UTICA — The Central New York Conservancy announces a free lecture series “Get Ready for Spring with Master Gardener Mike Mahanna.”

The first lecture, Container Gardening, will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 9 a.m. The second lecture, Landscape Design, will be on Saturday, March 11, also at 9 a.m. Both are free to attend and will be held at the Central New York Conservancy community room, 1641 Genesee St.

Mahanna is a Conservancy board member, arborist, and master gardener who is known as “The How to Gardener.” He is a professional landscape designer and landscape lighting expert who enjoys sharing his expertise to help the community. “Our natural landscape is important to our environment and our well-being,” Mahanna said. “The Get Ready for Spring series is a great opportunity for me to share my passion and knowledge with people who want to improve their gardening skills and their landscape design.”

The Container Gardening lecture will include information about best location and conditions for containers, container styles, plant selection and design. The Landscape Design lecture will cover site analysis, plant selection, and design concepts along with the tips about how to use water features, garden art, and lighting for maximum impact. Participants will also have an opportunity to ask Mike questions.

To register, go to the CNY Conservancy’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cnyconservancy. Walk ins are also welcome.

The CNY Conservancy’s mission is to preserve and beautify Utica’s parks and green spaces. As part its mission, the CNY Conservancy has planted more than 200 trees and 160,000 flowers and is responsible for planting and maintaining the flower beds along the Memorial Parkway.

For more information about the Central New York Conservancy, visit www.uticaolmstedparks.org.