Class Schedule

HORTICULTURE:  Get Off the Grass!  A Turf Replacement Story

Landscape irrigation use is a significant component of urban water demand and is responsible for seasonal water use variability. This is especially true in the Spokane region where water use quadruples in the summer months. SpokaneScape, a turf replacement rebate program specifically designed for front yards is making an effort to make installing a water-smart landscape a seamless process and change the local

Kristen Zimmer

culture's love of turf. This program provides education to residential customers on the multiple benefits of low water use landscapes and supports landscape market transformation.

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BIO: Kristen has a natural science education degree from EWU and serves as the Education Coordinator for the City of Spokane Water Department. Her daily challenge: engage tots, tweens, teens and adults in the story of water and the need for conservation. Kristen has worked for the Spokane Water Department for 5 years managing the water conservation and stormwater education programs. This work includes classroom instruction, managing tours, water quality reporting, marketing, planning and design.

Tim Kohlhauff

PRUNING:  Pruning Tips for Your Shrubs
Pruning in the home landscape can be confusing and create questions. How do we respond to the damage caused by our Spokane winters? As gardeners, we want to do it right, but what is right? Come learn why it’s less about right and wrong and more about good and “less good.” For good pruning results, what you need is a plan, some basic plant knowledge, and sharp pruning tools. This talk can help you with two out of three, (sharp pruning tools not included).  

 BIO: Tim Kohlhauff is the Urban Horticulture Coordinator for the Spokane County Extension, where he leads the Master Gardner program. He has worked there since 2008, assisting homeowners and professionals in diagnosing plant problems. He trains new and veteran Master Gardeners in sustainable gardening practices and proper tree care. He was the arborist at the Spokane Country Club (now the Kalispel Golf & Country Club) for ten years, and an adjunct instructor at Spokane Community College. Tim has two degrees in Horticulture from Spokane Community College and a B. A. from Whitman College in Walla Walla.  He has been a Master Gardner since 2000, and is an ISA certified arborist. 

PRUNING:  Utility Pruning

Ben will guide us in finding practical, healthy solutions to ensure the success and longevity of our trees. Learn about science-based tree care including pruning, pest diagnosis and management and soil care. 

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BIO:Ben is a Board Certified Master Arborist (2019) and a Qualified Tree Risk Assessor. He works as a certified arborist/local office manager for Bartlett Tree Experts and is an

Ben Kappen

adjunct instructor for Spokane Community College. He has worked in tree care in Spokane for over 20 years. He has a personal passion for trees and maintains a broad network of relationships with other industry experts to benefit his clients.

PRUNING:  Pruning Tips for Your Roses
Learn the best practices for properly pruning your roses. You will benefit from Lynn’s expertise as she demonstrates when, where, and how to make cuts that best shape the plant and remove dead growth for its ideal beauty and health. 

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BIO: I began growing roses in the mid-70s at which time I joined the Spokane Rose Society. I then joined the American Rose Society and am a life member of that organization. In the mid-80s I became a

Lynn Schafer

Consulting Rosarian. Following that I took a test to become a horticultural rose judge. I was District Director for the American Rose Society for six years, Regional Director for another three years, and have worked in various capacities in the District. I am now classified as a Master Rosarian following about 30 years as a Consulting Rosarian. I edit and publish the newsletter of the Spokane Rose Society, and I have held various offices and chairs in the group through the years, currently as treasurer. Oh yes, I have a rose named for me by my good friend, the late Mitchie Moe of Federal Way, Washington. The rose is named ‘Lynn.’ It is a lovely lavender miniature. 

Kim Lango

Spokane’s floral industry has been growing exponentially the past 5 years and is following the US national demand for Locally Grown Flowers.  You might have even heard about Washington’s own famous Flower Farmer, Erin Benzakien of Floret, or watched Joanna Gaines’ series on the “Grown not Flown” flower trend. In this class we’ll talk about how Flower Farmers right here in Spokane grow Specialty Cut Flowers and how they are enriching our community. The most

exciting part of our class will be teaching you how to create a three season cutting garden of your own - using some of our professional methods of growing. We will cover foliage, fillers, focals & accents that you can grow at home, as well as proper harvesting techniques. A sample garden plan will be included in the class. 

This class is for beginners or masters - There is always a new flower you haven’t met yet! 

BIO: Kim Lango is the owner & operator of Prairie Sky Farms LLC, a local Flower Farm & Organic Orchard in Cheney WA that serves Spokane and the surrounding area. She is a native of Rochester, NY, where she graduated from SUNY Brockport with a BSN and began a rewarding 30 year career in nursing, which took her around the country and the world doing medical work. One of her lifelong ‘second half of life’ dreams was to one day become a Master Gardener, which she was able to finally do when she settled in Seattle. She completed her Certification in 2014 in Snohomish County, WA. Her work with the WSNLA in Seattle, helping to create the gardens at the NW Flower & Garden show, inspired her to work full time in horticulture. When she moved to Cheney, WA to start her farm, she enrolled in the Spokane County Master Gardener program, and has been volunteering in Spokane Community Gardens and as a Plant Clinic Specialist at the Extension office, while growing her farm. Besides being an orchardist and flower farmer, and continuing to oversee her non-profit work in S. America, she is a mom to three beautiful young adults, as well as a sheep dog, barn cat, 7 chickens and, let’s not forget, all the diverse plant babies that are never quite enough for a Gardener. 

DESIGN:  Permaculture Concepts for Landscape Design:  Zones & Guilds

Please zoom in to learn some basics in Permaculture and possibly applications to be used on your own property. 

Kally Romjue

BIO: I became a WSU Master Gardener in 2016, received my OSU Permaculture Design Certificate in 2017, and my OSU Sustainable Landscape Certificate in 2018.  I enjoy learning about our environment and the many approaches to keeping it viable for future generations.  Previous to these endeavors I worked in finance for 33 years and understand the world from the dollar approach and the land development approach. 

DESIGN:  Designing Gardens that Invite and Support Birds

The Spokane area is a great place to enjoy local and migrating birds, right in our own gardens. The presence, and diversity, of birds in our garden is truly a sign of a sustainable natural setting, whether a tiny city lot or larger parcel with acreage. In this presentation, we will learn about the huge variety of local birds, their amazing schedules, and their bird-specific needs. We will

Pam Brown

discuss designing the garden to accommodate our birds’ needs: shelter, natural and introduced food, water, and areas for raising young. We will cover design concepts so that you and the birds enjoy your garden, including plant selections, incorporating water features, even finding or creating appropriate bird houses and feeders.

BIO:  Pamela has loved being “In Nature” since childhood, enjoying family road trips to national and state parks, public gardens, backpacking, and hiking. Her formal education included degrees in design, landscape architecture, and education. She practiced landscape architecture for many years, and operated a small landscape design-build company, where she bridged the family’s functional needs with the opportunities (and responsibilities) the site provided, which included the native plants and animals. After living in the Spokane region for 15 years, she has become very fond of the birds that frequent the area, and enjoys finding ways to both attract them to the garden, and to design gardens that help the bird population thrive. 

Karen Chapman

DESIGN:  Deer-Resistant Design

Discover time-and taste-tested design strategies, tips, and tricks that will help you create a beautiful fence-free garden that thrives despite the deer.

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BIO:  Karen established her award-winning landscape design business, Le Jardinet, in 2006. She is co-author of three books, Fine Foliage (St. Lynn’s Press, 2006), Gardening with Foliage First (Timber Press, 2017), and her newest book, Deer Resistant Design

(Timber Press, 2019). Her articles and designs have been featured in many online and print publications. She also runs online courses. She lives and gardens on five rural acres in Duvall, WA.