In March of 2020, in-person gatherings were shut down as the COVID-19 pandemic had just begun. Program offerings at our gardens and all over the world ceased, but the demand for educational opportunities only increased while people diligently stayed home. Flash forward two months, the UW Botanic Gardens offered our first ever adult education class on a virtual platform. Unsure of how the class would go, all 29 people registered for the previously planned in-person class “Gardening with the Seasons: Spring,” logged onto Zoom. From home, instructor Christina Pfeiffer taught all participants, also at home, about the seasonally appropriate undertakings in the home garden. This class proved to be a great success on Zoom; the instructor was equipped with video demonstrations, the audience engaged by using the Q&A tool, and the UW Botanic Gardens facilitators were able to problem-solve all technology concerns brought to them.

Two months later in May, the class, “Native Plants 101: Edible Native Plants,” welcomed 90 people attending virtually from all over Washington state, and even from BC, Canada! Many students have been grateful for this online transition, as they do not have to deal with the commute time necessary in traveling to the Washington Park Arboretum or the Center for Urban Horticulture to partake in our educational offerings. Western Washington gardeners from as far north as Bellingham and even farther south than Tacoma can join these virtual classes when otherwise a commute would make attending a class implausible. We have even welcomed students from Oregon and Idaho to many classes.

Beyond cutting out a commute time, offering virtual classes puts forth many advantages we did not necessarily expect to see. Many classes do not have a capacity limitation anymore. The classroom at the Douglas Research Conservatory, with which many of our regular students are familiar, has a maximum capacity of only 40 people, including the instructors and UW Botanic Gardens staff members. Zoom, however, offers a near limitless “classroom” size. With our larger class sizes, registration fees have decreased, making many class options more affordable.

Another feature we have been able and happy to offer is limited access to the class recording. Whether an attendee wants to re-watch the presentation for a deeper understanding or see a class they missed because they were unavailable during the live broadcast, the recording is available for every registered participant for two weeks after the class. We have received feedback that this available recording has been particularly advantageous for those taking classes in the ProHort (Professional Horticulture) subjects when students want to pay attention during the live class and take notes later.

While we are looking forward to the day when we are able to safely offer in-person workshops, tours, and classes, we have been impressed with modern technology and the valuable feedback of class attendees in their online preferences. We continue to be thankful for our receptive, virtual audience. The virtual classes have made our educational offerings more accessible in ways beyond what in-person classes offer. Though we will begin to offer in-person programs in the future, we expect that in some capacity the virtual classes are here to stay.