Here’s the bad news, gardeners: You probably won’t be able to do much puttering in your garden for a while yet.

In most of Maine, it will be muddy and cold for the foreseeable future. There may even be snow where you live.

Additional Photos

The orchid's popularity as a houseplant has surged in recent years. "Understanding Orchids: Cultivating Exotic Beauty at Home" will be offered from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 200 Barters Island Road, Boothbay. Courtesy photos

So here’s the good news — there’s still lots going on to keep a gardener’s mind active.

That’s because now is the time, traditionally, when gardening classes are held all over the state. They’ll be going on in the coming weeks at nurseries, farms, high schools and all sort of venues. Some are free; some cost money.

The topics run the gamut of what you can do with your land — from a “lasagna gardening” class (layering organic materials) at Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport to rose cultivating lessons at Skillins Greenhouses in Brunswick, Cumberland and Falmouth.

And for those who want to do some one-stop garden class shopping, there’s Maine Garden Day next Saturday, organized by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and held at Lewiston High School. There will be more than 35 workshops ranging from water gardens and winter greens to growing grapes or African violets. The cost is $50, and the event is limited to the first 350 people who register.

But other classes coming up are free and allow people to just drop in.

Here is a list of some of the gardening classes being held around the state in the coming days and weeks:

THURSDAY

“Understanding Orchids: Cultivating Exotic Beauty at Home” — 6 to 7:30 p.m., Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 200 Barters Island Road, Boothbay. $12; registration suggested.

Bill Cullina, the gardens’ director of horticulture and plant curator, will conduct this class using his own photographs and his book “Understanding Orchids.” His books will also be on sale.

The orchid’s popularity as a houseplant has surged in recent years, and Cullina will talk about what makes orchids the fascinating plants they are, as well as how to properly care for them. For more information, call 633-4333 or go to Mainegardens.org.

SATURDAY

Maine Garden Day — 8:30 a.m. to late afternoon, Lewiston High School, 156 East Ave. $50, including lunch. First 350 registrations accepted.

This event, organized by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, features more than 35 workshops in one space, in one day. Some last a half-day, some are a quarter-day, some last a full day. Topics range from starting a gardening business and creating a water garden to making mustard and identifying wildflowers. Descriptions of each workshop are online at the extension’s website. For more information, call 743-6329 or go to Umaine.edu/gardening.

SATURDAY

“Lasagna Gardening” — 9 am. to noon, Wolfe’s Neck Farm, 184 Burnett Road, Freeport. $35.

Lasagna gardening is a term used for a method of layering organic materials to create a rich, fluffy soil with, hopefully, little work. There is no digging or tilling. The class is part of Wolfe’s Neck Farm’s do-it-yourself series, so in the class, people will build beds together as they’re being taught.

For more information, go to Wolfesneckfarm.org or call 865-4469.

SATURDAY

“Vegetable Gardening” — 9 a.m., Skillins Greenhouses, 422 Bath Road, Brunswick, and 201 Gray Road, Cumberland. Free.

As part of a weekend open-house celebration, Skillins is offering free classes. This one is on how to plan and prepare your vegetable garden.

Also, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Skillins will host free pruning classes at its Falmouth location, 89 Foreside Road. For more information on either class, go to www.skillins.com or call 781-3860. Skillins has several other classes scheduled for April, including “Gardening 101” on April 2 and “The Pursuit of the Rose” on April 16. Check the website for a full list.

APRIL 16

“Creating an Emerald Carpet: Mosses in Your Maine Landscape” — 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 200 Barters Island Road, Boothbay. $30. Preregistration required.

Bill Cullina will demonstrate different ways to start moss growing for your garden after a lecture on moss.

People should bring a rock no bigger than a loaf of bread so they can take home some moss of their own.

The class will also include a tour of the property to look at moss in various forms. Cullina’s book “Native Ferns, Mosses and Grasses” will be available for sale.

For more information, call 633-4333 or go to Mainegardens.org.

Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:

rrouthier@pressherald.com

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