Tag: Richard Olsen

  • Monday, July 30 – Friday, August 3 – 36th Annual Perennial Plant Symposium

    The Perennial Plant Symposium is the only yearly symposium devoted entirely to perennials. This industry-focused conference brings together more than 500 professionals for networking, learning, and special events. The symposium moves to a different region each year, giving participants a unique experience and insight into the region’s perennial scene.

    This year’s symposium takes place at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown, in the horticulturally vibrant Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina region. You can explore outstanding local gardens, visit vibrant retail garden centers, and tour innovative production facilities. You’ll also hear and engage with industry experts from around the world. Most importantly, you’ll spend time with the best in the industry.

    Registration is now open at http://ppa2018raleigh.com/register/  with early bird discount rates through June 15.  Customize your experience and maximize your time at the symposium with our range of registration options. The PPA 2018 Symposium E-Brochure is now available to download at http://ppa2018raleigh.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PPA_2018_Symposium_E-Brochure.pdf. This brochure provides attendees with a detailed overview of all the happenings and events throughout the symposium.  The symposium also welcomes perennial enthusiasts with a full day of Plant Talks on Monday, which are open to the general public and industry professionals.

    The roster of 20+ speakers includes:

    Patrick McMillan – Naturalist, author, educator, and creative force behind Emmy award-winning Expeditions with Patrick McMillan
    Fergus Garrett – Head Gardener, Great Dixter
    Richard Olsen – Director, United States National Arboretum
    Christian Kress – Founder, Sarastro-Stauden Nursery
    Ron Gagliardo – Manager, Horticultural Services, Amazon.com LLC
    Ann English – Program Manager, RainScapes Program in the Watershed Mmgt. Div. of the Montgomery County, MD Dept. of Environmental Protection
    Anne Spafford – Associate Professor of Landscape Design, North Carolina State University
    Richard Hartlage – Founding Principal/CEO, Land Morphology

    Tour sites include:

    JC Raulston Arboretum
    Sarah P. Duke Gardens
    Hoffman Nursery, Inc.
    Plant Delights Nursery & Juniper Level Botanic Garden
    Metrolina Greenhouses
    Niche Gardens
    North Carolina State Farmers’ Market
    Big Bloomers Flower Farm

    Image result for perennial plant symposium 2018

  • Monday, April 18, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Plant Diversity: The Leitmotif of Botanical Gardens

    Plant diversity, whether for conservational or aesthetic value, is the recurring theme in botanical gardens that connects our displays, research, and visitor experiences to our missions. While the domestication of crop species has significantly altered their genomes from that of their wild crop relatives, the majority of horticultural crops are not that far removed from their wild relatives. Thus, we still explore, document, and cultivate the untapped diversity in the world’s temperate floras to enrich our gardens.

    Join Richard Olsen, Director of the US National Arboretum, on Monday April 18 at 7 pm in the Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway, as he considers what legacies remain from early plant explorations, how do we document and capture diversity, and where do we go from here, in a century that will see so much lost to globalization?