A Gardening Program You Don't Want to Miss!

Since I am President-Elect of the Georgia Perennial Plant Association, I'm using this post as a little plug for the upcoming Symposium that GPPA co-produces with the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  Each year this is an incredible program, and gives a great blast of gardening energy to the attendees just as winter is coming to a close.  If you're anywhere near Atlanta, this one is definitely worth attending!  Make a weekend of it!

Here is some further information from the GPPA website, www.georgiaperennial.org  (There is a link to register on the site, as well.)

THE INSPIRED GARDENER

Winter finds most gardeners starved for spring – the season of new beginnings, a fresh opportunity to get the most out of our landscapes. As springtime approaches, immerse yourself in this full day of exciting garden inspiration. Come away with fresh ideas for making the garden of your dreams!

This year’s featured speakers are Katy Moss Warner, Steve Brady, Shannon Pable, Norman Kent Johnson and Stephanie Cohen. 

Beautiful Landscapes: The Key to Healthy Communities
For five years, Katy Moss Warner, dynamic presenter and President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society, has been judging towns and cities for America in Bloom. She has witnessed first hand what happens when communities focus attention on their landscapes. The spirit of optimism and volunteerism reflect not only in the beauty of the community but also in its vitality. Communities with beautiful landscapes are the places where people want to live, work and play.

Easy-to-Grow Fruits
After 30 years of working for the University of Georgia as the Cobb County Extension Agent, Steve Brady has a wide range of personal and research experience in fruit and vegetable production. Almost anyone can grow a variety of fresh fruits in their yards with proper planning, establishment, and care. Imagine fresh fruit ready to pick April through October. This can truly be edible landscaping.

Cinderella Natives:
Transforming Wild “Weeds"Into Residential Ornamentals
Shannon Pable is a life-long artist and gardener with a love of wild edible and medicinal plants. She is a certified arborist and award-winning garden designer (owner of Shannon’s Garden Gallery), specializing in native plants, woodland designs and environmentally friendly landscape designs. Learn the tricks of how to incorporate native plants into the tidy residential landscape and some of the myths associated with natives. Shannon will also include a list of her favorite natives to use in sun and shade areas.

Other People’s Gardens
One of the hardest things about reworking an existing garden is the question, “Why?” Knowing how you will use your garden must play a role in defining the garden. Do you need to accommodate your dogs, children or more cars? Do you have horticultural challenges: too much shade, too much sun, or poor soil conditions? Or maybe the garden is simply tired and ready for a change. Whatever the case, the “why” must always precede the “what.” Renowned garden designer and author Norman Kent Johnson will guide you through thought processes for rethinking your garden to make it right for you.

The Nonstop Garden: Four-Season Design
Gardeners seem to fall into two broad categories: Those who are growing more mature want to garden but encounter physical drawbacks; newer gardeners with very busy schedules trying to incorporate gardening as a passion and pleasure into their lifestyles. We all want year-round beauty, but in order to attain it we must work smarter not harder. This means making the most of the space and time you have. Join Stephanie Cohen, the “Perennial Diva” herself, in an adventure to get the dirt on nonstop gardening!