foothills garden - that alone would make this class worth the time.

Before I forget, there is also the small matter of cleaning the house that comes to mind at this time of year. Just in time for this annual effort, Tonja Reichley will present an interactive workshop on Natural Cleaning Products. Say goodbye to choking fumes as you scrub the bathroom tiles – Tonja’s concoctions are made with natural, basic ingredients like baking soda, olive and orange oils, and essential oils for fragrance. Bring a few empty containers to class because you’ll be taking home several new cleaning products to use. Now you can open the windows to let the fresh air in, not to let the toxic vapors out!