~A summer gardening class series was conducted at the Hopkins County Extension Office as a way to meet the increasing demands of Hopkins County residents interested in various lawn and garden topics.  Three different classes were taught in the summer of 2017.  The first class was on Landscape Plants for Shade.  This class taught about the different kinds of ornamental plants that thrive in various shady conditions of a garden.  The second class was called Gardening and Your Health.  This gardening class discussed the mental, physical, and social benefits that gardening has on a person’s health.  Finally, the third class was Cool-Season Vegetables, which talked about the different kinds of vegetables that grow well in the cooler seasons of fall and spring.  At the end of each class, the participants were asked to complete a survey.  Based on the survey results, on average 97.8% of the participants stated that they learned more about the particular topic after taking the class.  94.4% of the participants indicated that they were interested in attending more gardening classes and workshops in the future.  At the end of the final class, 84.2% of the participants indicated that they had made one or more changes to their garden, lawn, or landscape as a result of attending the previous classes.  Based on the results of the survey and interest of the participants, there will be gardening classes offered monthly at the extension office.