Rainforest Gardening Workshop at Volcano Art Center

Big Island Now stock photo. Feb. 2017.

Do you garden in the rainforest?

Would like to transform your lānai and lawn, or your field and fence into an abundant oasis of edible and multifunctional plants?

If you’re saying, “yes, I want to learn more,” then sign up for “Edible Gardening & Landscaping in the Rainforest” at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus.

Zach Mermel will teach this two-part workshop on Saturday, March 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a break for lunch.

Course fees are $50/$45 for VAC members and plus a $10 materials fee.

Part 1: Edible Gardening in the Rainforest will begin the day from 9 a.m. to noon. This session will cover how to transform your lānai and lawn, your field and fence, into an abundant oasis of edible and multifunctional plants.

Part 2: Landscaping with Native Rainforest Plants is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. This session will cover the different habitats and habits of a wide palette of rainforest-adapted native plants with a special focus on the native plants that thrive in your patch of rainforest.

A handout of practical readings and resources for further learning is included for both sessions.

Attendees will learn the fundamental gardening “dos and don’ts,” and interact with a wide range of useful, easy-to-grow edibles. Participants will get to take home a number of edible plants at the conclusion of the edibles workshop.

Mermel is one part ecologist, one part horticulturist and one part land planner. His work in ecology and design has taken him across the Hawaiian archipelago, the U.S. mainland, and beyond. He is also the founder of Ola Design Group, an ecological land planning and design firm in Hawai‘i.

For more information and to register for the, workshop contact Volcano Art Center at (808) 967- 8222 or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.

About Volcano Art Center

The Volcano Art Center is a nonprofit educational organization created in 1974 to promote, develop and perpetuate the artistic and cultural heritage of Hawai‘i’s people and environment through activities in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.