CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- People interested in becoming a docent or a volunteer at Allerton Park in Monticello or at the University of Illinois Arboretum are welcome to sign up for a course being offered by staff members of the two facilities.
The course, about 10 weeks long, will be held from 6:45 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning Feb. 28. Classes will meet in Room 1125 of the UI Plant Sciences Laboratory, 1201 S. Dorner Drive, Urbana. The fee is $50 per person. Interested participants who miss the initial class may still sign up.
The course will cover the planning process, with case studies focusing on the Allerton Park Garden restoration project, the UI Arboretum and Japan House. Another segment will focus on outdoor education and the plant sciences, including the natural habitats of Illinois, an introduction to herbaceous and woody garden plants, woody plant landscape maintenance and an introduction to landscape design.
Site visits to Allerton Park and the Arboretum are included.
For more information or to reserve a spot, call David Williams, the director of the Arboretum, at (217) 333-2126.