The Ninth Annual Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium
April 13 & 14, 2012 at The Equinox Resort

 

      
     
     

  


Hold on to your gardening hats! This inspirational and exhilarating symposium, that has sold out for several years, will energize your approach to gardening. The symposium will be held for the third time at The Equinox Resort, a world-class, four diamond resort in Manchester, VT. The symposium features six info-packed lectures led by nationally and regionally renowned professionals in their fields.  Also featured is a Garden Marketplace with plant vendors, artisans, gardening gifts and products.   Gardener's come from all over the Northeast and beyond for this premier event.  One and two night packages available as well as a day-only rate. Read on for details and registration information. Questions? Please email Kerry or call (518) 885-3471

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012

7:00 p.m.  Welcome and Organic Solutions for the Garden and Home. Presenter: Lisa Napolitano has, for over a decade, co-hosted the call-in radio show "Garden Talk with Len and Lisa" on WTIC 1080 AM broadcast out of Hartford, CT.  Her presentation will center on both principles and remedies to convert your garden and home dependent on chemicals, to a habitat that works with nature.  Whether the problem is mildew on roses or attracting beneficial insects, sound organic concepts can minimize problems and keep a balance in the landscape that does not let the "bad guys" get the upper hand.  Lisa is an Accredited Nursery Professional, has gardened organically for more than 25 years and ran a small ornamental plant nursery for 7 years, employing organic methods to keep the plants healthy and vigorous.  For 2 humor-filled hours each week, "Garden Talk with Len and Lisa" gives the listening audience insight into organic gardening and offers natural solutions to their gardening delimmas.  Visit them on the web at www.gardentalk1080.com or see what's happening on their Facebook page by searching "Len and Lisa Gardening".

8:30 p.m.  A Chemical Reaction, an award-winning documentary film, will be available for viewing for those who wish to see eye-opening 70 minute film.  While being a heart-warming, inspirational, human-interest story about the origin of the natural lawn care movement in Canada and the U.S. - is also a powerful tool for individuals and organizations interested in reducing and/or eliminating pesticides from the environment, especially around homes and schools.  This DVD is available for sale at www.safelawns.org. 


SATURDAY, APRIL 14

7:00 -  9:00 a.m.  Packaged guests may have breakfast in the resort's main dining room. 

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.  Registration open for day only attendees to pick up their packets.  Entrance to Rockwell Room in conference center.

8:00 - 4:00 p.m.Gardener's Marketplace is open.

9:00 a.m.  Bodacious New Perennials! Presenter: Kerry Ann Mendez garden designer, author and consultant from Ballston Spa, NY.  This dynamic lecture, featuring recently introduced, sassy perennials, may have you heading for a garden center before the presentation’s conclusion!  Colorful photos and plant combinations will inspire low-maintenance vignettes for your own gardens.  The presentation will include design tips and planting suggestions.  Kerry is the owner of Perennially Yours, a gardening business in Ballston Spa, NY. As a teacher and lecturer, she focuses on time-saving gardening techniques and workhorse plant material as well as organic practices.  She has been in many national magazines including Horticulture, Fine Gardening, Garden Gate and Better Homes and Gardens' Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living.   Her books, The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Top Ten Lists and Top Ten Lists for Beautiful Shade Gardens are top sellers for gardeners in Zones 3 through 7.  She is a self-taught gardener with over 25 years of experience and a ‘passionate perennialist’ that enjoys mixing humor with practical information.

  
10:00 a.m.   50 (OK, fifty-nine, but who’s counting) Great Natives for the Northeast.  Presenter: William Cullina, award-winning author, speaker, photographer, recognized authority on North American native plants and Director of Horticulture/Plant Curator for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.  You don’t need to look to China or England to find beautiful, functional, enduring plants trees, shrubs, and perennials for our northeastern gardens. From the coastal plain to the Appalachian chain, the eastern US is home to a bewildering variety of native plants that bring with them grace, hardiness, and an adaptability to our climate and soils unmatched by most exotics. In this talk I will profile 50 or so of my favorite native wildflowers, ferns, trees, shrubs, and vines for gardens in the Northeast.   Think of this talk as a native plant buffet with something for everyone!  Bill has an extensive curriculum vitae but to highlight a few of his past accomplishments, he was the former Nursery Director and Head Propagator for the New England Wildflower Society; TV guest on the Martha Stewart Show, Rebecca's Garden, Victory Garden and Garden Smart, and has published five books, the most recent being Understanding Perennials in 2009. Visit www.williamcullina.com for more information.

11:00 a.m. Refreshment break in Gardener's Marketplace.

11:30 a.m.  The Wow! Factor - Moving From Inspiration to Installation. Presented by C.L. Fornari; garden consultant, author and speaker from Cape Cod, MA.  We are inspired when we visit beautiful gardens or see photos of lovely landscapes, but how can we go beyond our feelings of envy and admiration, and apply what we see in our own landscapes? This talk is about analyzing why we are inspired, and how to use that information in our own gardens.  C.L. is a garden expert and the host of GardenLine, a call-in talk radio program on WXTK.  C.L. Fornari is from Cape Cod, MA.  She is a self-described "out-of-control plant person" and the host of GardenLine, a call-in talk radio program on WXTK.  C.L. is a professional speaker, the author of several gardening books and articles, a volunteer Master Gardener and featured guest on numerous television shows.  Her articles and photos have been published in American Nurseryman Magazine, Prime Time Magazine and many others.  She is an entertaining speaker who enjoys a nation-wide following. To learn more about C.L. visit www.gardenlady.com. 

12:30 p.m.  Great Gardens Luncheon, book signing and Gardener's Marketplace.

1:30 p.m.  The Top Twenty-Five.  Presented by C.L.  This talk is part practical gardening, part garden philosophy, and part plants, with an emphasis on annuals and other plants that provide an abundance of color in the garden. Just as our gardens provide us with rich experiences in so many ways, this talk covers a range of plants along with interesting/amusing/useful bits of information cultivated from over 25 years of gardening

2:30 p.m.  Refreshment break in Gardener's Marketplace.

3:00 p.m.  Going Organic at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  Presented by William Cullina. Two years ago, we decided to convert to organic practices at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Many on the staff were skeptical that we could maintain a high standard of care with a limited budget and staff if we went this route, but we felt it was vital that we try. Luckily the experiment has been an overwhelming success: the plants are far healthier, pollinators more diverse, visitors happier, and costs have remained the same or even decreased. The switch has not been without challenges, however, and in this lecture I will discuss candidly what has worked and what has not when Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens “went organic.”

4:00 p.m.  Symposium concludes.  Another viewing of A Chemical Reaction documentary film will be shown at the close of the symposium.

Symposium Overnight Packages at the Equinox Resort:

Great Gardens Symposium one and two night packages:  One night (Friday, April 13): $282.21 for a single or $404.91 for a double ($202.46 per person). The package includes Friday night accommodations; full breakfast and lunch on Saturday; refreshment break; six lectures, symposium handouts, garden gift, door prizes, and all taxes and gratuities. The two-night package (April 13 & 14) is $472.00 for a single or $625.91 for a double ($312.96 per person) with all taxes and gratuities included. Two night packages include all of the above plus Saturday night accommodations and Sunday breakfast. PLUS there are also double room package rates for couples where only ONE person will attend the symposium. To make your reservations for symposium packages, please call The Equinox Resort at (877) 854-7625 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EST) and specify the Great Gardens package.  You can also book online on their web site, www.equinoxresort.com.

Day-Only Symposium Registration Fee: $98 per person includes five dynamic garden lectures on Saturday, morning coffee, mid-morning refreshments, lunch, handouts, garden gift, and door prizes. Plus you may attend the Friday evening lecture at no cost if your schedule permits. Day only registrations must go through Perennially Yours. To register with a credit card click on the PayPal button below or to register with a check, please click here to print a registration form. The registration deadline is April 6th.
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