If there’s any doubt as to the credentials of the instructor of the upcoming Colley Senior Complex Gardening Class, then one only needs to notice how the City of Troy blossoms in the spring and summer.

Catherine Jordan, center director, said she had to look no further than just down to the street to find the instructor for the class.

“Nobody has a greener thumb than Raymond Sexton,” Jordan said. “The evidence is everywhere you look in downtown Troy. Raymond knows what to do to bring out the best in plants and flowers and he will share his secrets with us during the three-day workshop.”

Sexton is the City of Troy grounds superintendent and has had formal horticulture training, but most of what he has learned has come from the “school of hard knocks.”

“You learn the most by doing, whether you do it right or wrong, you learn,” Sexton said. “I enjoy, too, sitting around listening to people talk about what they have learned to do and not to do. And, most of the time, it’s the simple things that are the most helpful.”

And, that’s how Sexton said he will begin the Colley Senior Complex Gardening Class – simply.

“We’ll have a topic each class and we’ll start with simple gardening and landscaping,” he said. “The first class we’ll talk about seeds, seeding beds and transplanting. We’ll talk about planting, watering and fertilizing. We’ll talk about container gardens and how to grow them. And, hopefully, we’ll be able to make arrangements so that each participant will have a plant to take home after each class.”

Sexton said he will share tips on plant additives that help soil retain moisture and the plants be more prolific producers.

“There are a lot of products that provide nutrients to plants, you just need to know which ones are the best for your plants and flowers,” he said. “There’s a difference between growing plants in containers and in the ground. That will be a topic of one of the classes. And, we’ll have some hands-on opportunities and the classes will be a lot of fun.”

Jordan said both green horns and green thumbs will benefit from the gardening class.

“It doesn’t matter how much you know or how little you know about gardening, you’ll have a good time and learn a lot,” Jordan said.

To register for the gardening class, call the Colley Senior Complex at (334) 808-8500. There is no charge for the class.