Class Registrations

Join Dan Blanchard, Curator of Living Plant Collections, for a guided walk through the OSU Campus Arboretum. This tour highlights the rich history of the university’s evolving landscape and showcases many of the remarkable trees and shrubs that make up more than 65,000 woody plants on campus. Discover the stories embedded in OSU’s living collections and how the arboretum has grown over more than a century.

Visit 4-5 lab groups in the OSU Department of Horticulture for a rare behind-the-scenes peek. Meet the researchers and learn about their work. This popular session takes place in a building that requires a 10-minute walk from the conference location.

You’ve mastered the mulch and conquered the compost—now it’s time to manage the buzz. This session introduces the OSU Extension Bee Steward Program; a new initiative focused on the conservation of our state’s diverse wild bee populations. We will move beyond basic floral choices to explore advanced stewardship techniques—practical, science-based "hacks" that turn any landscape into a critical refuge for native bees.

Curious how new AI technologies in 2026 affect research? Join this session to learn how AI may impact your research workflows, how to evaluate AI-generated information, and practical methods for tracing and verifying information sources.

The ornamental plant trade has played a significant role in the spread of invasive, nuisance, and noxious plants. When these invasive species are planted in home gardens, they can disrupt local ecosystems, outcompete native plants, and reduce biodiversity. This not only affects the balance of plant life but also harms pollinators and other wildlife that depend on native species for food and habitat. This presentation examines some of the commonly available invasive and nuisance plants and suggests alternatives, including native species, native cultivars, and more beneficial ornamental species.

Drip irrigation has many benefits but can seem intimidating to set up. By only watering the roots of wanted plants, drip irrigation increases water use efficiency and reduces the area where weeds can pop up. Learn from Grace Florjancic, Jackson County Master Gardener Coordinator, about some strategies for a successful drip set up. Get a chance to see how it all works and examine a sample drip line set up.

Gardeners are noticing shifts in what thrives, what struggles, and how familiar plants behave from year to year. These changes open the door to important questions about plant adaptation, shifting ranges, and how we can support healthier, more resilient landscapes. This session explores how plants adapt, why some species are moving, and what assisted migration means for home landscapes. You’ll gain practical strategies for choosing resilient plants, managing microclimates, and supporting biodiversity in a changing environment.

GROWING FRUITS AND BERRIES IN THE HOME GARDEN: This presentation will discuss the basic techniques for growing and care of various fruits and berries from planting to harvest.

Learn strategies and practices to regenerate your garden and make it more resilient. Discover ways to improve soil health by practicing no-till methods, planting cover crops, adding compost, and diversifying plantings. Adopting these practices not only benefits the garden ecosystem but also saves time, money and resources.

Master Gardener volunteers do incredible work — but making that work visible is what helps ensure the program’s future. This interactive session pulls back the curtain on how advocacy happens within OSU Extension, including how funding is supported at the state and county levels, and why community awareness plays such a powerful role in sustaining Extension programs. Participants will hear a real-world success story from Multnomah County, where volunteers helped secure local Extension funding for the first time in more than 20 years, learning how relationship-building, clear messaging, and consistent visibility made a difference. Together, we’ll explore practical, everyday ways Master Gardener volunteers can advocate year-round by sharing the program’s impact, strengthening community connections, and helping others understand the vital role of OSU Extension Master Gardener. Through small-group activities, volunteers will practice talking about the program in ways that feel natural, personal, and meaningful, using examples from their own counties to build confidence and clarity.
This session is ideal for engaged Master Gardener volunteers who want to strengthen the program in their communities, including those involved in outreach, education, events, communications, association leadership, or anyone interested in learning simple ways to advocate for OSU Extension Master Gardener year-round.

Art About Agriculture is a program within Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences that invite artists and crafts people to explore themes of food, fiber, and natural resources through their work. Established in 1983 as the region’s first annual agriculture-themed arts competition and touring exhibition, the program fosters understanding and appreciation of agriculture among Oregon’s diverse audiences. Art About Agriculture
champions professional and emerging Northwest artists, cultivates a dynamic permanent
collection, and organizes exhibitions and loans throughout Oregon and the broader Pacific
Northwest.

Join us to learn more about Growing and Belonging in the Master Gardener Program.

Bees make up less than 10% of pollinators on our planet. There are about 20,000
described bees on our planet. Who are the other 330,000 pollinators?
Where are they and what do they pollinate? Are they in your yard/garden?

Get step-by-step instructions for improving form and function of fruit trees, and ornamental trees and shrubs. This session will focus on the most important things you should know: Structural pruning for strong ornamental trees, shoot and spur management for productive fruit trees, and practical techniques for elegant ornamental shrubs. You will learn how branch placement, crotch angle, aspect ratio, taper, and root structure are important for a strong structure. The result? You will feel confident in pruning -- for the right reasons, at the right time, and in the right places.

Many of us see firsthand the impact of extreme weather events and climate change in our gardens. Master Gardeners are also receiving questions from the public asking how to care for stressed plants and what to expect next. To help Oregon’s gardeners, the OSU Master Gardener Program recently launched a new statewide climate resilience education and outreach project called Garden Future. Learn about new resources available to support you in leading this project in your communities, including the Garden Future website, conversational email campaign, outreach kits provided to each county, and tips for engaging with the interested public. Includes time to share what chapters across the state are working on.

The World of IPM Brush up on your Integrated Pest Management knowledge to win fabulous, valuable prizes! In this fast paced, interactive trivia game, you’ll answer questions on your smartphone to compete for the title of “IPM Champion” and a bundle of fabulous prizes! Covering everything from pest identification to physical controls to thoughtful pesticide use, this session will consist of 50 multiple choice questions you answer using your personal phone. No downloads or apps required but make sure your phone is charged! Limited to 100 participants, though more may observe. Sorry, Master Gardener Coordinators are not eligible to compete in this session. Prizes to the top 5 scorers.

oin Dan Blanchard, Curator of Living Plant Collections, for a guided walk through the OSU Campus Arboretum. This tour highlights the rich history of the university’s evolving landscape and showcases many of the remarkable trees and shrubs that make up more than 65,000 woody plants on campus. Discover the stories embedded in OSU’s living collections and how the arboretum has grown over more than a century.

An introduction to drought tolerant, Xeriscape design for the home gardener. Learn how to plan, design, implement, and maintain a decorative landscape the thrives with little or no irrigation.

Learn about five scientific studies that have had a large role in shaping our current understanding of gardens as an ecological system. This talk will not only show how these studies formed the foundation for further research, but it will also reveal how these findings apply to your gardening practice!

Permaculture offers a system of garden design based in ethics with principles centered around meeting human needs while working with, not against nature. This presentation will introduce you to this system and show you how to utilize it to create a modern cottage garden that is practical, sustainable, and fits into your available space. You will learn how Permaculture is both regenerative and sustainable, how it can reduce the need for human input, and how it efficiently uses available energy, while creating no waste. Come and learn how Permaculture can offer a new perspective on home gardening.

Ready to take your compost from good to magnificent? Dig into the nitty gritty composting. Learn what really makes those piles cook, how to balance greens and browns like a pro, and the secrets to turning kitchen scraps into garden gold. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned composter you’ll learn tips and tricks to boost your compost game and keep your soil (and plants) thriving. In addition, Logan will cover the importance of soil testing and how to interpret the results. Come for science, stay for the dirt!

This session will cover the basics of unframed and framed raised beds, why to use them, what materials to use (and avoid), tips for constructing long-lasting raised beds, and using raised beds to make plantings accessible for gardeners of all abilities. You’ll also learn the results of a four-year research study from the OSU Department of Forestry on the safety of pressure-treated wood for vegetable gardens.

Join Shannon Rauter to learn about the science of cut flower production and how you can transform a portion of your garden into a cutting garden for beautiful blooms. This session explores how temperature, daylength, and chilling influence flowering and stem quality, and how gardeners can use these factors to guide plant and cultivar selection. Participants will learn the differences between traditional, and specialty cut flowers, strategies for succession planting, and suggestions for choosing reliable annuals, perennials, and bulbs for cutting. The talk also covers the basics of soil fertility management based on soil testing and cut flower demand, helping gardeners move beyond guesswork.

We will discuss the details of growing onions, leeks, and shallots from seed. Which types of onions to grow, when to seed onions for overwintering, and planting spring planting. When to seed leeks and shallots. We will also discuss soil preparation and irrigation for onions.

If you’ve found gardening in the eastern and high desert portions of Oregon more challenging than expected, you are not alone! Transplants from other areas are often surprised by the weather, temperature, and elevation challenges in eastern OR. We’ll discuss strategies to improve success including cultivar selection, monitoring soil temperature, season extension, and more. You’ll leave this session with ideas to try to make your vegetable gardening efforts more rewarding.

This panel will introduce the recently updated Seed to Supper Program (a free course focused on gardening on a budget meant to support food insecure populations), give participants the opportunity to explore the program materials, and explain the process of getting Seed to Supper up and running from start to finish. Panelists will also discuss Seed to Supper best-practices, share their experiences facilitating the program, and answer questions.

Learn the basics of how to propagate, cultivate, and harvest herbs. An introduction to growing herbs in the home garden. This presentation covers the basics of plant selection, propagation, cultivation, harvest, and uses.

Legume vegetables include staple crops worldwide such as peas, green beans, shelling beans, favas, soy, lentils, and more. Learn how to grow these high fiber, high protein, and in many cases durable storage vegetables in your home garden.

This presentation will cover many varieties of lilies; how to plant, grow and care for lilies, and more.

We have mixed feelings about ants: What is ANT Analogy? We are fascinated with their complex social behaviors. We are at times annoyed and we sometimes fear them. They are creepy-crawly pests that some wish to eliminate. A repulsion or anger of being bitten or eaten alive. We can be tender and we value our coexistence with them. Irrational? It’s ANT Analogy: In psychology. See where you stand it will not be where you think.

Get a glimpse into horticultural research at Oregon State University. What are the questions under investigation? How do scientists approach solving them? Why does it take years to move from a scientific hypothesis to results that are ready to be shared? Learn about the process we apply to research at the Garden Ecology Lab and other OSU Horticulture Department labs. You will also get acquainted with findings that are relevant to gardening in the Pacific Northwest.