2025 Workshops at Wild Ivy Herb Farm

Can’t wait to see you at Wild Ivy Herb Farm! See workshop descriptions for 2025 below. NEW Workshops for 2025 are highlighted. Please sign up for volunteer days as well as workshops so we can plan accordingly. Each workshop will be held outdoors or under our large hoophouse. Workshops and volunteer days are all held at Wild Ivy Herb Farm (see directions below) on the date and time specified. You will be notified if severe weather forces a workshop to be rescheduled. If there are fewer than 3 participants registered for any workshop, we reserve the right to cancel the workshop and give you a full refund. Please note: Once you have registered for a workshop, we do not issue refunds except as described above. Workshop participants will receive 10% off Wild Ivy Herb Farm products at each workshop. Follow the signs for designated parking. Please wear appropriate outdoor closed-toe footwear and bring a chair.

February 23, 2025: 1-2:30pm “ELDERBERRIES PART 1: FROM SEED TO HARVEST” Plant elderberries to join this growing trend in farming! Elderberries are becoming widely known for their medicinal qualities and there is a massive demand for them in the U.S. Join Lori Trojan as you learn how to start and grow your own elderberries for fun or profit. Tour the expanding elderberry orchard at Wild Ivy Herb Farm. This workshop will cover what you need to know to plant, grow, maintain, harvest and prune elderberries in all seasons. Whether you want 1 or 2 bushes for your landscape or you want to start an orchard, this workshop will be chock full of informative help. Everyone registered will take home 1 elderberry cutting. Cuttings will be available for sale. There will be a half hour break between Parts 1 & 2. Part 1: $40 Please register for each workshop individually.

February 23, 2025: 3-4pm “ELDERBERRIES PART 2: AFTER THE HARVEST - USES FOR ELDERBERRIES” - This workshop will focus on the medicinal aspects of the berries and the many uses for the flowers, bark and berries. Enjoy discussion and demonstrations including how to make elderberry syrup and elderberry tincture. Recipes will be available for many more delicious options you can create in your own kitchen. Part 2: $35

March 15, 2025: 9am-1pm & March 16: 1-4pm FREE! VOLUNTEER FOR FUN AND COMPANIONSHIP as we tidy up the gardens in preparation for spring planting. There will be jobs simple and large for every ability and willingness of spirit! Commune with the plants and with other herb lovers as we enjoy the beauty of the land and the community we create! Bring any handheld garden tools, gloves and comfy outdoor shoes. Volunteers will receive a special gift and all Wild Ivy Herb Farm products may be purchased at 20% off. A nourishing herbal beverage will be available. Attend anytime during the hours stated on Saturday and/or Sunday. You will receive an email with further details upon registration.

March 23, 2025: 1-2:30pm NEW FOR 2025 “DESIGNING A HERB GARDEN” Join Lori Trojan as we design unique container or plotted herb gardens including creating pathways, choosing herbs for your needs, thematic and companion planting and much more! $35

April 6, 2025: 2-4pm NEW FOR 2025 “KANSAS OGHAM: A FOREST WALK IN SPRING” Join guest presenter Rachel Allai, musician and teacher for this 4-part, seasonally inspired 2-hour workshop. The ogham is Europe's first and most ancient written language. Known as the celtic alphabet of trees, the original script had 20 characters written vertically - each representing a sacred plant of the forest. For our spring walk, we will be exploring the forest through the lens of this sacred relationship. Part-meditation, part-history, part-biology and part-art, we will spend 2 hours with the emerging plants of the spring forest surrounding Wild Ivy Herb Farm. Our intention is simple-- to learn to listen, connect and then create a work of art. Supplies (paper, inks and brushes) will be provided. Register for 1 or all 4 parts of this series. $35 each or all 4 in the series for $125.

April 27, 2025: 1-3pm “LEARNING THE ART AND LANGUAGE OF TEAS” Join Lori Trojan for a tea sampling adventure! We begin with a historic understanding of the culture of tea. You will then experience several different types of teas, learn to rate and understand the language to describe them. Discover which type of teas you love! After this workshop, you will be a tea expert, knowing what flavor indicators resonate with you, allowing you to make wise future tea purchases. $45

May 18, 2025: 1-2:30pm NEW FOR 2025 “HERBS FOR CHILDREN” Calling all parents, grandparents and caregivers! Learn about safe, gentle and effective herbal medicine alternatives for infants and children. This workshop will include a discussion of specific herbs, their medicinal properties and health issues they support, preparations and dosages. $35.

June 1, 2025: 10-Noon NEW FOR 2025 “MAKING FLOWER ESSENCES” Join guest presenter Rachel Allai, musician and teacher as we explore the healing properties of flowers. Nearly 100 years ago, Dr. Edward Bach, a traditionally trained medical physician, began discovering and exploring the natural world for alternatives to aid in healing. What he discovered was profound - an effective medicine to support our emotional systems. By collecting the dew off a flower, he found that the water was imprinted with the flower's essence. For this workshop, we will be connecting to the world of flowers, asking permission and creating an essence from their blooms! Supplies will be provided. $35.

June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 2025 6-7pm NEW FOR 2025 “5 IN 5: 5 HERBS IN 5 WEEKS” Join Lori Trojan every Monday evening in June as we take a deep dive into 5 highly medicinal native herbs, 1 herb per week, that are a must-have in every herb garden. Comfrey, Yarrow, Sage, St. Johns Wort and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea). You will learn to identify, grow, harvest and prepare each one, all as described through a Western Herbalism lens. We will also utilize all our senses to experience them in the gardens. 5 week, 5-part series: $160 or register for any one session for $35.

July 20, 2025: 1-4pm “MIND THE GAP: THE ROLE OF COMPOSTING IN OUR FOOD CYCLE” Guest presenter Robert Hickerson, “The Friendly Farmer”, Steward of Table View Farm will take participants on a journey to understand the significance of composting as part of the food cycle. Beginning with an introduction to the environmental benefits and waste reduction, we will delve into the basics of composting, the decomposition process, carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, and suitable materials. The session on various composting methods introduces both traditional techniques and vermiculture, with a hands-on activity setting up composting bins and worm bins. Participants explore the enriching world of compost tea and delve into the microscopic life of compost. Practical applications cover troubleshooting common issues, harvesting compost, and creative ways to use the finished product in gardens. Introducing guest presenter Audrey Gabel Morris for the second half of the workshop, NEW FOR 2025 “MAKING LIQUID FERTILIZER FROM PLANT WASTE USING JADAM METHOD”. Audrey will demonstrate how to use the JADAM method to make your own liquid fertilizer at no cost to you using your own garden waste. Interactive discussion and Q&A will follow. $60

August 10, 2025: 7-9pm  (note evening time) NEW FOR 2025 “KANSAS OGHAM: A FOREST WALK IN SUMMER” Join guest presenter Rachel Allai, musician and teacher for this 4-part, seasonally inspired 2-hour workshop. The ogham is Europe's first and most ancient written language. Known as the celtic alphabet of trees, the original script had 20 characters written vertically - each representing a sacred plant of the forest. For our summer walk, we will be exploring the forest through the lens of this sacred relationship. Part-meditation, part-history, part-biology and part-art, we will spend 2 hours with the lush plants of the summer forest surrounding Wild Ivy Herb Farm. Our intention is simple-- to learn to listen, connect and then create a work of art. Supplies (paper, inks and brushes) will be provided. Register for 1 or all 4 parts of this series. $35 each or all 4 in the series for $125.

October 5, 2025: 2-3:30pm NEW FOR 2025 “GARDENING WITH FAIRIES” Attend during the Kaw Valley Farm Tour!! Join guest presenter Rachel Allai, musician and teacher for this fun, interactive workshop for people of all ages! For many, gardening is already a magical experience, why not invite more by gardening with faeries? According to Celtic lore, the land of the fae exists in a realm just outside our sensory perceptions, but it is just as real as a soft breeze - often felt but not seen. Fairies are the spirits of nature. By inviting these playful beings into our gardens, we invite more relationship and reciprocity with our plant friends. Oh yeah - and more fun! $35

 October 12, 2025: 2-4pm NEW FOR 2025 “KANSAS OGHAM: A FOREST WALK IN AUTUMN” Join guest presenter Rachel Allai, musician and teacher for this 4-part, seasonally inspired 2-hour workshop. The ogham is Europe's first and most ancient written language. Known as the celtic alphabet of trees, the original script had 20 characters written vertically - each representing a sacred plant of the forest. For our autumn walk, we will be exploring the forest through the lens of this sacred relationship. Part-meditation, part-history, part-biology and part-art, we will spend 2 hours with the changing Autumn forest surrounding Wild Ivy Herb Farm. Our intention is simple-- to learn to listen, connect and then create a work of art. Supplies (paper, inks and brushes) will be provided. Register for 1 or all 4 parts of this series. $35 each or all 4 in the series for $125.

Coming January 2026 “KANSAS OGHAM: A FOREST WALK IN WINTER” Join guest presenter Rachel Allai, musician and teacher for this 4-part, seasonally inspired 2-hour workshop. The ogham is Europe's first and most ancient written language. Known as the celtic alphabet of trees, the original script had 20 characters written vertically - each representing a sacred plant of the forest. For our winter walk, we will be exploring the forest through the lens of this sacred relationship. Part-meditation, part-history, part-biology and part-art, we will spend 2 hours with the sleeping winter forest surrounding Wild Ivy Herb Farm. Our intention is simple-- to learn to listen, connect and then create a work of art. Supplies (paper, inks and brushes) will be provided. Register for 1 or all 4 parts of this series. $35 each or all 4 in the series for $125.

Guest Presenter Bios:

Rachel Allai is a mom, musician, speaker, and visionary that lives along the Burroughs Creek on the ancestral lands of the Kaw, Osage and Shawnee peoples in Lawrence, Kansas. Over the past 15 years, she has taught nature education in a number of formal and informal settings. Currently, she moms full-time, plays the fiddle with Signal Ridge and Weda Skirts, and apprentices with Lori Trojan of Wild Ivy Herb Farm. She holds a bachelors of science degree in wildlife biology from Baker University and is thrilled to be teaching again!

 Robert Hickerson “The Friendly Farmer” is the owner and steward of Table View Farm in Pomona, Ks. You can find him each Saturday morning at The Lawrence Farmers Market and on Thursday evenings at Cottins Farmers Market in Lawrence, KS. Ask him about his composting bucket program!

 Audrey Gabel Morris is the owner and operator of Morris Meadows Farm in Louisburg, Kansas

Looking forward to seeing you on the farm!

Location: Wild Ivy Herb Farm 649 E 1450 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66046

Directions: From K10, take the Ottawa/Iowa St. exit and head South onto Highway 59. Take the 650 Rd. exit and turn left to 1450 Rd. Turn left onto 1450 Rd. 649 E 1450Rd. Yellow and green house with 2 hoophouses on the property.