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Tag: American Conifer Society

  • Thursday, September 15, 4:00 pm – Tuesday, September 20, 4:00 pm – 2022 American Conifer Society National Meeting and Post-Meeting Tour

    NATIONAL MEETING (Sept 15-18)

    Program Overview: Where can you find over 30 public gardens in a 30-mile radius? Philadelphia! And that doesn’t include private gardens. The ACS National Meeting planners, Mike Larkin and Frank Goodhart, have lined up a great schedule of talks and visits to several public and cutting-edge private gardens. Public gardens include Chanticleer, Morris Arboretum, Stoneleigh, and Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. The last two are recently anointed ACS Conifer Reference Gardens, which demonstrate that conifers are on the rise and much loved in the Philly area. Private gardens on the schedule are those of Fred and Helen Consaley, and Michael Kates. These private gardens are just as impressive for their size as the public gardens, given that they don’t have the public resources and staff to develop and maintain them. They are also focused heavily on conifers, which heightens their appeal.

    The meeting kicks off Thursday night with dinner and a talk by William Thomas, Executive Director of the Chanticleer Foundation, on “The Art of Gardening at Chanticleer.” Bill is a life member and former president of the ACS. Then we’re off for two days of spectacular garden tours. You won’t want to miss the popular conifer auction on Saturday night and the parking lot sale on Sunday.

    NATIONAL MEETING HOTEL: Your hotel registration must be made separately.

    Headquarters for the 2022 National Meeting is the Marriott Philadelphia West in West Conshohocken, PA, about 10 miles northwest of downtown Philadelphia.

    The ACS rate is $134/night plus tax, guaranteed until August 24, 2022. For reservations, book at American Conifer Society National Meeting, or call 800-228-9290 and ask for the American Conifer Society room block.

    POST-MEETING TOUR (Sept 18-20)

    Program Overview: Mike Larkin, Frank Goodhart and their team including Rebecca Boylan and Dan Romenesko have outdone themselves putting together three action-packed days. Attendees will visit four unique public garden sites (two of them with specialty nurseries) and three outstanding private gardens. Unwind in the evenings at the elegant Golden Plough Inn in New Hope, PA, with a Murder Mystery dinner thrown in Sunday night for entertainment. The Spring 2022 issue of CONIFERQUARTERLY will feature a full article and pictures about the Post-Meeting Tour. Want to know more? Please contact Mike Larkin.

    POST-MEETING TOUR HOTEL: Your hotel registration must be made separately.

    The host hotel for the post-meeting tour will be the Golden Plough Inn, 5883 Lower York Rd., New Hope, PA 18938. For reservations please call 215-794-4004. The ACS rate is $139/night plus tax, guaranteed until August 24, 2022. Ask for the American Conifer Society room block when making reservations.

    The post-meeting tour will be limited to 52 people, the maximum that the accommodations will allow. A minimum of 30 people must register for the tour to run. The Golden Plough Inn is holding a block of rooms for us in two adjacent buildings. One building does not have an elevator, but the hotel staff will help with the luggage. If you need elevator access to reach your room, please inform the hotel at registration.

    At the time of the event, all or some of the venues may require masks for COVID safety. We will follow State COVID guidelines or the venue’s requirements at that time. We will provide an update as the event approaches

    PRINTABLE REGISTRATION FORMS: A separate Registration Form and Fee is required for each event.

    National Meeting Registration Form (Sept 15-18) – Maximum Attendees = 200.

    For online registration click here

    Post-Meeting Tour Registration Form (Sept 18-20)– Maximum Attendees = 52; Minimum Attendees = 30.

    For online registration click here

    Registration Deadline Both Events: August 15, 2022. No registrations at the door.

  • Saturday, September 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Rendezvous at Draves Arboretum

    The American Conifer Society announces a special field trip on September 11 from 10 – 4 at the Draves Arboretum in upstate New York. The Draves Arboretum mission is to collect, maintain, and display a diverse palate of native and introduced woody plants for the purpose of educating the public, private, and educational sectors on their benefits, proper identification, planting and potential use in the landscape. Draves Arboretum is a Level III ArbNet Certified Arboretum located in Darien, New York. With nearly 800 different woody species from all over the world, our collections bring together a vast array of trees and shrubs.

    • 10:00 AM: Arrival, coffee and pastries
    • 10:30 AM: Self-guided tour of collections of Magnolia, Aesculus, and Hamamelis, as well as many handsome mature conifers. You will discover native plants, new, unique cultivars, and the Cornell sponsored Quercus test site.
    • 12:00 PM: Pop-up plant auction and presentation of the ACS Reference Garden plaque.
    • Afternoon: Continue to explore on your own or lunch at one of the local diners. Visit amazing gardens and nursery locations in Buffalo and Rochester (about an hour’s drive to each). Jerry Kral’s amazing garden in Rochester and Bergen Water Garden and Nursery in Churchville are both available to visit that day. Register to attend (and ask any questions) via email to:

    evansb@buffalo.edu. Registrants will receive a list of all the open gardens and local nurseries as well and an arboretum map by return email.

    • Limited to 30 attendees. All required Covid protocols will be followed. A return email to you will contain further details.

  • Friday, October 12 – Sunday, October 14 – 2018 American Conifer Society Meeting in Washington, DC

    Come to Washington in October for the 2018 American Conifer Society Meeting! The heat and humidity of summer will be gone and so will the throngs of tourists. Washington will be downright pleasant. Sit back and relax on the tour bus as it navigates around D.C. Visit the US National Arboretum, a USDA research institution, and its 446 acres of gardens, research plots, and wooded areas. There are conifers throughout the Arboretum, but the centerpiece is the Gotelli Conifer Collection, an assembly of hundreds of dwarf and slower growing conifers in every shape, size, and color. You’ll have the opportunity to see some older specimens here, which we don’t always see in private gardens.

    Washington is a city where north meets south, and the Gotelli Collection is no exception. Located on seven acres, the collection features specimens from around the world, and conifers native to USDA Zone 2 (brrrrr…) to Zone 8 (ahhh…) grow side-by-side. In addition, dozens of crape myrtles and Japanese maples, which complement the collection, will be beginning their fall display.

    While at the Arboretum, you can tour of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. Among the 150 miniature trees there are many fabulous conifers. The oldest bonsai in the collection, a Japanese white pine, has been in training for almost 400 years. A Japanese red pine was in the Japanese Imperial household for 200 years and was part of the initial gift of 53 bonsai masterpieces to the American people for our bicentennial. Be sure to see the bald cypress and the California redwood expertly crafted in miniature. The maples, as well as many other deciduous trees, will be showing their fall colors.

    For a special treat, we will also visit two gardens in northern Virginia. Joe Hallal is a certified conifer nut and has conifers artfully arranged throughout his lovely property. Joe claims to love Japanese white pines, but it is obvious that he loves all conifers. (It’s a condition perhaps you can relate to.) Joe’s love of conifers is so infectious, he got his neighbor, Larry Peters, hooked. Larry is rushing to catch up to Joe, incorporating his own unique design style into his garden, including a beautiful water feature in the backyard. Both Joe and Larry are excited to show you around.

    It’s always exciting to visit a conifer nursery, and Susanna Farms will not disappoint. Susanna Farms is the largest conifer and maple nursery in the Mid-Atlantic area. They specialize in dwarf and unusual evergreens and hard-to-find Japanese maples. The rolling hills of Montgomery County, Maryland, are a beautiful backdrop for the thousands of conifers offered for sale. Be sure to leave enough time to walk through the large specimen collection where you will find many one-of-a-kind plants.

    Our guest speaker on Friday night will be Dennis Groh, past president of the ACS. His talk, Fall Color Lottery, discusses combining evergreen conifers with the fall color of deciduous trees to create spectacular visuals. Those living in New England likely take fall color for granted, but this remarkable phenomenon does not occur naturally everywhere; colors can vary both in intensity and quality depending on your geographical location. Dennis will explain the many factors affecting fall color occurrence and intensity, and dispel many myths and misconceptions. He will give recommendations for conifer companion plants with reliable fall color and maintenance techniques necessary to improve your odds of “hitting the fall color lottery.” He will also provide insight into the color seen on new conifer cones. The presentation features outstanding images to illustrate both the concepts and amazing fall color plants.

    We are staying at the Hilton Hotel & Executive Meeting Center in Rockville, Maryland. Rooms are $109 plus tax. Come early, stay late. Based on availability, these same great rates are offered 2 days before and 2 days after our meeting. The Hilton is located across the street from the Twinbrook Metro Commuter Station, so getting down to the National Mall is easy, where you can visit the Smithsonian museums and national monuments.

    Register online ($225 for admission) at https://secure.conifersociety.org/np/clients/acs/eventRegistration.jsp?event=37& and if you are not already a member, join for $40 at http://conifersociety.org/organization/membership/

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  • Friday, April 27 – Sunday, April 29 – Rim of the World Conifer Road Trip

    Save the Date! Please plan on joining The American Conifer Society for the Rim of the World Conifer Road Trip in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. The three days at the Big Bear Lake Visitors Center in Big Bear, California is a no-cost event (lodging, meals and transportation not included) where you will see California native conifers, including Pinus contorta var. murryana, Sierra-Cascade lodgepole pine and many others. Easy access for all fitness levels. We have been doing these kinds of trips for a couple of years now and they are an absolute blast. More and more people from other regions are starting to join us. Get out and see the ancestors of some of your favorite cultivars. Oh yes, and take in spectacular scenery, too! Details at  http://conifersociety.org/events/event/rim-world-conifer-road-trip/ about lodging, transportation recommendations, etc. The closest town is Big Bear Lake, a ski resort in winter. It will change your view of the Los Angeles ‘suburbs’ forever!

  • Friday, August 12 – Saturday, August 13 – American Conifer Society Northeast Region Meeting

    The American Conifer Society will venture to Southwest New Hampshire August 12 and 13 to take in 4 private gardens around the Keene area in August 2016. NH boasts natural beauty – mountains, farming, granite, forests and water and this natural scenery is the backdrop for these four gardens. We will explore a garden in cultivation for 45 years, two in cultivation for 25 years and a new 10 year old garden. In addition to conifers, beech and perennials, we will view a sugaring house, natural cranberry fens (floating bog), farmstead built in 1790’s and a newly built medieval style manor house complete with stonework by renowned mason, Dan Snow. Stay a few days and take in Brattleboro, Vermont, the White Mountains of NH or hike Mt. Monadnock.

    The Conference, taking place at The Courtyard by Marriott, 75 Railroad Street in Keene,  begins at 3 pm Friday and that evening’s dinner speaker is Kris Fenderson, who will present Gardening in the Same Spot for 45 Years: Lessons and Triumphs. On Saturday, buses leave at 8 am for Grout Hill, and at 10:15 the trip to Woodland Farms begins. At 12:15 there will be three guided tours of Distant Hills Garden, including floating fens, sugar house, and Monarch butterfly fueling station. For complete information and registration, visit http://northeast.conifersociety.org/events/event/ne-regional-meeting-new-hampshire/

  • Wednesday, June 22, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Private Conifer Gardens of Metro-West Boston

    Wednesday, June 22, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Private Conifer Gardens of Metro-West Boston

    Travel on the road with the Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens on Wednesday, June 22, from 9 – 4.  The day trip will be by College van leaving from Wellesley to visit American Conifer Society members’ gardens.  After lunch, finish the day visiting the Walter Hunnewell Estate on Lake Waban – an historic property with unique horticultural and botanical features including the 350 specimen conifers in the Pinetum.  Friends member price $85, non-members $110, including box lunch and transportation.  To register call 781-283-3094, or visit www.wellesley.edu/wcbgfriends.

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  • Sunday, September 8 – American Conifer Society Northeast Region Rendevous and Open Farm Day

    John O’Brien of O’Brien Nurserymen and Display Gardens has volunteered to host a Rendezvous to benefit the American Conifer Society, Northeast Region.  The fun starts at 10 a.m. We plan to include verbal & silent plant auctions and a raffle to benefit ACS. An annual event called ‘Granby Farm Days’ coincides with this date. John currently has commitments from Bethlehem Nursery, Perran Nursery and others who will provide plants. Please indicate your interest and ideas by contacting Suzanne Mahoney: misue150@verizon.net.

     Open Farm Day (www.granbyag.org) offers a glimpse behind the scenes at about a dozen farms in Granby, Connecticut: See the fields where your food grows and the facilities where milk turns into cheese. Watch a horse-training clinic and a sheep-shearing demonstration. Take a wagon ride, taste a new wine or the first apples of the season, try out spinning some wool, or take your photo on a tractor.

    Experience the variety of agriculture in Granby, with stops that showcase veggie farms, horse farms, orchards, a landscape nursery, and a vineyard, plus a cattle farm and a dairy.

    Catch exhibits, demonstrations, tastings, and tours of areas of the farms not usually open to the public. Special events are scheduled all day; there is truly something for everyone.

    Participating Farms include:

    Briarwoods Farm – will have a display at Shinder Family Farm
    Clark Farm – the store will be open, apple picking
    Fiddlehead Farm – Free pony rides, farm tours, feed the chickens, participate in the Perennial Swap
    Hemlock Knoll, LLC – visit us at House of Hayes
    Holcomb Farm – Holcomb Farm produce will be available in our Farm Store from 9-4. Chef Chris Prosperi of Metro Bis will give a cooking demonstration at 10 AM, The Granby Horse Council will give a drill demonstration at 11, our Farmer tour will run at 11:15, and you can also join us for a guided hike at 2PM.
    Horse Central Stables – will have farm tours all day, with Western Riding Games at 11AM and 2PM
    Lost Acres Orchard – come have lunch on our porch and visit the farm store
    Lost Acres Vineyard – Come sample our newest wine, take a self-guided vineyard tour or hike. At 10AM, you can meet the winemaker and take a tour of the wine cellar.
    Maple View Farm – Farm tours with storytime, meet Jellybean the Pony and learn how to groom him, watch our Open Ride demonstration, and be there at 3 for the Haybale Throwing Contest! Winners receive a gift certificate to the Maple View Farm Store.
    O’Brien Nurserymen – Hosta dividing demonstrations at 10:30 and 1:30, plus a tour of the display gardens at 3. Test your plant knowledge in our ID Quiz (and yes, there will be prizes!)
    Old Beech Farm – Walking tours of the pasture, view the cows and calves as well as our modern and antique tractors! Joan Palmer of Real Food Matters will also be with us.
    Schoolhouse Farm – spinning demonstrations from 10-12
    Sepe Farm – We’ll be at Lost Acres Vineyard for Open Farm Day! Come watch a sheep shearing demonstration at 11, 1, and 3. All day, we’ll have a kids’ demo where you can make your own felt necklace.
    Shinder Family Farm – Meet Mario the bull and watch our firewood processor make quick work of the winter’s heating fuel.
    Sweet Pea Cheese at House of Hayes – Farm tours at 11, 12, 1, and 2 – come meet the goats and cows and sample our cheese, milk, and yogurt. Plus, the corn maze will be open – come get lost!
    The Garlic Farm – Join us for a farm tour or demonstration each hour: 50 Ways to Stuff a Pepper, Make a Garlic Braid in 15 Minutes or Less, Tips on Growing Your Own Garlic
    The Granby 4-H Clubs – will have displays of the year’s projects at Holcomb Farm all day. Come see quilting, knitting, sewing, baking, as well as watch our cooking demonstrations in the beehive oven. There will also be rabbits, chickens, goats to visit.
    The Granby Horse Council – watch our drill demonstration at Holcomb Farm (11 AM)
    plus the historic Granby Grange – will host its Annual Agricultural Fair (all day). Come tour the cooperative garden project shared with the North Congregational Church.

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  • Thursday, August 8 – Sunday, August 11 – 2013 American Conifer Society Meeting

    Four amazing gardens await you as you discover the magic of the Hudson Valley area next August (Thursday, August 8 – Sunday, August 11).  Discover these exceptional gardens at the 2013 American Conifer Society Annual Meeting:

    1) Quaker Hill Gardens – is a spectacular 350-acre private garden owned by the Ziff family. There are over 12 miles of roads, trails and paths, 24 waterfalls, over 10,000 planted trees, 45 acres of ponds and lakes and more than 1,000 native plant species.

    2) The Steinhardt Garden (pictured below) – features over 2,000 species of trees, shrubs, lilies, ferns, bulbs and perennials. Over 350 cultivars of Japanese maples are planted on a 7 acres hillside, accented by tons of stone. Along with these wonderful plants, find dozens of unusual waterfowl, llamas, zebras, wallabies, lemurs and camels.

    3) Kykuit – Four generations of Rockefellers enjoyed these spectacular views of the Hudson River Valley. the gardens feature the morning and brook gardens, the Italian garden, the Adam and Eve fountain area and several terraced areas featuring classical and contemporary sculpture.
    http://www.hudsonvalley.org/node/17

    4) The Larned Gardens – details in the future

    The host hotel will be The Holiday Inn at Mt. Kisco, New York.  Look for additional meeting details at www.conifersociety.org. Registration forms should be available by April 2013.

  • Friday, September 14 – Saturday, September 15 – 2012 Northeastern Regional Meeting of the American Conifer Society

    The NE Regional Meeting of the American Conifer Society will be held in Rockland, Massachusetts about 25 miles south of Boston on the main highway between Boston and Cape Cod (MA Rte. 3) on Friday and Saturday, September 14 and 15.

    There will be the usual:
    – great verbal and silent plant auctions
    – good food
    – a dynamic speaker
    – comfortable accommodations
    – a bus tour of four local residential conifer gardens – each garden has a slightly different approach to gardening with conifers.

    All gardens are within a 20 minute drive of the hotel which means more time in the gardens and less time on the bus! For registration information and complete details, visit www.conifersociety.org.  Photo from www.todayinthegarden.com.

  • Thursday, July 12 – Saturday, July 14 – American Conifer Society’s 30th National Meeting

    Enjoy a Michigan summer at the 2012 American Conifer Society’s 30th National Meeting in Ann Arbor.  There will be outstanding gardens to admire, plus amazing conifers to acquire.  Greet your old friendsand make new ones.  Share insights with amateurs and experts.  New this year will be an optional pre-meeting Conifer College educational opportunity, sponsored by the Central Region of the ACS and requiring a separate registration.  You may download the registration materials at www.conifersociety.org.