Designing for the Shade: A Container Garden Workshop BYOC

Designing for the Shade: A Container Garden Workshop
Hosted by The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park
Date: May 22| Time: 5-6:30pm| Location: The Botanic Garden Pavilion

Have a shady porch or a tricky garden corner that needs some life? Join Matthew Ross, Executive Director of The Botanic Garden, for a hands-on workshop all about designing beautiful containers for those low-light spots.

You'll explore creative ways to combine shade-loving annuals, perennials, and even a few tropicals—focusing on texture, foliage, and contrast where flowers may be few. After an inspiring discussion, head to the pavilion to create your own custom container garden.

🌿 BYOC – Bring Your Own Container!
Please bring a container (or two!) with an opening of 18” or less and a depth of 24” or less.

We’ll supply everything else:

• A variety of shade-loving plants
• Potting soil
• Fertilizer
• A care sheet to help your arrangement thrive

Whether you’re refreshing your porch or adding personality to a shady nook, you’ll leave with a beautiful, personalized container and the confidence to do more.

Spaces are limited—reserve your spot today!

About the Instructor

Matthew Ross is the Executive Director of The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park. Before coming to Traverse City, he worked as the Continuing Education Director at Longwood Gardens overseeing over 200 programs in horticulture, landscape design, and floristry. He is nationally recognized as leader in horticulture and gardening and has a BS and MS from Michigan State University in Horticulture Science with an emphasis in Landscape Design Construction Management and Urban Forestry respectively.

Registration is limited, so reserve your spot today!