Lawn to Landscape 101

Turn your yard into a vibrant, pollinator-friendly garden with this year-long, hands-on class. Learn to design, plant, and care for a beautiful native garden bed, guided step by step from start to finish.

Have you been dreaming of turning your boring yard into a pollinator paradise but don’t know where to begin?

Well, you are in luck! Claudia Vilato, owner and operator of WILD, is hosting a “Lawn to Landscape” class in 2026 for just that purpose. Over the course of the year, you will transform a section of your yard from bland to beautiful.

You will be guided every step of the way from dreaming to applying, learning to practicing, and designing to caring. By the end of the year, you will have a breathtaking garden bed that will give you confidence in your green thumb.

The class will meet 9 times throughout the year at White River Nursery in Fayetteville. We will learn about the fundamentals of native plants and design, share progress pictures and challenges, and support each other in our garden endeavors.

This is the perfect class for the person who 1. has tried gardening and failed, 2. wants a pollinator garden but keeps missing the planting window, 3. can’t figure out what to do with the yard.

The class is $100 for the year. To sign up, text or email Claudia Vilato at cvclovil@gmail.com and 305-781-0062.

Class Schedule:

SAT JAN 10, 10 AM: Thriving in the garden, your secret garden, 3 garden archetypes
SAT FEB 7, 10 AM: Deciding on your site, observing your site, plant hierarchy
SAT MAR 7, 10 AM: Design and plants
SAT MAR 28, 10 AM: Workshop designs and order plants
SAT APR 25, 10 AM: Bed prep, planting, watering, weeds
SAT MAY 30, 10 AM: Progress pics, Chelsea chop, prepping for summer

SUMMER BREAK

SAT AUG 22, 10 AM: Progress pics, filling in, bulbs and seeds
SAT SEPT 19, 10 AM: Leaves
SAT OCT 24, 10 AM: Installing bulbs and next year’s maintenance

NOTE: if the class fills up, we will have two sessions: 10am and noon.

Additional Information:

By signing up for the class, you are agreeing to the following:

  1. You are able-bodied enough to do garden work, or you will hire someone able-bodied to do the work.

  2. You are prepared to spend at least $1000 for every 100 sf of ground for plants and

    materials. If you are incorporating “woody” species (shrubs and trees), you will likely

    spend more.

  3. You have a way to irrigate at least 1x a week, in addition to natural rainfall.

  4. You have enough technological experience to upload pictures onto Google Drive, create a Pinterest board, and use the app iNaturalist.

  5. You are open to working mostly with plants native to our area in NWA and its

    surroundings. This is not a vegetable gardening class.

  6. You are committed to creating a garden bed, and you will dedicate time, effort, and

    energy to ensure its success.

In return, you can expect me to:

  1. Show up for each class prepared and ready to help! If I am ill on a class day, we will make arrangements to be sure you get the material in a timely manner.

  2. Be reasonably available to you throughout the year and answer your questions. On site

    visits are an additional $60 per hour.

  3. Be humble. I do not know everything. But I often know where to find the info or who to

    ask for the info. When I don’t know, I’ll refer you to the best person I can think of.

  4. Encourage you in your plant journey. This is fun stuff...I’m so excited for you!

Note: While this class takes place at White River Nursery, you are not obligated to purchase plants and materials at the nursery. However, the nursery will do its best to provide plants and materials that you will need throughout the course, and would very much appreciate your working with them for your garden needs.

PAYMENT

You can pay for the class via venmo @claudiavilato, check, or cash. Your spot is secured once you have made payment. This class is non-refundable, but may be replaced with a 1-hour on-site consultation any time before Mar 1, 2026, if the student has never attended class.