GARDEN
TOUR with DESIGN & HARDSCAPING CLASSESCome spend a fun and educational day surrounded by beautiful, fragrant display gardens. Kathi has been conducting tours through the various
herb gardens she has had and teaching about herb cultivation since 1970. You can choose to take one or two, or all three classes. We try to offer these garden days at least twice a year in the early summer. You can also arrange to have the garden tour or any of these classes scheduled for a small group during the summer or fall.
Oak Valley Herb Farm is a working farm producing medicinal herbs which are processed into salves, tinctures, and other medicinal products and sold on this website, at fairs, and from our herb shop during the classes that are taught at the farm.
About 50 herb plants - many unusual - are available for sale during classes.
Class
one: The GARDEN TOUR
with herbalist Kathi Keville
At Oak Valley Herb Farm, you’ll see over 150 species of medicinal herbs,
plus perennial ornamental bushes and flowers. As Kathi leads you through
various gardens during the tour, she points out differences between closely
related plants, and describes their colorful history, and what modern science
has to say about their medicinal uses around the world, as well as some fascinating
folklore. She’ll also give tips on the culinary use of the more unusual
herbs like Mexican marigold, Stevia, and Vietnamese coriander. The medicinal
herbs are planted in four theme gardens. Herbs cascade over seven rock wall
terraces interspaced with pathways and steps that rise up a hill in the Medicinal
Garden. The Fragrance Garden features terraces and walkways that wrap around
a hill overlooking the pond and lead to a rose covered arch. This garden has
40 scented herbs in aromatherapy. This includes jasmine, helicrysum, vetivert,
patchouly, spikenard, and 14 types of lavenders. In the Bird, Butterfly and
Bee Garden, the selection of herbs, such as pineapple sage and barberry, are
both and medicinal attract wildlife. Hidden in the Secret Garden are ginseng,
goldenseal, wild yam, and cohoshs along with other Eastern woodland herbs.
The herb garden tour is conducted from shady locations and benches are provided
to ensure your comfort.
Class
two: The HERB GARDEN CULTIVATION and DESIGN CLASS
with herbalist Kathi Keville
The Herb Cultivation class is taught in our shaded, outdoor classroom, an
area with a built in work counter and sink and lined with benches. Here, participants
learn the art of propagating 
herbs
using four different methods. This is a hands-on experience for those who
choose, with seeds, fresh cuttings, and root divisions from the herb garden
on hand to plant in pots and take home to start or add to your own herb garden.
We discuss herbs for sun and shade and special cultivation requirements in
the foothills.
In this class, you will also see a slide show of herb gardens throughout the
world. Kathi has been visiting these gardens and photographing them for 25
years. As she leads you through an armchair tour of these gardens, she explains
dozens of herb garden designs that are sure to inspire you in making your
garden more attractive. You will see how combinations of contrasting colors,
textures, and shapes excite the eye. Sometimes plants are clipped, garden
features are added, or pathways or water features created to show off the
plants. Whether you are considering a garden that is large or small, or want
to keep your herbs in pots, this show is guaranteed to inspire.
Class
three: LANDSCAPING with STONE & WOOD
with hardscape designer and mason Ron Bertolucci
One
of the secrets to creating a visually exciting garden is hardscaping. This
is the addition of structure made out of wood and stone. Having steps, stairs,
pathways, and stepping stones in your garden is not only attractive, this
provides access through the garden and into the beds - an especially important
consideration in a culinary or medicinal herb garden if you plan on harvesting
the plants. Raised beds make it easy to tend the beds and modify soil, harvest
plants, and of course, to smell the flowers! They also increase drainage,
which is important for many types of herbs, as well as ornamentals. Constructing
short rock walls sets apart sections of the garden to show off ground covers
such as thyme that will creep over the stones, or to discourage plants such
as mint to from creeping into the next bed. The walls are also useful to enclose
shrubs, such as roses, making it possible to give them the deep watering they
like and to add amendments. Ron has been constructing hardscaping projects
for property owners in the Nevada City/Grass Valley area for over twenty-five
years. You’ll see some of his designs on site. In this class, he provides
tips on how to do projects that will last, but take less effort to build and
maintain.
You’ll
also learn how to develop your eye for garden design.
Ron demonstrates hardscaping techniques
such as:
- Setting Garden
Stairs Out of Wood and Stone
- Small Rock Wall Construction
- Laying Patio Stones
- Gravel or Woodchip Pathways
- Rock Edging for Beds