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Last Chance for a Winter Plant Fix! And Gaze At Some Fabulous Gardens, Too
posted 1/28/2008
Tired of the cold? Longing for spring? Today is your last chance to sign up for a symposium that will give you a preview of spring...plus a plant sale
Come February, most gardeners in this area are gazing at spring nursery catalogs and longing to get their hands on some real plants for the garden. You can do just that this Friday – but today’s your last chance to sign up.
On Friday, the first day of February, Longwood Gardens will host the 19th annual Today's Horticulture symposium, a day-long celebration of plants and gardening designed for gardeners, horticulturists, landscape designers, and nursery professionals.
The symposium is organized and produced by the Longwood Gardens Professional Gardener Alumni Association (PGAA), with support from The Chanticleer Foundation and Longwood Gardens.
This year’s speakers include well-known garden writer Pam Baggett; Jimi Blake (pictured at right with his dog, Fred), founder of Hunting Brook (see top and lower photos at right), one of Ireland’s most compelling contemporary gardens; PGAA Alum and Longwood Gardens’ Waterlily expert, Tim Jennings; famed garden photographer Andrea Jones; Dr. William Mathias, founder and owner of the Wild Orchid Company; award-winning landscape designer Darrel Morrison; and PG Alum Marcie Weigelt; who has been responsible for Mt. Cuba Center’s hallmark pond landscape for 25 years.
“We are thrilled to feature Jimi Blake, owner of Hunting Brook Garden in Ireland,” says Chanticleer horticulturist Jonathan Wright, who is a member of the symposium committee and a graduate of the Longwood Gardens Professional Gardener Training Program. “He is one of the most innovative and talented young plantsmen out there. Through vivid photography, Jimi will be presenting his own innovative style of contemporary mixed plantings that are a rich combination of prairie and tropical plants.”
Photography enthusiasts will also be fascinated by the work of Andrea Jones, who has photographed chimpanzees with Jane Goodall in Tanzania.
“Her award-winning photographs offer a glimpse into wild and remote parts of the world,” says Wright, “and her garden images more than do justice to the famous gardens she frequently captures.”
Usually, registration for this event is long past. But due to some unusual circumstances, there are still some spaces available. Not only can you still register – if you do so today, January 29! – but the late fee that would usually apply at this point is waived. Just put “GPG” on the registration form.
Registration costs $85, and includes admission to Longwood Gardens for the day, all lectures and demonstrations, lunch, refreshments, and… drum roll, please… access to a plant sale! A PDF version of the brochure, with registration form, is available on Longwood’s website:
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/Symposia.html
Fax your registration to 610-388-9806 before 5 p.m. today, January 29. Or call 610-388-1000, ext. 507, for more information.
The symposium's concurrent sessions will enable attendees to select among a variety of interesting topics, including “Water Gardening Back to Basics” and “Native Ferns in the Landscape.”
Attendees will also enjoy a presentation on the wide variety of tropical plants available for mid-Atlantic summer gardens, discover a world of hardy terrestrial orchids that you can grow in the region, take a look at unique forms of inspiration for landscape design and the resulting intriguing gardens; and enjoy a photographic journey to the great gardens of the world.
Throughout the day, conference participants will be able to purchase unusual horticultural items, including tropical and temperate annuals, perennials and woody plants, books, and more. Proceeds from the sale benefit Longwood’s Professional Gardener Training Program.
The Professional Gardener Alumni Association was organized in 1976 to promote communication and to disseminate information among the alumni of the Professional Gardener Training Program and other members of the horticultural community. The Program is a tuition-free, two-year course of study that prepares students for employment in public and private horticulture.
About Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens is the world’s premier horticultural display garden, offering 1,050 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows; 20 outdoor gardens; 20 indoor gardens within 4 acres of heated greenhouses; 11,000 different types of plants; spectacular fountains; extensive educational programs including horticultural career training and internships; and 800 horticultural and performing arts events each year.
For information, call 610-388-1000 or write to: Longwood Gardens, PO Box 501, Kennett Square PA 19348-0501. Complete information is available online at:
http:// www.longwoodgardens.org
More Winter Symposia To Tempt You
Longwood Gardens is the setting in March for another one-day symposium that should appeal to horticultural professionals. Read about Powerful Exhibitions for Every Institution at:
http://www.greaterphiladelphiagardens.org/news.asp?GardenNoteID=69
Winterthur and Horticulture magazine will join forces to sponsor a one-day symposium on "Patterns in Gardening" at Winterthur on Feb. 16. Information and registration details for the symposium are available online at:
http://www.hortprograms.com/.
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve will hold its 8th Annual Land Ethics Symposium, "Creative Approaches for Ecological Landscaping," on Thursday, February 21, 2008 from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The Symposium will be held at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel in Langhorne, Pa. To download a brochure, visit:
http://www.bhwp.org/educational/symposia.htm
Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware will host the first Trillium Symposium in April. For more information, including registration details, on this two-day event (with an optional third-day field trip), visit:
http://www.trilliumsymposium2008.org.