Home & Garden   

We’ll begin with a warm welcome and a chance to reflect on our connection to nature, plants, and community. Participants will engage with a variety of indoor plants using their senses—observing textures, shapes, scents, and unique characteristics while learning essential plant-care skills such as watering, lighting, plant origins, and common uses. Questions and discussion are encouraged throughout the session.

We’ll also explore the benefits of horticultural therapy and how caring for plants can support emotional well-being, reduce stress, and foster a sense of connection and purpose. Each participant will pot and take home their own plant, applying the techniques learned in class. We’ll conclude with a brief reflective exercise focused on personal growth, leaving you with practical plant-care knowledge, a deeper appreciation for the natural world, and a living reminder of the power of nurturing both plants and ourselves.

Want to invite birds, bees, and wildlife into your yard? It's easier than you think—and it mostly starts with what not to do. This autumn, learn how to easily add life and health to your outdoor space. We will walk through a slide presentation full of actionable ideas and wrap up with a Q&A session to answer your specific questions. Leave with the confidence to begin creating your own backyard nature preserve for you and your family to enjoy all year long!

Orchids are among the world's most beautiful and often misunderstood houseplants. In this interactive workshop, participants will discover what makes orchids so unique by exploring their natural habitats, how they grow, and why they require care that differs from most traditional houseplants. We'll cover the most common orchid varieties found in stores and review the essential care practices needed to help orchids thrive at home.

Each participant will bring an orchid of their choice—whether a newly purchased plant or one they already own—and receive step-by-step guidance as they repot it. Together, we'll learn how to identify healthy and unhealthy roots, when and how to trim roots, how to care for damaged or aging leaves, and best practices for watering, light, humidity, and long-term maintenance to promote healthy growth and encourage reblooming. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a freshly repotted orchid, practical skills they can confidently apply at home, and a deeper appreciation for the beauty, resilience, and unique nature of these extraordinary plants. Questions and discussion are encouraged, and this will be a supportive learning experience for both beginners and experienced plant enthusiasts.

Have you ever wondered why some homes immediately feel warm, elegant, and inviting—even without expensive renovations or designer furnishings? In this engaging 90-minute class, you'll discover the professional design principles that interior designers and luxury home stagers use to create beautiful, balanced spaces, and learn how to apply them in your own home, regardless of your decorating style or budget.

Through inspiring before-and-after examples, you'll learn how to improve the look and feel of every room using color, lighting, furniture placement, accessories, artwork, and styling techniques that create a polished, welcoming home. Whether you're refreshing your current space, preparing your home for entertaining, thinking about selling in the future, or simply want to fall in love with your home again, you'll leave with practical ideas and actionable tips you can begin using immediately.

**Unless otherwise specified, to be eligible for a free class during our Open House, you may only register for a class with an instructor you have not taken before.** REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Scent is the sense most strongly connected to memory, with the power to calm the nervous system, shift mood, and bring us back to ourselves in an instant. Plants, too, support our regulation and well-being in ways we often overlook. Join Ella to explore the foundations of horticultural therapy and deepen your connection to the natural world through scent, touch, and creative practice.

We’ll begin the class by awakening our senses through playful scent explorations, guessing herbs, passing around fresh plants to touch and smell, and noticing how each aroma makes us feel. Participants will learn how to harvest and dry lavender at home, following the process from the plant to the dried botanicals we’ll be working with.

Together, we’ll craft personalized aromatherapy jars filled with dried lavender and colorful flowers to take home or gift. Using leaves and small nature treasures, we’ll also create handmade rubbings on tags/cards for each jar, a simple, heartfelt “to and from” keepsake inspired by the world around us. No prior experience with aromatherapy or crafting is required. We’ll close by enjoying a special homemade treat.

Leave feeling grounded, refreshed, and carrying the scent of lavender with you long after the day ends.

Ella will be teaching the following classes this Fall:

• House Plants 101: Bring Nature Indoors, Tues, 9/22, 5:30 pm
• Orchid Care, Mon, 11/9, 6:30 PM