Continuing Education

Home & Garden

Interior Design 101
Learn the basic tools to create an artful home including creating a floor plan, the use of color, and window treatments. The principal elements of design will be discussed: balance, proportion and color. Address design as an artist approaches a canvas, with the room as the composition. Email instructor at mt.design@verizon.net for a list of supplies at least one week prior to class.
CE-ART 2062, 8 Tues., May 21-July 9, 6:30-9:00 pm, Room TBD, $175 (+ textbook). M Tallerico. #5918

na01144_ GO NATIVE U at Westchester Community College:
A Certificate Program in Sustainable Gardening with Northeast Flora

Sustainable gardens are beautiful and are part of the larger interdependent whole of our local environment. Learning about the beauty, importance and benefits of our regional flora will enhance your gardening experience and help support your community landscape.

Modeled on the successful "Go Native U" course of study run by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center located in Austin, Texas, this program focuses on the northeastern region. Go Native U at Westchester Community College offers a schedule of courses that are designed to be of benefit to business owners as well as garden enthusiasts. If you are a landscaper, landscape architect or landscape designer, run a nursery or garden center, love working in your own garden, or seek to improve your home and community environment, this program is for you. Participants will gain an understanding of regional ecology and sustainable practices that will serve to guide gardening, landscape design, land and grounds management, selection, sales, and marketing decisions.

The certificate consists of 50 contact hours offered over the period of the year which includes core courses (18 hrs.), electives (17 hrs.) plus community service (15 hrs.). Some classes will have LA-CES approved credit hours. All courses taught by highly qualified, experienced professionals.

To register for these courses, please call 914-606-6830 and press 1 or register online at www.sunywcc.edu/CE

Elective Classes:

Gardening To Attract Beneficial Insects
Learn how to attract beneficial insects to your yard using appropriate native plants. Discover which “good bugs” assist in suppressing pests (“bad bugs”) in your landscape, which provide pollination. Discuss how to identify key insects, how to provide them with habitat, and how to support them with the plants they need at various stages of their life cycles.
CE-GRDN 2031, 1 Wed., May 23, 10:00 am-1:00 pm, CLA-100, $70. K Eierman. #5919

Gardening for Beekeepers
Learn how to keep your honey bees well fed and making healthful, tasty honey by creating a honey bee garden. Learn about forage needs, the principles of bee garden design, and the best plant choices, timed to flower throughout the growing season.
CE-GRDN 2044, 1 Sun., June 2, 1:00-3:00 pm, CLA-100, $45. K Eierman. #6121

Meadowscaping at Home: How to Make a Native Meadow
Tired of that lifeless, boring lawn? Want to plant something that is beautiful, low maintenance, and ecologically-beneficial? Learn how to create a native meadow or a meadow-like garden in your own landscape, using the best native plants.
CE-GRDN 2041, 1 Wed., June 5, 1:00-3:00 pm, CLA-100, $45. K Eierman. #6122

Field ID of the Common Weeds of Westchester
What is a weed and are they invaders? Learn how to use a dichotomous key to identify common garden weeds, distinguish between native and non-native species and successfully manage weed eradication in your own garden. The course goes outdoors for field identification and the creation of your own weed herbarium.
CE-GRDN 2043, 2 Wed., May 29 & June 5, 10:00 am-12:00 noon, CLA-100, $90. M Fabel. #6123

Common Wild Violets of the Northeast
Enter the Lilliputian world of violets in this practical field identification course. Learn how to identify the common violets of the northeast using a dichotomous key and hand-lens. Study the ecological role of violets in our woodlands (and lawns) as well as understand the key characteristics that make this beautiful dainty flower unique.
CE-GRDN 2042, 1 Wed., June 12, 10:00 am-12:00 noon, CLA-100, $45. M Fabel. #6124

The Go Native U Certificate Program is a collaborative effort between Westchester Community College and The Native Plant Center. A percentage of tuition fees will be donated to help support the work of The Native Plant Center.