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Garden Fitness/Yoga	Brown Bag Lunch Talks	Garden Soirées

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Join us for these informal get-togethers. Enjoy some refreshments and a chance to talk with fellow enthusiasts about our favorite subject - gardening!
Proceeds from the Garden Soirée series help support the RCGC education program.
Directions provided upon registration.
Fee: $12 each; sign up for 3 or more soirées, $10 each.

Registration...
Registration is required for all classes!
Most classes have limited space available, be sure to register early!
Call 585-473-5130 to register.
Click here for a printable Registration Form

#RR0519   Spring Garden Soirée
Monday, May 19, 6:30-8pm

Garden Coach Rhonda Rizzo calls her Greece garden a "work in process. In February 2003 our in-ground swimming pool succumbed to old age and ice. Since then we have put into action our dream of using the space to expand the woodland garden that surrounded the pool area." Rhonda has succeeded in developing a garden that is full of artistic touches, at once uniquely creative and also accessible to anyone with an interest in expressing their own style. Late-May is the garden's peak season, with lilacs, magnolia, peonies, poppies, flowering vines and thousands of bulbs. Especially interesting is the notebook of 'before, during and after' pictures.
Fee: $12; register for 3 or more soirées, $10 each.

#WC0619   Visit Rochester's Castle
Thursday, June 19, 6:30-8pm

Celebrate the beginning of summer with tours of elegant Warner Castle and grounds, including the Alling DeForest-designed courtyard and sunken gardens. We are fortunate to inhabit an important part of Rochester's horticultural history. Enjoy wine and hors d'oeuvres and stroll the grounds - the mature flowering trees will be in full bloom and our renovated front gardens are refreshingly different and beautiful. Inside this historic home (built in 1854 by Horatio Gates Warner to resemble his ancestral castle in Scotland) you will find fine marble flooring, unusual French wood-block-print wallpaper from the early 20th century, and the finest horticultural library in the region.
Fee: $12; register for 3 or more soirées, $10 each.

#DM0715   Peace and Tranquility in an Asian-Styled Garden
Tuesday, July 15, 6-7:30pm
Join us in Don and Mary Monefeldt's Webster garden for drinks and dessert and an opportunity to experience the peacefulness of this really special place, SEI-EN ("serene or tranquil garden") with Don as our guide. This substantial Asian-influenced garden is the result of Dennis Burns's creative design, choice plant materials from Oriental Garden Supply, and the owners' preference for a large selection of less common conifers and Japanese maples, many of which are considered specimens. Asian gardens have evolved over time, and SEI-EN reflects the early design concepts integrating landscape and spirituality to express a universal harmony. The asymmetrical patterns of plant materials, paths, stones and water provide the impression that the garden is largely an outcome of Nature with little or no human intervention. A common response of visitors to SEI-EN is that it enables the person to abandon the hustle of the temporal world and connect with the timeless qualities of silence, reflection and inner peace.
Fee: $12; register for 3 or more soirées, $10 each.

#BE0812   A Summer Evening at the Beach
Tuesday, August 12, 6:30-8pm

Mark and Sheryl Phillips's garden is a wonderful example of what to do with a small space in a stunning setting - this lakefront cottage property is dominated by Lake Ontario and its sandy beach. "Gardens should not (and usually cannot) compete with this setting; they should instead complement it," says designer Bruce Zaretsky. Entry is though a stone wall topped with driftwood from the beach, then along a winding bluestone path through the side garden of evergreens and perennials. You pass under another matching arbor through the wall and follow the path to the rear (or is it front?) deck, walking alongside a dry stone wall designed to keep the sand on the beach. Stiles are built into the wall - an ancient detail allowing people to easily get through, but keeping livestock in their place. When night falls, the garden is transformed with the low voltage lighting into a magical evening setting, complete with the sounds of waves on the lake, candles, wine and refreshments - the perfect place for a summer evening!
Fee: $12; register for 3 or more soirées, $10 each.

#HB0825   Gardens and Heirloom Tomatoes at High Bid Farm
Monday, August 25, 6:30-8pm
Join Bob and Linda Geiger at their 16-acre farm in Brockport. This beautiful, interesting and welcoming place is a testament to several of their passions: Shetland sheep for their fiber business, chickens, pigs, two naughty goats - who all contribute to and benefit from the lush and lovely flower and vegetable gardens. The Geigers grow many kinds of tomato plants every year from seed, both heirloom and unusual modern varieties; to help support their garden habit they sell transplants at spring markets such as RCGC's Proud Market and the Rochester Sunday Public Market. Come to this soirée to tour the abundant gardens, and also for a unique opportunity to try these special tomato varieties firsthand and find out what all the hoopla is about.
Fee: $12; register for 3 or more soirées, $10 each.

Registration...
Registration is required for all classes!
Most classes have limited space available, be sure to register early!
Call 585-473-5130 to register.
Click here for a printable Registration Form