The Garden Studio: Open Workspace

The Garden Studio: Open Workspace, Planning, and Support Maybe you have garden questions you want answered. Perhaps you want guidance planning for the season ahead. Maybe you don’t have plans yet and need the time and space to create them. The Garden Studio is a welcoming workspace for eco‑minded gardeners who want to move their projects forward. This session offers dedicated garden work time with a balance of independent focus and personalized support from instructor Ayla Bella. It is not a lecture-style class, but an open, flexible workspace with guided support, allowing you to troubleshoot challenges, refine plans, and clarify next steps. The emphasis is on ecologically thoughtful gardening, including native, climate‑resilient, and food‑producing plants; soil health; low‑input systems; and working with existing site conditions rather than against them. This session may include support with: Troubleshooting garden challenges (soil, shade, drainage, plant selection) Planning or refining garden layouts and plant lists Making ecological improvements to existing gardens Thinking through seasonal timing and maintenance considerations Translating big ideas into practical, actionable next steps Who Should Attend: This studio is open to gardeners of all experience levels who have plans, ideas, or challenges they want to work on. Beginners are welcome, as are experienced gardeners seeking feedback, clarity, or a fresh perspective. What to Bring: Photos of your space, measurements, sketches, plant lists, notes, or a device for digital planning. Also a drawing pad, pencils and a ruler. This IN-PERSON class is limited to 8 students. INSTRUCTOR: Ayla Bella is an educator and advocate based in Columbus, Ohio inspired by a vision of a just, regenerative, local food system. She developed the Resilience Gardening framework — a practical approach to growing food that strengthens ecological health, resource security, community capacity, personal well-being, and systems awareness. She teaches classes, tests ideas in her Columbus food forest, and offers Garden Chats and consultations to help people design gardens that are practical and future-ready. Her training includes a Permaculture Design Certificate, the Master Gardener program, and work as a Stinner Climate Ambassador.