Garden Webinars
March & April 2022
Join us online via Zoom for a series of four garden lectures featuring garden designers Janet Macunovich and Ed Blondin, and botanical photographer Laurie Tennent. From garden history and photography, to design and renovation, each lecture will cover a different topic designed to increase your knowledge and prepare you for the upcoming gardening season. Please see below for a summary of each lecture and to register now!
Registration & Refunds
General Admission: $30/class | $120/series
Cranbrook House & Gardens Auxiliary Members: $25/class | $100/series
Please click the buttons at the bottom of this page to register. Registration closes the day of each webinar at 8:00am. All registrants will receive an email at 10:00am the morning of the event with instructions on how to join the webinar. Please add houseandgardens@cranbrook.edu and efranchy@cranbrook.edu to your contacts.
Thank you for supporting Cranbrook House & Gardens by registering for each viewer in your household and not sharing your login link with others. Registration is nonrefundable.
Webinar Video
Registration includes a recorded video of the webinar. A link to view the recorded video will be sent within two weeks of the event.
Weekly Topics
Great Plant Combinations
Speaker: Janet Macunovich
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Most gardeners aim for year-round interest, but sometimes the design process gets bogged down in looking for color alone. In this webinar, expert gardener Janet Macunovich will offer suggestions for trees, shrubs, and perennials that not only look great together for their seasonal colors but also for their combined forms, textures, and foliage characteristics.
This session is eligible for 1.5 hours of MSU Extension Master Gardener continuing education credit. Project category: Community: Beautification – Public Areas.
Renovating a Perennial Bed
Speaker: Janet Macunovich
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Perennials don't last forever -- beds that are six or seven years old benefit greatly from a total or partial remake. If your bed has become worn out, some plants have grown too large and others have melted away, or you're just plain tired of looking at the same old stuff, don't miss this class. Expert gardener Janet Macunovich will provide a step-by-step approach to give old plants and soil new life, rekindle faded glory, and make care easier.
This session is eligible for 1.5 hours of MSU Extension Master Gardener continuing education credit. Project category: Community: Beautification – Public Areas.
Dirty History: Gardens of the Persian and the Monastic Periods
Speaker: Ed Blondin
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Why do we garden the way we do? To understand today’s modern garden aesthetic, we need to hit ‘rewind’ and go back to the future, all the way to the Persian Empire. This is a time when 44% of the world’s population fell under Persian rule. The ancient capital of Pasargadae funneled plants and ideas from the East to the west, influencing the gardens of ancient Greece then Rome. From there, the Great Monastic Gardens pushed the aesthetic across the Atlantic and into your back yard. If you are interested in gardens, history, and “Ahhhh Haaaaa” moments, then don’t miss this lecture with Ed Blondin, the owner of Hortulus Gardens & Landscape.
Intimate Portraits
Speaker: Laurie Tennent
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Tour some of the garden exhibitions of botanical photographer Laurie Tennent and explore photographic techniques to capture the exquisite details of nature. This online class will be complemented by a photographic tour on the beautiful grounds of Cranbrook House & Gardens when the gardens are in bloom (additional paid registration required). Laurie will provide techniques and inspire you to create botanical portraits (for amateur use) as you develop a style of your own. Webinar attendees will receive exclusive access to register for the in-person tour (more details will be emailed at a later date).
Garden Webinar Videos
View a summary of our previous lectures and purchase access to the recorded videos. Previous topics include Designing Shady Areas, Simplifying a Garden, Continuous Color in a Garden, and Adding Life to a Garden: Birds, Butterflies, and Beneficial Insects.
Additional Information
Click here for information on how to download Zoom, join a meeting, and to familiarize yourself with the application prior to the event.