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Instructors: Timothy Waller, PhD, Mt. Cuba StaffHealthy gardens begin with healthy plants and understanding how to care for them ecologically is essential to long-term success. This course provides you with a deep knowledge of the various pathogenic fungi, bacteria, viruses, and insects that affect native plants, along with the environmental conditions that lead to stress, infection, or decline. Through lecture, demonstration, and field observation, you’ll develop the diagnostic skills needed to recognize both beneficial organisms and harmful organisms early and respond effectively to your unique habitat.
🥬Learn to apply the Disease Triangle as a framework for diagnosing and managing plant disease, explore the major groups of plant pathogens, and examine how diseases spread across gardens and landscapes. Emphasis is placed on eco-friendly practices, including soil health, site conditions, and horticultural sanitation, that reduce disease pressure without relying on chemicals.
🥬Explore Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a holistic decision-making process. You’ll become familiar with common pest organisms in gardens, landscapes, and natural areas, gain a foundational understanding of pesticides and their limitations, and learn techniques to promote beneficial insects, especially natural predators that help keep pest populations in balance.
Go home confident in your ability to identify beneficial organisms, diagnose issues, prevent problems before they occur, and care for your plants in ways that protect and enhance the surrounding ecosystem.
Lunch is included each day of class. Registration for this class closes at noon on 07/18/26 to allow students time to familiarize themselves with the certificate class online learning portal. To register after that date, please call 302.239.4244 Regular Price: $399 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $359.10
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7/21/2026 10:00 AM-2:30 PM
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Instructors: Mark Highland Healthy native plant communities depend on soils that are biologically active, structurally sound, and contain required organic matter. In this full day, hands-on class, explore the living world beneath your feet and learn how soil organisms—from microbes to insects to larger fauna—create the foundation for resilient ecosystems. Demystify the fundamentals of soil science, including the physical, chemical, and biological properties that influence plant health, and examine why organic matter is essential for soil structure, nutrient cycling, and long-term fertility.
Throughout the day, the class incorporates interactive activities designed to keep energy high and reinforce key concepts to gain practical skills for building and maintaining high quality garden soil using sustainable methods.
🥬Observe soil microorganisms up close and develop a deeper appreciation for the diversity and abundance of life in healthy soil in an interactive microscopy lab.
🥬Learn how to interpret soil test results and how to amend soil to improve structure, increase organic matter, and support a thriving soil food web.
🥬Learn how to make and apply compost, vermicompost, and compost tea
By the end of the class, you’ll understand why biologically rich soils reduce or eliminate the need for purchased fertilizers and how to apply these principles in your own garden.
Participants will rotate between short lectures, hands-on demonstrations, small group discussions, soil testing exercises, and microscope sessions. These varied learning formats help break up the day, support different learning styles, and ensure that complex information is absorbed in a meaningful and memorable way. Registration for this class closes at noon on 08/3/26 to allow students time to familiarize themselves with the certificate class online learning portal. To register after that date, please call 302.239.4244 Regular Price: $199 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: 179.10
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8/6/2026 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
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Instructors: Leah Brooks, Ian Stewart, PhDTransform your landscape into a thriving habitat that supports birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and a wide variety of beneficial insects. This immersive course blends ecological understanding with practical action, giving you the skills to turn any property large or small, residential, municipal, or commercial into meaningful wildlife habitat.
🥬Discover how to remove common hazards and provide the essential elements of food, water, and shelter. Through a science-informed lens, you’ll examine the life cycles, behavioral patterns, and habitat requirements of regional birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and invertebrates, with emphasis on how native vegetation underpins their survival.
🥬Through guided field sessions in Mt. Cuba’s gardens, meadows, woodlands, sharpen your observational skills and learn how to identify wildlife and the subtle signs they leave behind, using field-tested techniques you can apply at home. Along the way, uncover the vital connections between native plants, pollinators, and the habitats that support them year-round.
This course will help you educate your neighbors, clients, and community, and empower you to advocate for sustainable eco-friendly landscape practices in your yard and beyond.
Note: In this hybrid learning format, you will have access to view the prerecorded content on Wednesday, 8/5 to view at your own pace prior to joining instructors for a scheduled onsite field day exploring the gardens and trails at Mt. Cuba. The outdoor field session on Wednesday 8/26 involves walking on rolling and mulched paths. Make sure to dress for terrain and weather. Field day is held rain or shine. Lunch is included when onsite. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Registration for this class closes at noon on 08/23/26 to allow students time to familiarize themselves with the certificate class online learning portal. To register after that date, please call 302.239.4244 Regular Price: $259 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $233.10
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8/26/2026 10:00 AM-2:30 PM
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Instructors: Melissa Starkey, PhDA deeper understanding of plant biology can transform the way you garden and help you recognize and identify native plants more readily. Explore the fascinating inner workings of the plant world—from the movement of water and nutrients to the remarkable structures that allow plants to grow, reproduce, and interact with their pollinators and their environment. Through engaging instruction and applicable examples, you’ll learn how to name and describe plants, explore plant kingdom biodiversity and function, and build a strong foundation for future Ecological Gardening Certificate classes.
🥬Discover the enormous diversity and complex evolution of the plant kingdom.
🥬Learn foundational plant identification skills, helping you recognize key characteristics and understand the value of scientific names.
🥬Examine plant form and function through hands on learning activities.
🥬Apply knowledge of plant function, morphology, behavior, and environmental interactions to eco gardening practices.
Whether you’re new to gardening or looking to strengthen your botanical knowledge, this course offers an inspiring look at the hidden life of plants and equips you with insights you can apply to your garden and beyond. Portions of the class may take place outdoors—please dress for the weather. Registration for this class closes at noon on 08/24/26 to allow students time to familiarize themselves with the certificate class online learning portal. To register after that date, please call 302.239.4244 Regular Price: $199 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $179.10
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8/27/2026 10:00 AM-2:30 PM
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Instructors: Mt. Cuba StaffNative plants of the Eastern Temperate Forest are beautiful, inspiring, and critically important for healthy landscapes. From the subdued colors and fragrances of spring wildflowers to the exuberance of summer perennials and the captivating hues of fall foliage, discover a wealth of plants to satisfy your gardening needs throughout the seasons. Using Mt. Cuba’s stunning gardens, learn to identify 60 trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials in each Native Plants course. Examine their key identifying characteristics, preferred growing conditions, overall size, and ecological significance. Students seeking the certificate must pass the onsite exam.
One hour garden tours follow weekly lectures. Tours include walking over rolling terrain and mulched paths. Dress for the weather. Classes are rain or shine. Registration for this class closes at noon on 08/30/26 to allow students time to familiarize themselves with the certificate class online learning portal. To register after that date, please call 302.239.4244 Regular Price: $249 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $224.10
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9/2/2026 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
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Instructors: Mt. Cuba StaffIs your landscape being overtaken by overly aggressive plants? Do you wonder which species are truly invasive and how to manage them effectively? This class provides an overview of the ecological problems caused by invasive species, exploring how they outcompete native plants, disrupt habitat structure, and alter critical ecological processes.
🥬Build essential skills in identifying common invasive vines, herbaceous plants, and woody species, and learn how to distinguish them from similar-looking native plants. Explore a range of management strategies, including chemical, mechanical, and integrated approaches, and understand when and how each method can be applied safely and successfully.
🥬Field sessions take place in the grounds areas just outside the curated gardens where you’ll observe management techniques in action and see firsthand how targeted interventions support long-term ecological recovery. Learning directly from Mt. Cuba’s experts, who manage hundreds of acres using best-practice ecological restoration methods, gives participants practical insight and hands-on experience with real-world techniques.
Gain the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions, implement sustainable control strategies, and actively support the restoration of native plant communities.
Outdoor learning may include walking on rolling terrain and mulched paths. Dress for the weather. Classes are held rain or shine. Lunch is included each day. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Registration for this class closes at noon on 09/07/26 to allow students time to familiarize themselves with the certificate class online learning portal. To register after that date, please call 302.239.4244 Regular Price: $299 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $269.10
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9/10/2026 10:00 AM-2:30 PM
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Instructors: Mt. Cuba Arboriculture TeamLearn the practices Mt. Cuba’s arborists use to integrate ecological thinking into every aspect of tree care, from planting and maintenance to risk assessment and long-term conservation. This course blends traditional arboriculture with cutting-edge ecological approaches, offering insight rarely featured in conventional training programs.
🥬Develop the ability to analyze and prepare planting sites so young trees establish successfully and support long-term landscape goals.
🥬Build skill in evaluating the biomechanical condition of mature trees, recognizing structural defects, and implementing mitigation strategies which balance safety with ecological value.
🥬Explore how senescent, damaged, and dead trees can be retained or repurposed to provide critical wildlife habitat and contribute to forest ecology—an approach central to Mt. Cuba’s mission.
Field sessions provide hands-on experience assessing real-world scenarios, including identifying habitat potential, understanding the broader context of tree conservation, and incorporating thoughtful management to support biodiversity while maintaining functional, aesthetically pleasing, and safe built spaces. Outdoor learning may involve walking over rolling terrain and mulched paths. Please dress for terrain and the weather; classes are held rain or shine. Lunch is included each day. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Registration for this class closes at noon on 09/29/26 to allow students time to familiarize themselves with the certificate class online learning portal. To register after that date, please call 302.239.4244 Regular Price: $299 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $269.10
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10/1/2026 10:00 AM-2:30 PM
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Instructors: Mt. Cuba StaffOur highly popular Native Plants Series is available in a new course format. View the prerecorded lectures at your own pace prior to joining Mt. Cuba staff for scheduled onsite 2-hour garden tours. Tours include walking over rolling terrain and mulched paths. Dress for the weather. Classes are rain or shine.
Six prerecorded online lectures available Monday 8/31. Registration for this class closes at noon on 09/09/26 to allow students time to familiarize themselves with the certificate class online learning portal. To register after that date, please call 302.239.4244 Regular Price: $249 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $224.10
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9/12/2026 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
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Instructors: Michael Blacketer, PhDEcologically sound landscape design integrates human action with natural processes and communicates a sense of place. This course introduces you to the principles and practices behind designing landscapes that respond to local environmental conditions, conserve resources, and support dynamic ecosystems. Through a combination of classroom learning and outdoor observation, you’ll learn how to assess, inventory, and analyze a site’s unique characteristics—from soils and hydrology to microclimates and existing vegetation.
Building on this systematic process, you’ll develop a conceptual design and planting plan that prioritizes native species, ecological function, and long-term resilience. You’ll explore strategies for increasing biodiversity, reducing lawn areas, and creating habitat that supports insects, birds, and other wildlife. Expect to broaden your design perspective and gain practical tools for creating landscapes that are both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally responsible.
Please dress for the weather, as portions of the class may take place outdoors. A detailed materials list will be provided upon registration
It is recommended that students take Ecological Landscape Design at the end of the program due to the complexity of the course, and connection to content taught in other classes. Regular Price: $479 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $431.10
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1/6/2027 10:00 AM-1:00 PM
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