The award-winning Lunch and Learn Series presented by the Lowcountry Master Gardeners Association returns this spring to the gazebo at the Port Royal Farmers Market in Heritage Park. Saturday classes begin at noon and are free, just bring a folding chair.

Here is a schedule of topics including the date, program, speaker and a description:

• April 13: Beautiful but Deadly with Dale Brous: Are there silent killers lurking in your yard?  Examine the myth and mystery behind poisonous plants.

• April 20: Container Water Gardens, Alice Massey: Probably the most carefree type of gardening there is.  There will be a few aquatics to share.

• April 27: Yes, We Do Have Bananas, Pat Lauzon: Explore what banana plants need to give you fruit.  Some lucky people will take home a pup.  Banana pup, that is.

• May 4: Palms, Lora Quincy: The totems of the South, but so few reach their potential.  Learn how to make them the focus of your landscape.

• May 11: Divine Vines, Sandra Educate: So many plants; so little space. Think up!! Ideas for easy trellises and tuteurs, too.

• May 18: Oh, Dear! We Have Deer! Sue Simmons &amp; Natalie Bowie: So how do you outfox a deer? Excellent methods to keep your prized plants away from those marauders.

• May 25: Plant Propagation, Alice Massey: Free plants? What a concept.  Bring an empty plastic soda bottle and learn to make a perfect little greenhouse.

• June 1: Rain Gardens, Joe Allard: Don’t they sound romantic? Learn how to make that troublesome spot into something beautiful.

• June 8: Ahh ... Tomatoes, Diane Keenan: Haven’t we all longed for the perfect home grown tomato? Learn the secrets to successfully growing tomatoes.

• June 15: Ornamental Grasses, Gary Baker: Their needs are few, so why do they look bedraggled?  The inside scoop on the “how” and the “what’s new.”

• June 22: A Garden Primer, Sandra Educate: Woody or herbaceous? Biennial?  Self-seeder? When is an annual a perennial &amp; vice versa? You need to know!

• June 29: Invasive Plants, Laura Lee Rose &amp; Jenny Staton: Are they invasive or just enthusiastic?  We’ll give you suggestions for alternatives to garden thugs.

• July 6: Drip Irrigation, Hugh Jamison: One of our most popular classes. Demonstrate the easy assembly of this work and water saver.

• July 13: String Gardening, Jenny Staton &amp;

Sandra Educate: You know there will be strings attached with this class.  A charming new way to garden.

• July 20: Made in the Shade, Martha Jamison and Hugh Jamison: Give up the notion that you can’t grow anything because all you have is shade.

• July 27: Some Really Do Like It Hot, Jenny Staton: Learn what plants are likely not only to survive, but thrive in our Lowcountry heat.

• August 3: The Fragrant Path, Sandra Educate: You don’t have to sacrifice fragrance for size and color.  Discover flowers that will perfume your garden.

• August 10: House Plants &amp; Orchids, Martha Jamison: Should you re-pot, fertilize, divide, or refresh?  Bring your orchid and we’ll help you re-pot it.

• August 17: Camellias 101, George Cannon: These Southern aristocrats are second only to roses in variety of color, foliage and flower shape

• August 24: Fall Vegetable Gardens, Laura Lee Rose: Seeds, tips and information supplied by our Clemson Horticultural Agent

• August 31: You’re not in Kansas Anymore! Jenny Staton: How do I garden in this climate? What works in the Lowcountry when lilacs, peonies and tulips won’t.

• September 7: Keeping it Growing Panel: An interactive program inviting questions from the class to a panel of Master Gardeners.
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