for immediate release

Professional Development Opportunities

Regenstein School Offers Spring Courses in 2009

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (Nov. 6, 2008)—Green industry and conservation professionals can get hands-on learning through seven professional development courses offered by the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden from January through March 2009.

The School is one of the premier sources in the United States for the continuing development of horticulture and plant science knowledge and skills for professionals. Professional programs offer intensive studies in a particular area of interest for the advanced student. Leading experts are invited to teach and lecture using the Garden’s living collection and natural resources. Instruction is often a combination of lecture and hands-on exercises with plenty of time for networking with industry colleagues.

Many programs are approved for continuing education units (CEUs) from professional organizations, including the American Horticultural Therapy Association, Association of Professional Landscape Designers, Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, Illinois Nurseryman’s Association, International Society of Arboriculture and Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

In addition, the School offers several career training/professional development certificate programs: Ornamental Plant Materials, Professional Gardener Level 1 and 2, Garden Design and Healthcare Garden Design. For more information, call (847) 835-8293, or visit the website at www.chicagobotanic.org/certificate.

Professional programs offered in spring 2009 include:

Unique Opportunities: Managing Exceptional Trees – Friday, January 22, 9 a.m. to noon

Learn how to manage trees that are extremely large, very old, unusual, or famous. Cast studies will be used to illustrate what makes such trees special, how to evaluate them, and how to care for them in the landscape. This class is designed for site administrators, professional arborists, and landscape professionals responsible for stewardship of exceptional tress. Cost is $49. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $39.

Green Infrastructures for Gardeners, Landscape Designers, and Site Planners – Thursday, January 22, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Learn the basics of creating functional landscaping which manages, reduces, and recycles storm water, sequesters carbon, and uses native plants to provide aesthetic-amenity to our communities. Instructor Terry Guen shows examples of how green infrastructure can be incorporated into our home gardens and local communities. Cost is $37. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $29.

Learning the Landscape with AutoCAD – Thursday and Friday, February 5 & 6, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This course will cover the basic tools, techniques, and use of the AutoCAD programs within landscape architectural and landscape design offices. Exercises, lectures, and demonstrations will focus on application specific to a landscape design including base plants, layout plans, revisions, planting plans, and construction detailing. Students will gain confidence in using, learning, and applying the software. Cost is $287. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $229.

Spanish for the Landscape Professional – Friday, February 6, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Chicago Botanic Garden horticulturist, Moshe Pinargote, will take you through a journey of the culture of Spanish-speaking countries from South America to Mexico. You will lean Spanish vocabulary and the most common phrases for landscape professionals. Cost is $49. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $39.

Prospering as a Landscape Lighting Professional – Friday, February 13, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Outdoor lighting is one of the fastest-growing segments of the green industry and realizes some of the largest profit margins, making it a great opportunity to increase revenues for any green-industry company, including landscape design/build firms and irrigation contractors. This course will introduce the basic design and installation of professional-grade outdoor lighting systems. Some of the topics include design theory, system layout, voltage-drop, designing energy efficient lighting and much more. Cost is $49. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $39.

Matematicas para Jardineros – Viernes, 27 de Febrero, 8 a.m. to noon

Este curso esta elaborado para aquellos jardineros responsables por el mantenimiento o directores de las operaciones de jardineria. Me todos basicos del calculo de area, volumenes y conversions de uso en la industria, asi como tambien, el calculo de la concentracion de fertilizantes, determinacion del nuero de plantas por cama, enmiendas del duelo necesaria, entre otros topicos de importancia, seran cubiertos en esta clase. El cost es $62. Los miembros de Chicago Botanic Garden pagan $49.

Math for Gardeners in Spanish – Friday, February 27, 8 a.m. to noon

This course is designed for gardeners who are responsible for maintaining or directing the maintenance of outdoor landscapes. Basic methods of calculating areas, volumes, and conversions for the landscaping trade, such as application rates of fertilizers, determining how many plants per bed to use, and how much soil amendment is needed, as well as other topics will be covered. Cost is $62. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $49.

Container Plantings for the Professional Gardener – Friday, February 27, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Container gardening is as popular as ever, and more and more people demand top-quality containers plantings for their landscapes, businesses, communities, parks and street plantings. Getting the most of your containers plantings for all four seasons is the emphasis of the class. Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist for the Chicago Botanic Garden, will discuss proper plant selection, container types, soil amendments, cultural practices, and maintenance issues. Cost is $37. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $29.

Insects of Trees and Shrubs – Friday, March 6, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Learn detailed information about the fascinating insects and mites that inhabit the trees, shrubs, and flowers of the landscape. You’ll see photos of the various stages of species development, hear about their life histories and fine out whether cultural, biological and chemical controls might be needed. Cost us $87. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $69.

Garden Structures and Decks: Design and Construction – Friday, March 13, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Back by popular demand! Whether they divide space, provide shelter or shade, ornament a garden or support plants, garden structures have to be built to withstand wind, weather, and weight of the structure plus any associated plant mass. This course will describe and illustrate basic and detailed construction techniques for footings, post and beam construction, trilliage and roofs, as well as railings for decks and pavilions. Cost is $74. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $59.

Digital Graphics for the Landscape Design Office – Five Wednesdays, March 18 through April 22 (no class Apr. 15), 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

This workshop will show you how the graphics software Adobe PhotoShop can become part of your landscape design process. Photoshop has broadened the types of graphics available and enhanced communicating with the client. Learn the program language along with various techniques to develop drawings. Cost is $287. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $229.

Parking is free for program registrants. For information on professional development opportunities, request a catalog by calling (847) 835-8261, or visit the Chicago Botanic Garden website at www.chicagobotanic.org/school.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $15; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior citizens age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. The Garden is also breaking new ground in urban horticulture and jobs training through a 15-acre project in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago called Windy City Harvest. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.