Boston Flora

Tag: University of Tennessee

  • Through Monday, October 26 – American Horticultural Society’s 2015 Online Auction

    The not for profit American Horticultural Society offers one of a kind garden experiences all over the United States on its online auction site, and proceeds support AHS educational programs. This week we highlighted one auction item a day selected from hundreds of options. For the full list visit http://www.ahs.org/online-auction.

    This is our final promotion for AHS’s auction, and this time it’s a trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens hosted by Bob Brackman, Executive Director. Your visit for up to four includes a private tour of the Garden’s 38 acres, including its latest expansion project, lunch with Executive Director Bob Brackman at the Carriage House Bistro on site, and admission to the Garden for up to four

    Located in San Antonio’s urban core, the San Antonio Botanical Garden celebrates South Texas – its plantings, its heritage, and its future. Native and adapted plantings give year-round color to the water-saving ethos the Garden exemplifies, from the Texas Native Trail native area to the Desert in Bloom, where cacti and succulents thrive. Designed by Emilio Ambasz, the futuristic Lucile Halsell Conservatory features five glasshouses and will be the focus of the Garden’s new entry plaza. Now underway, expansion plans for the Garden fold an additional eight acres into the Garden’s footprint, with a Family Adventure Garden, and Culinary Garden complete with outdoor kitchen, adding exciting promise to the Garden’s future.

    Executive Director of the Botanical Garden, Bob Brackman oversees the public/private partnership between the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Botanical Garden Society. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design. Prior to coming to San Antonio 10 years ago, Bob was VP and Director of the Cheekwood Botanical Garden, 1993-2006. His botanical garden career began in 1981 at the brand-new Dallas Arboretum. Bob has been awarded the Professional Citation of Merit from the American Public Gardens Association.

    Best times to visit: Spring and fall are the best times to visit the Garden, which is located just north of downtown San Antonio. While in the city, visitors will want to explore the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk and the historic Spanish missions (five in total, including the Alamo), now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tour to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time subject to host’s availability by October 31, 2016.

  • Thursday, September 10, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – Northeast Region Perennial Plant Symposium

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Perennial Plant Association at their annual symposium, this year’s topic will be “Perennial Inspirations and Concepts.” The symposium is open to all levels of gardeners and professionals. This year’s symposium includes six presentations led by some of the perennial industry’s best focusing on plant selection, native perennials and container plantings.

    Featured Presentations:

    Native Perennials and Nativars for the Pocket Prairie Garden
    Jennifer Brennan of Chalet Nursery and Garden Shop, Wilmette, IL

    Jennifer Brennan will highlight the native plants and also native plant cultivars that can be used in various sites including shade, full sun, and half & half shade/sun. Many of these selections are quite useful for nectar and pollen for hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.

    The New American Garden: Modeling the Regional Landscape: An Anarchist Primer
    Donald Pell of Donald Pell Gardens, Phoenixville, PA

    Donald Pell calls his gardens impressionistic models of regional landscapes. Understanding specific plants and how they may integrate into any given landscape is the key to programming these gardens. He will look at how cool and warm season plants are accessed for performance to stabilize soils and create desirable compositions. Donald will discuss the role of ephemeral plants to build desirable seed banks while a garden is evolving and look at the role of aggressive and invasive plants. He will discuss the successes and failures of projects as well as what inspires these gardens. This is a presentation to inspire you to tear out that front lawn and boring boxwood hedges and to create a dynamic and experiential landscape.

    Tropical Flair
    Jason Reeves of the University of Tennessee Gardens, Jackson, TN

    Tropicals work beautifully with perennials, and make a big impact in any garden. The bold foliage stands out whether in large landscape displays or everyday back yard gardens and containers. Get a refresher on tried and true varieties as well as some hot new selections that will make any perennial purist think twice.

    Successful Gardening in Deer Country
    Ruth Rogers Clausen of Easton, MD

    Keeping your beautiful garden safe from deer is as simple as choosing the right plants. Ruth will discuss plants that do not require us to fence the deer out or the gardener in.

    Perennials in Pots: Creative Combinations for Jaw-Dropping Containers
    Deborah Trickett, MCH MCLP of Westwood, MA

    The container gardening craze, which began over ten years ago, shows no sign of slowing down. More than ever these perfectly sized “gardens” are the answer for time-pressed gardeners, down-sizing gardeners, city-dwelling gardeners, aging gardeners and more. The good news is the container gardens of yesterday (think geranium and vinca) have evolved. Today’s containers showcase many types of plants, including perennials. Join Deborah Trickett, principal and owner of The Captured Garden, and learn how to use perennials to transform your containers from “blah” to “aah”. She will share fundamentals of container gardening, “out of the box” design tips, as well as some of her favorite tried and true perennial performers.

    Are They Better or Just New??
    Paul Westervelt of Saunders Brothers, Inc. Piney River, VA

    With so many new perennials released every year, it can be difficult to distinguish legitimately better cultivars from those that are simply marketable. Through production trials, garden visits, vendor visits, and conversations with other growers, Paul works to select the true winners for our region.

    Register at http://goo.gl/EDWmtn

    $99 Early Bird, $109 after September 2