Hold on to your gardening hats! This inspirational and exhilarating symposium will energize your approach to gardening. The symposium will be held at The Equinox (www.equinoxresort.com), a world-class, four diamond resort in Manchester (VT) and one of America's most historically significant lodgings (established in 1769). Enjoy a Friday evening welcome reception and book signings with the speakers and sponsors plus six info-packed lectures led by nationally and regionally renowned professionals in their fields. Exchange ideas and swap 'the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat' gardening stories with other passionate gardeners at workshops, meals and free time. Drawings for great gardening gifts throughout the Symposium. Overnight packages and day rates available.   Rave reviews from last year's attendees include 'Great speakers, food, door prizes, and resort', 'The topics were diverse and interesting', 'Fun getting to know other gardeners in the Northeast', 'A+++++'. Read on for more details and to register. Questions? Please email Kerry at pyours@nycap.rr.com  or call (518) 885-3471.

Our sincerest thanks to our sponsors who make this event possible. For more information about them, please see below.

Overnight packages at The Equinox Resort
Day Only Registration Rates
List of Exhibitors

FRIDAY, APRIL 4 

7:00 p.m. Opening remarks 

Sensational Flowering Shrubs for the Mixed Border. Presenter: Kerry Mendez; garden consultant, designer, writer, and teacher. Do you want to add drama, winter interest and colorful flowers to your landscape while reducing maintenance time? Then build in some spectacular flowering shrubs to your borders. Colorful PowerPoint will feature choice flowering shrubs for northern climates. Handouts include general care and pruning requirements. Kerry is the owner of Perennially Yours (www.pyours.com ), a family-owned business in Ballston Spa, NY that specializes in teaching gardening classes and consulting. Kerry has taught thousands of gardeners how to design and care for low-maintenance perennial gardens, is a popular lecturer, writer, hosted a regional television garden segment, has been in featured in People, Places & Plants, Fine Gardening, Better Homes and Gardens' Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living, Garden Gate, How-To Gardening, and The Saratogian as well as on HGTV. 

8:00 p.m. Great Gardens Welcome Reception with Speakers, Sponsors and Exhibitors. Heavy Hors d'oeuvres and cash bar. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 5

7:30- 9:00 a.m. Breakfast in The Equinox's restaurant at your leisure 

8:00 - 4:00 p.m. Exhibit tables open

9:00 a.m. The Art of Garden Design. Presenter: Tara Dillard; national award winning speaker, designer and author of five garden and landscaping books. Tara will teach you how to use color, line, texture and form to design your garden for beauty with low maintenance. Learn garden design rules and why breaking them is liberating and will create your own unique garden. She will also talk about the art of creating a vanishing threshold by combining house and garden so each reflects the other's beauty. Tara hails from Atlanta, Georgia and is degreed in industrial engineering and horticulture and teaches at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gwinnett College and lectures nationally.  She is a national award winning author of five garden and landscaping design books (two just released this year), and will be featured in this winter's issue of Southern Living magazine. She is also a former TV show host on CBS and has worked extensively with NBC, PBS, and HGTV.  Tara's main business is creating achingly beautiful gardens that speak to the soul, knowing that our gardens separate us from the chaos beyond, and within. To learn more about Tara, her books and design work, please visit www.taradillard.com.

10:10 a.m. Step by Step Organic Vegetable and Flower Gardening. Presenter: Shepherd Ogden; renowned speaker, author, teacher, and founder and former president of The Cooks Garden, a pioneering mail order seed company in the United States. Shepherd will share his time-tested tips and tricks for healthy, lower-maintenance gardens that yield abundant vegetables, flowers and herbs the organic way. Shepherd was the 1988 recipient of the American Horticultural Society's GB Gunlogson Award for "extraordinary and dedicated efforts in the field of horticulture" and has received numerous book and magazine writing awards. He has written five books including Step by Step Organic Vegetable Gardening; and Step by Step Organic Flower Gardening. He has appeared on numerous television shows including NBC Today, CNBC Good Morning, and Martha Stewart Living as well as various cable venues. Shepherd now lives in the Washington, D.C. area where he is the Executive Director of the SafeLawns Foundation, a national non-profit dedicated to emerging organic lawn and landscape care alternatives. Their web site, www.safelawns.org, includes organic lawn tips and more. To learn more about Shep, visit www.shepherdogden.us.

11:10 a.m. Coffee Break with Exhibitors

11:30 a.m. Let's Talk Annuals. Presenter: Kelly Sweeney; landscape designer, gardener and grower. Kelly will talk about her favorite plants - annuals - whether it be the tried and true or the more unusual varieties. She will share her expertise on how to use annuals in the landscape and in containers as well as which ones perform well alone and those that make great companion plants. Kelly grows and sells specialty annuals at Hallock Hill Farm Greenhouse located in Waltham, VT. Kelly's love of annuals began when she planted her first bed under her mom's clothesline in symmetrical rows, outlined by white brick. She has branched out since that time, working for many years as the head gardener at Basin Harbor Club, one of the Historic Hotels of America, where she created breathtaking masterpieces before she opened her own business. Kelly is a popular speaker and loves sharing her passion and vast experience in the culture and use of annuals.

12:30 p.m. Symposium luncheon buffet. 

1:45 p.m. Creating Intriguing Focal Points In The Garden. Presenter: Tara Dillard; national award winning speaker, designer and author of five garden and landscaping books from Atlanta, Georgia. Tara will share Part Two of how to create showcase gardens. Discover how style, placement, quality, and height go into choosing the best focal points for a beautiful garden. Learn the rules for buying a focal point; focal point illusions; focal point vignettes; low maintenance focal points and more. This presentation is taken from her book, Beautiful by Design published in 2006. I (Kerry Mendez, symposium founder and organizer) had the opportunity to see this inspiring presentation at a symposium in Virginia and it changed the way I thought of focal points in a very exciting way; resulting in my reworking one of my gardens using a series of focal points as shown in Tara's talk.  For more information about all of her garden design books, please visit www.amazon.com. 

2:55 p.m. New Perennials for 2008 and Other Favorites. Presenter: Mardell Steinkamp, regional representative for Sunny Border Nurseries (www.sunnyborder.com), a large wholesale nursery in Connecticut.  Mardell will introduce us to some exciting new plants arriving on the market in 2008. Get ready to have a long shopping list after this presentation! She will also include some of her favorite, noteworthy perennials to grace our gardens. Mardell is a long-time guru of unique and interesting plants. She and her husband, Paul, are co-owners of Helderledge farm, a fabulous nursery in Altamont, NY that specializes in offering a unique plant inventory displayed in gorgeous settings. In 1997 Garden Design magazine honored them with the Golden Trowel Award for the design and construction of a water feature at their nursery. And Mardell's love affair with great plants continues with her work for Sunny Border Nurseries, a company that has a long standing commitment to new plant introductions. They test hundreds of varieties each year for their 'garden worthiness', releasing many new plants annually. Check out the Sunny Border web site for an impressive collection and then watch for their plants at local nurseries. 

4:00 p.m. Symposium concludes

Symposium One and Two Night Packages at The Equinox Resort: *AS OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25 THE EQUINOX RESORT IS SOLD OUT OF SYMPOSIUM PACKAGES!  YOU CAN STILL ATTEND THE SYMPOSIUM!  ALL NEW REGISTRANTS (WHETHER YOU ARE STAYING AT A NEARBY PROPERTY OR IF YOU LIVE WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE) MUST USE THE APPROPRIATE DAY ONLY REGISTRATION FORM BELOW. 

IF YOU NEED ACCOMMODATIONS FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 4TH OR APRIL 4TH & 5TH, please call The Reluctant Panther Inn (www.reluctantpanther.com) at (802) 822-2331 for their room rates and availability. They are only one block from The Equinox Resort - an easy stroll!  If you need additional assistance with lodging, please call the Manchester Chamber of Commerce at (802) 362-6313.

ROOMS STILL AVAILABLE AT THE EQUINOX RESORT SATURDAY, APRIL 5TH.  There are still rooms available at this world-class resort on Saturday, April 5th but they do not include the symposium.  The special Great Gardens single rate is $169.08 and $191.01 for a double ($95.50 per person). This includes Saturday night accommodations, a gourmet Sunday breakfast buffet, and all taxes and gratuities. Please call The Equinox at (800) 362-4747 for reservations. 

Day Only Registration fees:   

For non-Vermont residents:   $110 per person for Friday and Saturday; $80 per person Saturday only.  Friday and Saturday registration includes Friday's welcome reception with speakers, sponsors and exhibitors; six garden lectures and handouts (including the Friday evening flowering shrubs presentation); Saturday morning coffee and mid-morning refreshment break; Saturday's luncheon buffet; garden gift; and chance to win great door prizes. Saturday only registration includes: Saturday morning coffee and mid-morning refreshment break; luncheon buffet; five garden lectures and handouts; garden gift; and chance to win great door prizes.  Click here to print the registration form.  DAY ONLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 1ST.

  The Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists is sponsoring a special fee for Vermont residents in place of a 2008 Vermont Flower Showt www.vermontflowershow.com.  DAY ONLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 1ST.

Our sincere appreciation to our symposium sponsors

Bradfield Organics  www.bradfieldorganics.com This wholesale supplier of premium organic fertilizers for your lawn and garden is committed to helping you enjoy the life you’ve built through exceptional products and their promise to help preserve and protect the environment. Bradfield Organics had the unique privilege in 2007 to be chosen as the fertilizer for the organic renovation of four acres of the National Mall in Washington, D.C..  To locate a nursery near you that carries their products, please visit their web site.

Coast of Maine Organic Products, Inc. www.coastofmaine.com. A Maine-based company that supplies organic fertilizers, soils and compost to garden centers around the Northeast. For years, including 2007, Coast of Maine has been the winner of People, Places & Plants' magazine's Reader's Choice Poll for the favorite organic compost, soil and fertilizers.  Voters represent the New England and New York regions.  For more information and to locate a retailer near you that carries their outstanding products, please visit their web site. 

Davey Hecht Woodworking  144 Foster Road Westfield, VT 05874. (802) 744-6878.  Davey Hecht Woodworking is a small woodworking shop that has been creating fine quality Vermont White Cedar Adirondack furniture since 1989. Their furniture is equally elegant as it is strong and rugged, for your porch or backyard patio. They make Adirondack fan back chairs, loveseats, ottomans, and children’s chairs.  

Dutch Gardens www.dutchgardens.com A super mail order company based in Burlington, Vermont (the sister company to Gardener's Supply Company), offering a huge selection of flowering bulbs as well as perennials, vines and shrubs. For nearly a century, Dutch Gardens has been supplying Holland's finest bulbs and plants to beautify gardens throughout the U.S. Their history in Holland, however, goes back many more generations. Their gardening experts come from families who have long been leading Dutch horticulturists.

Equinox Valley Nursery www.equinoxvalleynursery.com Route 7A, Manchester, VT. (802) 362-2610. This family owned and operated nursery features 17 greenhouses, extensive tree and shrub selections, an outstanding dwarf conifer collection, 1,000 perennial varieties, the most unusual annuals, tropical conservatory, unique gardener's gift shoppe, display gardens, and exceptional landscaping services. This outstanding nursery has been featured in Yankee, Vermont. Life, The New Yorker, Vermont & Stratton magazines and Across the Fence educational TV.  

Gardener's Supply Company www.gardeners.com  This organically-minded company is based in Burlington, Vermont. They offer a huge assortment of products at great prices  for the garden ranging from organic fertilizers, tools, pest control, sheds, pots, plants and much more! You can purchase products through their mail order division or at their store in Burlington.  Watch for their seasonal warehouse sales for really super savings.  In addition to offering superior products, Gardener's Supply Company is passionate about improving the environment and community.  Each year they donate 8% of their profits back to the community and national non-profit organizations that are working on gardening, sustainable agriculture, environmental and hunger-related causes. 

Messenger  www.www.edenbio.com/garden/ Founded in 1994, Eden Bioscience® Corporation's focus is to provide the highest quality natural plant health care products for the home gardener. Their line of products are "Plant Health Regulators", based on a family of all natural proteins called "harpins", which stimulate a plant's disease and stress resistance, growth and reproduction...all processes that contribute to better plant health, higher quality fruits and flowers.  Harpin porducts have no direct effect on pests and pathogens but simply 'send a message' to the plant to activate its own growth and defense systems to protect itself. Just as our bodies respond to an infection, you can think of this as the plants version of an immune response.  What a breakthrough for gardeners!  To learn more about this product and others, visit their web site.

People, Places & Plants magazine www.ppplants.com. People, Places and Plants is an independently owned media company, existing to promote horticulture through a celebration of environmentally friendly techniques with a focus on the local gardeners, independent businesses, and public spaces of a particular region.  A Maine-based magazine started by Paul Tukey, it also features outstanding articles about great plants that are hardy for zone 5 or colder as well as organic approaches to lawn and gardens.  To learn more about this premier magazine, visit their web site.

Proven Winners www.provenwinners.com Proven Winners is the leading brand of high quality flowering plants in North America, sold under the Proven Winners name. The goals of Proven Winners are to introduce the best, most unique, high performing plants, to produce them under the highest quality standards, and to market the plants innovatively. Proven Winners plants are unsurpassed in terms of flowering, growth habit, disease resistance, and garden performance. Check out their informative web site for more details.

SafeLawns.org  www.safelawns.org.  SafeLawns is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting natural lawn care and grounds maintenance. "The goal of the campaign is to engage Americans in the natural lawn-care dialogue and to ultimately sway consumer and industry behavior toward organic approaches that are healthier for people, pets and the planet, while still having a green lawn," says Paul J. Tukey, national spokesman for the SafeLawns campaign. As part of the national campaign, SafeLawns was given the chance to prove organic lawns can be green, beautiful and functional by 'going organic' on a portion of the National Mall in Washington DC. 

TerraCycle www.terracycle.net.  TerraCycle was founded in 2001 by Princeton students Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer. The idea was simple: Take organic and inorganic wastes, process them and turn them into useful, low-environmental-impact products. Tom continued to develop the company, funded by prize money from business plan contests and "angel" investors. In 2004, The Home Depot began selling TerraCycle Plant Food(tm) on their website. Today TerraCycle is one of Red Herring magazine's 100 most innovative companies and has been awarded the Environmental Stewardship Award from Home Depot Canada. Their line of innovative, recycled organic products continues to grow.

Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association (formerly Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists VAPH). The Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association is a non-profit group of garden centers, wholesale growers, landscapers, and other professionals in the green industry. They sponsor the Vermont Flower Show each February/March in Essex Junction that attracts over 6,000 people. In addition, they provide trade shows, workshops, legislative updates, quarterly newsletters, and more to professionals in the industry to increase the their education and to inform the public of the value of using a certified horticulturist. To learn more about their mission and organization, please visit www.vaph.org

Exhibitors

All of the above sponsors as well as:

Arcana Gardens and Greenhouses, Jericho, VT.  
Bio-Fusion Designs, Clifton Park, NY (indoor and outdoor water gardens)
Brookside Nursery, Ballston Spa, NY  
Garden Time Quality Custom Sheds and Gazebos, Rutland, VT
Interval Compost Products, Burlington, VT
Mettowee Mill Nursery, Dorset, VT
Oligny's Country Gardens, Gansevoort, NY
Vermont Compost Company, Montpelier, VT

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