Agenda

April 20, 2013

Brochure with registration information

8 – 8:45 a.m.

• Garden Marketplace at the Shady Side Ice Skating Rink

8 - 9 a.m.

This is an Early Bird Workshop ($12 Additional Fee/Limited Enrollment)

• Joseph Tychonievich, Growing Alpines and Miniature Plants
  Miniature and alpine plants are perfect for containers and small space gardens, and are becoming evermore popular. Joseph will share his expertise on growing these plants in containers and in the ground, and he will provide information about some of his favorite, most unusual of these tiny plants.  Attendees will take home a specially selected alpine.

8:30 – 9 a.m.

• Registration/Continental breakfast at Hillman Center for Performing Arts

9:15 a.m.

• Welcome/Introductions

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

• Kerry Mendez, The Perennial Plant Collector's Corner
  This talk is for plantaholics seeking unusual, fun, outrageous or underused perennials that will have heads turning and onlookers mumbling, "What is that?" As an avid collector, Kerry has walked miles in her muck boots to find unique plants that transform ho-hum gardens into eye-popping, extraordinary ones.

Morning Tracks, Choose One:

Track A: 10:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

• 10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
  Thomas Rainer, Contemporary Planting Design using Native Plants
  While native plants grow in popularity, there is surprisingly little information about how to design with them in gardens and landscapes. As a result, native gardens often end up looking messy and wild. This talk offers a critique of the current approach to designing with native plants and suggests an alternative: composition based on artful interpretations of native plant communities. Rainer will look at how to select appropriate native communities as inspirations for designed landscapes. He will examine how to read a community, identify patterns, and artfully replicate those patterns in gardens. Above all, the lecture will focus on creating bold, modern designs that celebrate the beauty of natives.

• 12 noon – 12:45 p.m.
  Garden Marketplace & “Ten Minute Tips” with local experts

• 12:45 – 1:30 p.m.
  Lunch

Track B: 10:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

• 10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
  Garden Marketplace & “Ten Minute Tips” with local experts
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
  Lunch
• 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
  Kerry Mendez, Branch Out with Flowering Shrubs
  Do you want to add drama, winter interest and colorful flowers to your gardens while reducing maintenance time? Kerry will introduce some spectacular flowering shrubs, and discuss their care.  

End of Tracks, Full Audience

1:45 – 2:45 p.m.

• Whitney Cranshaw, Natural Enemies of Landscape Insect Pests
  This is an image-rich talk discussing the primary species that are involved as biological controls of pests and insects and mites. What they look like, what they can do, and how to encourage their activities.

2:50 – 4 p.m.

• Bill Thomas, Chanticleer, A Pleasure Garden
  Join Chanticleer's Executive Director and Head Gardener Bill Thomas for a visual tour and behind-the-scenes look at what the Washington Post calls "one of the most interesting and edgy public gardens in America. Open to the public only since 1993, Chanticleer is known for its plant combinations featuring foliage textures and colors, its wide variety of containers, and its imaginative homemade furniture. While discussing the design principles that have led Chanticleer over the last century, he will explore the passions that inspired its owners and gardeners.

4:00 p.m.

• Concluding Remarks
  
• Drawing to benefit symposium scholarships