April 5                Jay Weidener                  What You Can Still Do for a Beautiful Spring Garden
April 12             Glen Payne                        Selecting an Arborist
April 19             Wendy Hilty                      Annuals for the Lowcountry
April 26             Laura Lee Rose                Invasive Plants in South Carolina
May 3                Dr. Randall James           Layers of Dirt, Plants and Rocks
May 10              Wendy Hilty                      Banishing Bambi from your Backyard
May 17              Susan Hinrichs                Salvias: Sage Choices for Your Garden
May 24              Joe Allard & Laura Lee Rose         Plant Propagation
May 31              Victoria Bergesen            The Live Oak Community
June 7               Victoria Bergesen           Nature Journaling with Botanicals
June 14            Susan Hinrichs                 Hardy Palms
June 21            Wendy Dickes                   The Wildlife-friendly Backyard
June 28           Jay Weidener                     Battening Down the Hatches against Summer Heat

The 2025 schedule for Beaufort’s own Lunch and Learn presented by the Lowcountry Master Gardeners Association, is filled with new and interesting lectures and classes led by some of the Beaufort area’s most experienced and talented gardeners, designers and entrepreneurs.

Newcomers especially appreciate the tips and know-how of these class leaders, and everyone really appreciates the door prizes of books and plants; mostly donated by the attendees and presenters.  Sandra Educate, who produces Lunch and Learn, estimates that thousands of plants have been awarded since the inception in 2009.

Plants of present donations are often offspring of plants awarded in prior years.

Classes are free.  Just bring a folding chair around noon to the area around the Gazebo at the Port Royal Farmers’ Market the first Saturday in April.  No registration is necessary.  Come early before the Market closes and take advantage of the great variety of food, produce and plant vendors.  The classes continue every Saturday until the last of June.

Since 2010, the project’s producer, Sandra Educate, has enlisted a very talented group of presenters to talk and instruct about the challenges of gardening in Beaufort County.  “We have professionals and talented Master Gardeners giving educational and entertaining classes.  Audience participation is encouraged and we always have wonderful door prizes of plants and books donated by the presenters and attendees.  Some of the plants donated are daughters and granddaughters of plants won as door prizes at previous Lunch and Learns!”, Sandra reports. “Lunch and Learn has become an institution here in Beaufort and we’re so glad to be able to continue it”.

Winning an international Master Gardener award inspired us to expand the program even further.

The Lunch and Learn classes are held under the Live Oak Tree at the Farmers’ Market, Heritage Park, Port Royal. Classes begin at 12:00 noon. Classes are free. Just bring a folding chair.  No registration is necessary.

Here are the directions to the Port Royal Farmers’ Market.