Remember our exceptionally early spring? Our soggy fall?
Weather extremes like those can be challenging for gardeners. But Cleveland Botanical Garden’s upcoming Sustainability Symposium will help you keep your garden flourishing amid changing weather patterns.
The symposium, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26, has the theme Seasonal Sustainability. Among the sessions will be a keynote speech by Scott Sheridan, a climatology professor at Kent State University, who will talk about evidence of climate change and what it means for the world and your garden.
Other sessions are Green Gardening for Winter Interest; Clean Up, Green Up: Removing Home-Based Hazardous Materials; Bringing the Outdoors In and Preserving Your Fall Garden Harvest.
Admission is $50 for members of the garden and $60 for others. Register at 216-721-1600, ext. 100, or www.cbgarden.org.
Cleveland Botanical Garden is at 11030 East Blvd.
Online horticulture course
You can learn from one of the country’s foremost horticulturists, Allan Armitage, in a new online course offered by the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education.
Armitage is a professor at the university and a noted speaker, researcher and author of 13 books. In the course, Armitage’s Herbaceous Perennials for the Sun, he shares his insights on planting, propagating and caring for 20 of his favorite perennials.
The course is self-paced, so you can start at any time. You have three months from your registration date to complete the course.
Cost is $149 until Jan. 20 and $249 afterward. The required textbook is extra.
Information is at www.georgiacenter.uga.edu. Enter “Armitage” in the search box to find the course details.
Share your anecdote
Don’t forget that I’m soliciting stories from readers on joke gifts that keep getting passed around among family members or friends.
I want to hear about those gifts that keep on giving — you know, the uneaten fruitcake Aunt Martha baked in 1982 that keeps reappearing in the annual gift exchange, or maybe the horrid clown doll that gets rewrapped and regifted on family birthdays.
I’ll compile my favorite stories of continually regifted gifts and share them in the Dec. 22 home section.
You can submit your story by email at mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com or by mail at this address: Mary Beth Breckenridge, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640.
Be sure to include your name, the town where you live and a phone number where I can reach you during the day, just in case I have questions.
Deadline is Dec. 15.
Events and programs
• Guided Bird Walk, 9-11 a.m. today, Secrest Arboretum, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster Township. Meet at Seaman Orientation Plaza. Free. cochran.7@osu.edu, 330-464-2148 or http://secrest.osu.edu.
• Winter Barn Sale, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Sunday, Portage Trail Barn, 151 Portage Trail Extension W, Cuyahoga Falls. Handmade and repurposed items. www.PortageTrailBarn.com.
• Warm Up Akron meetings, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mogadore Branch Library, 144 S. Cleveland Ave. Christmas party for group that knits and crochets rectangles used to make afghans for needy people in the Akron area. 330-699-3252 or http://warmupakron.webs.com.
• Holiday Book Tree, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Buckeye Library, 6625 Wolff Road, York Township, Medina County. Create a holiday decoration. Free. Registration: www.mcdl.info or 330-725-4415.
• Snowman Holiday Wreath, 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Quirk Cultural Center, 1201 Grant Ave., Cuyahoga Falls. Residents $19, others $21. Registration: 330-971-8225 or www.cityofcf.com/parksandrec.
• Yarncrafters meetings, 1-3 and 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Medina Library, 210 S. Broadway. Knitting and crocheting group. www.mcdl.info or 330-725-0588.
• New Year’s Snow Globe, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Brunswick Library, 3649 Center Road. Craft program for teens. Free. Registration: www.mcdl.info or 330-273-4150.
• Needlework Circle meeting, 6 p.m. Thursdays, Seville Library, North Center Street. 330-769-2852.
• Deck the Halls, 6 p.m. Thursday, Seville Library, North Center Street. Make a fresh floral arrangement. $20. Registration: www.mcdl.info or 330-769-2852.
• Holiday tours, 1-4 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 22, Perkins Stone Mansion, 550 Copley Road, Akron. $6, seniors $4, students $2, members free. www.summithistory.org.
• Holiday Memories, through Dec. 30, Hower House, 60 Fir Hill, Akron. Victorian mansion is decorated to reflect memories of holidays past. Self-guided tours noon to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. Sundays; guided and group tours by appointment. Closed Dec. 24-26. $8; 65 and older $6; students $2; children 6 and younger free with adult. 330-972-6909 or www.uakron.edu/howerhse.
• Deck the Hall, through Dec. 30, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 714 N. Portage Path, Akron. Music-theme holiday decorations in the Manor House, lighted grounds, entertainment and visits with Mr. Jingeling. Open 5-8 p.m. today, Sunday, Thursday, Friday and Dec. 15-23 and 26-30. Members, $13.50 for adults and $5.50 for youth; others, $17 for adults and $7 for youth. 5 and younger admitted free. Tickets available at the door or in advance at 330-836-5533 or www.stanhywet.org.
• Glow, through Dec. 31, Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Blvd. Holiday plantings, trees and decorations, along with entertainment, a gingerbread house display and a Garden Express train ride. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays except Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. $12, children 3 to 12 $6.50, members and younger children free. 216-721-1600 or www.cbgarden.org.
Submit notices of classes, programs and events two weeks in advance to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com or Home and Garden News, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Please include name and phone number. All events must be open to the public.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/mbbreck, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckenridge and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.