CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Even the Clay Center is getting the gardening/outdoor bug!

According to the center's LeAnn Dickens, they are planting edibles in a vegetable garden at the center with the help of Piedmont Elementary School students, using the opportunity to teach lessons in healthy nutrition and organic gardening practices.

Additionally, the Clay Center is teaming up with Kanawha State Forest.

"Our educator Heather Baliko at Clay Center came up with the idea," Dickens said. So they contacted Kevin Dials, the assistant superintendent at Kanawha State Forest, and they've been producing a series of family-friendly programs aimed at teaching science in the context of nature.

A Summer Discovery Nature Camp will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily June 27 through July 1. The deadline to register is June 20. Students in grades three through seven will spend the week investigating habitats, hiking trails and learning to navigate the outdoors with GPS at the forest.

In the fall, Dials will present one of the Clay Center's Lunchtime Lectures. At 12:15 p.m. Sept. 14, he will talk about the treasures that abound in Kanawha State Forest, as well as throughout the West Virginia State Park system.

An After School Explorers Club will be themed "Critter Catch and Release," from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22 for kids in grades two to six. The Clay Center and Kanawha State Forest instructors will investigate some of the creatures that call the forest home, as they look for bugs that hide in the stream, crawl across the ground and fly through the air. Registration deadline is Sept. 19.

To register, call the Clay Center at 304-561-3570.

Late-summer bloomer

If you're looking for a late-summer bloomer, look no further than the Japanese clethra (Clethra barbinervis). Depending on how it's pruned, it's either a multistem shrub or a single-stem small tree, slowly reaching 15 to 20 feet. In July and early August, the tips of the branches yield a pendulous, 5- to 8-inch-long flower with small spikes alongside the main bloom. The flowers are fragrant, loved by butterflies, and last a good three weeks.

In the fall, the plants in full sun will be bright red, or, in the shade, yellow. And, it's got great bark so it's good in winter, too.

'Gardens of the Mon'

The West Virginia Botanic Garden Inc. is presenting the 10th annual "Gardens of the Mon" self-guided tour of private gardens in the Cheat Lake area from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 25, rain or shine. Master Gardeners will be available to assist with plant identification and horticultural questions.

Tickets are $10 through June 24 and $15 on the day of the tour. Children 12 years and younger are free with an adult accompanying them. Visit www.wvbg.org for ticket sale locations. Contact Linda Bagby at 304-599-5676 or lba...@wvbg.org.

Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.