These inspirational courses offered invaluable information in the quest to turn my small piece of nature into a biodiverse, four season, sustainable wildlife haven." 

Stacey 
Enjoy 13 hours of video content that will get you on the right path toward a natural, resilient,
low-management habitat garden that appeals to both wildlife and people.

Plus, earn discounts on future classes when you refer a friend. Rethink pretty!
I planted 500 square feet of prior nonnative yard into native sedge & perennials this past week. Thank you for the inspiration and advice. Videos are sooo informative!"

Stephanie
Pollinator Gardening With Native Plants
$29

Flowers & grasses from spring to fall.
(sample: learn about monarchs)

In this class you'll discover over 80 forbs, grasses, and sedges that support adult and larval insects from pollinators to beneficial bugs, spring to fall. (60 minutes)
Woody Natives With Year-Round Value
$29

Trees & shrubs for wildlife & beauty.


Over 50 shrubs and trees that provide essential wildlife services in multiple seasons, all while looking beautiful to the human eye.  (50 minutes)
Designing A Winter Garden
$29

Plants & strategies for seasonal delight.


We'll explore dozens of perennial flowers and grasses with stunning fall color and ornamental seed heads. Design strategies are also highlighted.    (60 minutes)
Designing For Wildlife & Sustainability
$29

How to support biodiversity while helping the environment.

Design strategies to support wildlife while sequestering carbon, cleaning air and water, and improving the soil. We'll explore what specific groups of wildlife need, low-management landscape options, and glance at how plants can reduce your energy use. (60 minutes)
Starting Your Native Plant Garden
$29

Creating a low-maintenance wildlife garden from A-Z.

An incredible diversity of resources to help you research and choose native plants for your landscape, how to prep the area, how to appeal to neighbors and wildlife, then a step by step plan designing a sustainable garden bed. (65 minutes)
All 15 Garden Classes
$249 or 3 payments of $83

Get the entire suite for 35% less.

It's 13 hours of content! The entire suite will take you into every nuanced detail from researching and finding plants, prepping the site, how to design with resilient plant communities, employing natural layers, and aesthetic strategies to appease neighbors.
Sowing the Prairie Garden Bed
$29

Design a small or large garden from economical seed.

Learn how to choose the right species for your site, create a climate-resilient and weed-suppressing plant list, calculate the seed mix, then prep, install, and manage the landscape for best results. We'll cover the nitty gritty including mixing and broadcasting seed, as well as best strategies for managing weeds before and after sowing the area. (50 minutes)
Fundamentals of Garden Layers
$29

Follow nature's lead and design with plant communities.

In this class discover how to read natural plant communities and what lessons to bring home, how to use layers of succession (seasonal and year by year) to increase ecosystem function and decrease management (like weed control), and explore some of the plant options to fill niches in each layer for max aesthetic appeal and climate resilience. (55 minutes)
Busting Garden Myths
$19

It's time to unlearn what you have learned.

We've learned that gardens need constant watering and fertilizing and mulching, that plant tags are useful, and that the secret to having a green thumb is using USDA hardiness zones. Nope, nope, nope. Embrace nature and sustainability as you relearn how to garden in an age of empowering freedom for plants, wildlife, and you. (30 minutes)
The 4 Class Starter Pack
$99 or 2 payments of $49

a suite of four courses to get you going

Enjoy four lectures at a discount that will help you design and manage your natural garden. You'll receive:
Starting Your Native Plant Garden | Fundamentals of Garden Layers | Sowing the Prairie Garden Bed | Encounters With Weed Authorities
Encounters With Weed Authorities
$29

how to work with and change the law

Explore ways to work with neighbors and weed authorities by both tweaking your landscape and studying up on the ordinances -- including victorious examples from around the country.
Don't despair! (45 minutes)
Garden Smorgasbord
$29

a lively look at 7 topics

A fast-paced, jam-packed dive into easy native plants, shade plants, overlooked natives, bunny-resistant species, fundamentals of natural design, dandelion alternatives, why honey bees aren't critical,
and 2 bonus topics. (50 minutes)
Cultivars 101
$29

an intro to the pros & cons of native plant cultivars

What is a cultivar? How are they beneficial or detrimental to wildlife? When is it appropriate to use them? Take a crash course on some of the primary science to help you make the best decision. (50 min)
Green Mulching With Sedge Plugs
$29

learn how to design with plugs naturally

If you're tired of wood mulch and pricey gallon pots, this is the class for you. Covering professional strategies on designing with and installing plugs, we'll also learn about adaptable sedge species. (50 min)
Planning Plant Communities
$29

four plans and plant guides that emulate nature

Learning about plants is key to creating resilient and beautiful gardens. We'll explore four diverse sites as we match plants to one another in a sustainable, artistic landscape you can start today. (50 min)
All About Milkweed
$29

become a milkweed whisperer

From indigenous uses and the risks insects take to pollinate flowers, to wildlife that depend on milkweed and how climate change threatens them, we'll delve into 20+  species suitable for your garden. (60 min)
Designing With Common Nursery Plants
$29

what plants make the cut?

Learn which species work best together and how to use plant behavior as a guide. A perfect introduction for those new to resilient design where we let plants lead management -- within reason.  (50 min)
New 5 Class Bundle
$109

For those who previously purchased the 10 class bundle. Enjoy 5 newly added classes at 25% off.

Cultivars 101 | Green Mulch With Sedge Plugs | Planning Plant Communities | All About Milkweed | Designing W/ Common Plants

Enjoy a complimentary mini lecture

on converting lawns to designed prairie gardens.

Frequently Asked Questions

In what regions are these classes applicable?
All regions. The design methodology and philosophy is adaptable. And while all of the plants discussed may not be native to you, you'll easily be able to find local substitutions that work for your landscape.

How many times can I watch the videos?
As often as you like! Classes are made available in perpetuity or until the service is no longer available in some distant, mythical future.

I'm so inspired. Do you offer long-distance design consultations?
Yes. I've worked with clients around the country. My professional network and education allow me to successfully tailor a consultation to your region.

Genealogy & Memoir Writing

All in the Family
$249 or 3 payments of $83

Research & write your family history

This course comes with 10, thirty-minute video lectures full of motivation and insight to help you explore your personal story -- from genealogy / research strategies to the craft of evocative story telling. Each lesson ends with a suggested writing exercise to help you focus, as well as readings that serve as examples to emulate. By the end of this class you will have completed the research and writing for a 20-30 page essay memoir -- with the opportunity for personalized critiques and chat sessions with Benjamin (for an added fee).

Enjoy learning with someone who's taught 50 college English courses, was an award-winning professor of 15 years with a PhD in writing, and is the author of over 300 published works.

"I don't know how you worked your magic, but I have a new vision of my project, a couple of scenes, and a pretty solid narrative arc to get me going.... I got exactly what I needed from the homework assignments."
All classes are self-paced and never end -- you have unlimited access for as long as they remain online (Monarch Gardens / Benjamin Vogt reserves the right to take down any class at any time without prior notice). PDFs are downloadable and free for you to use, but please refer to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy at teachable.com before purchasing so you know what you can and can't do with class material (for example: you can't resell or modify any class material, or present it to anyone else). Classes are non-refundable and all sales are final. Classes are intended for personal use only; any other use -- including for group presentations -- is prohibited. Prices include applicable taxes and processing fees. If you have technical issues we ask you to first contact teachable.com (our host service), and then if they can't resolve the issue, please contact us via email and we'll try our best to help you. All class material is copyright © Benjamin Vogt.