URI offers summer garden classes

Amateur gardeners interested in learning more about their hobby are invited to participate in the third Summer Gardening School sponsored by the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension.

This informal series of nine bi-weekly sessions, including tours of the URI Botanical Garden, will be held on Tuesday evenings from June 5 to Aug. 21. All sessions will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

In addition to deckscaping and composting, participants may attend sessions covering tree planting techniques, healthy vegetable gardening, gardening with wildlife, roses for the 21st century, shade garden design, sustainable trees and shrubs, and managing lawns traditionally and organically.

The sessions will be taught by URI master gardeners, Cooperative Extension staff and other experts. Most sessions will be held in the URI Botanical Gardens, located at 3 East Alumni Avenue, on the Kingston Campus. The fee is $15 for each session. No university academic credits are earned through this series.

For more information or to register for these events, call the Cooperative Extension Education Hotline at 800-448-1011. To download a registration form, visit www.urimga.org and click on the summer gardening school link.