Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott teaching a Great Course

I was researching a blog mail almost my local library, digging deep into its online resources, and came upon something I associate with a high price tag –  Great Courses. Yes, if your library organization, like mine (merely not others in the DC area) subscribes to information technology, there's lots on offer there for gratuitous (though not all courses). The courses claim to offering "unlimited video learning with world'south greatest professors." Oh male child.

Eager to see if they deigned to encompass gardening, I scrolled to the  Hobby and Leisure category and, forth with photography and dog training, plant some actual gardening courses and experienced a gasp of feet over the possibility that they'd hired a know-zilch to exercise the task. (Memories of bad information from "experts" on "content mills" never seem to fade.)

Simply oh no, Great Courses is legit! Their two gardening teachers are none other than Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott and Melinda Myers, and I couldn't accept called better myself. They're both up-to-engagement on the best, evidenced-based gardening know-how, and great adept communicators, also.

Having now watched a few lectures, I was impressed with the visitor's high production values, as well, including great graphics (perhaps the best graphics I've ever seen illustrating pruning – a job non easy to demonstrate).

Linda's "Science of Gardening"

This course should be required viewing – for Master Gardeners, garden communicators, and most of all, anyone who'due south ever portrayed plants or products in a black and white, binary style. (You probably don't know who you are.)

Linda'southward chapter on "Weeding out the  Myths" could be especially impactful if the right people watched it – with an open mind. Which is required if you already have potent feelings one fashion or the other near permaculture, glyphosate or native plants.

On the great native/nonnative constitute argue, Linda challenges the claims of native-constitute superiority and argues confronting mandates requiring their utilise in landscapes (as opposed to in ecological restoration projects). She has a bully list of things that benefit wildlife even more than focusing on plant origin, in her view – like creating vertical structures, and reducing the amount of highly managed lawns.

Melinda'southward Courses

Melinda Myers teaching a Great Course

Melinda has four Great Courses and then far: on food gardening, container gardening, "Brand your Trees and Shrubs Thrive," and "Your All-time Garden and Mural in vi Lessons."

Every bit a pruning geek and shrub advocate, I homed in on her tree and shrub lectures and was thrilled to learn a few new things most pruning. And having followed Melinda's teachings in print and YouTube over the years, I don't dubiousness her advice one bit.

A fun part of watching Melinda's videos was recognizing photos of some of the gardens I've seen with her, every bit part of garden blogging or writing events over the years in various cities. Similar the garden in Buffalo above. (Correct, Elizabeth?).

More Keen Courses I Want to Have

The company soon found me and sent me their fancy impress brochure, in which I plant a few off-topic courses I'd like to take:
  • What Makes Music then Powerful and Stirring?
  • Writing Artistic Nonfiction
  • Gain Strength and Flexibility at Any Age
  • Improve your Writing by Rediscovering the Lost Art of Crafting Sentences
  • Master the Fine art of Moving Meditation and Improve your Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being

The Cost of Great Courses

Here'south where I'chiliad honestly confused because the cost seems to vary between free (if they're available through your local library) to $16 on sale to a full price of over $500 per class. For example, "Science of Gardening" is on auction now for just $25, the "regular" price of $234.95 having been crossed out. Or y'all tin can subscribe to "Smashing Courses Plus" for $49.95 monthly or $360 annually. Or just employ the gratuitous 14-mean solar day trial to binge-scout quickly or start paying, for more than.

What it's Like to be a Great Courses Professor

Only curious, I asked what it was like to work with Great Courses. Linda wrote:

I really enjoyed working with the Great Courses staff. They recruit lectures..and they don't tell you who recommended you. Then that's rather intriguing. Ordinarily information technology'due south kinesthesia with academic didactics, and so it'south interesting that they found me. I am plain the kickoff faculty from WSU invited to do a production.

They congenital me a great fix and I worked with two content editors to make sure that all the demos and props were just right. I tin can't say enough about the professional quality of the product.

They are located in Chantilly, VA and that'southward where their studios are (office of The Learning Company). Field filming was manifestly as local as possible. They pay all travel and expenses, and then you collect royalties every yr, just like with books.

And from Melinda:

The offset two were shot in Virginia but outside Washington DC where Great Courses are headquartered. Nosotros worked on two backdrop owned past employees – one large and one small equally well as a botanical garden and garden center.

The next two were shot in WI with the product company I employ for Melinda'southward Garden Moment Goggle box. This was much easier, every bit I could create, monitor and tend the gardens throughout the season. Well-nigh of the food gardening video was shot at my place, as well as the copse and shrub planting. Since I regularly produce video in the surface area, it was easier to discover nearby locations where I could shoot other demonstrations.

This was a long term goal for me – rail and demonstrate gardening and landscaping planting and care throughout the flavor/year to help gardeners understand gardening concepts for greater success and satisfaction.