How It Works
The Learning Garden is a hub for in-person gardening education. The Learning Garden, located at the Extension Office, 49 Mt. Carmel Road, offers the public the opportunity to Visit and Learn in the garden on selected Thursdays, February – September in 2026.
Each of the programs in The Learning Garden will be announced individually through the Upcoming Events on this website two weeks before each program. Each announcement will include instructions on how to register. Mark your calendar and register to attend as many as you can. To see the latest events, check the Events Calendar or the Upcoming Events page.
2026 Thursdays in the Learning Garden
10:00am - 11:30am
Registration Required
The Thursday in-person programs will consist of eight garden-specific offerings. Visitors can walk around before or after the program and soak in our lovely gardens. Our gardens will open at 9:00 a.m. and all the demonstration programs run between 10-11:30 a.m. To ensure a good learning experience, attendance will be limited and registration will be required.
February 26
Pruning Roses in Late Winter -Sue Bumby
March 26
Your First Vegetable Garden – Jill Pruitt
April 9
Straw Bale Gardening – Diane Mooney
May 28
Introduction to Botanical Dye Gardening –
Pat Strang, Joyce Tromba
June 4
Gardening for Butterflies –
John Fieselman, Nina Fox-Holladay
June 11
Hands on Dyeing with Weld: A Vibrant Yellow –
Pat Strang, Joyce Tromba
July 9
Growing and Using Culinary Herbs –
Phil Roudebush
July 16
Hands on Dyeing with Indigo
Pat Strang, Joyce Tromba
August 13
Fall Gardening/Season Extension –
Barb Harrison, Alan Wagner
August 20
Hands on Dyeing with Madder: Beautiful Red from Roots – Pat Strang, Joyce Tromba
September 24
Eco-Printing: Making Prints Using Leaves and Flowers – Pat Strang, Joyce Tromba
2026 Saturday Seminars
Two sessions, 10:00am - 11:30am and 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Registration Required
In addition to the Thursday programs listed above, The Learning Garden will present a series of ninety minute (+/-) hands-on seminars covering various gardening topics. These in-person programs will be held at The Learning Garden on selected Saturdays, February – November. Each Saturday Seminar will hold two sessions, 10:00-11:30 and 12:30-2:00. To ensure a good learning experience, attendance will be limited and registration will be required. Decriptions of each program, along with instructions on how to register will be announced two weeks before the program, on the Upcoming Events page.
February 21
Tool Sharpening Workshop – Alan Wagner, James Wade, John Fieselman
September 26
Collecting and Saving Perennial Seeds –
Barb Harrison
October 10
Starting Seeds with Winter Sowing –
John Bowen
October 24
Dahlias: Dividing and Storing – Dave Bush
November 7
Dividing and Repotting Houseplants –
Marilyn Lonon, Nancy Humphries
Docent Led Tours of The Learning Garden
On the last Wednesday of the month from April to September (April 29, May 27, June 24, July 29, August 26, September 30) you can join a more formal tour and be lead through the gardens by a master gardener docent as you watch the other gardeners caring for the plants. See beautiful and interesting plants, delicious vegetables, native plants for beauty and pollinator interest. The tours start at 10:00 a.m. and should last approximately an hour.
April-September, last Wednesdays, 10:00am - 11:00am
The tours will begin outside the front door of the Buncombe County Extension Office. Wear appropriate attire (hat, sunglasses and sturdy shoes and bring some water) as this event will be held outside. In the event of steady rain in West Asheville, the workday and the tour will be canceled. The tour is free and registration is not necessary.
Informal Visits
Monday-Friday
The Learning Garden is open for informal visits Monday through Friday throughout the year, but if you visit on a Wednesday, during the growing season, you can meet the Master Gardeners working in the gardens and ask questions about the plants and their care. A visit to The Learning Garden on a workday affords you the opportunity to view each of nine garden areas, to ask questions and learn successful horticultural practices from the Master Gardeners who lovingly tend the gardens.
The Learning Garden consists of these individual areas: Gateway Native Garden, Rose Garden, Cottage Garden, Four Seasons Garden, Dye Garden, Vegetable Garden, Pollinator Garden, Compost Area, and the Sun and Shade Garden. In addition, the complex has about two miles of walking trails.