WINDHAM, Vt. — Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just starting out, the University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Master Gardener Conference will help you cultivate your gardening knowledge.
The Oct. 13 conference, planned for the Fourth Corner Foundation in Windham, offers several informative sessions reflecting the theme, Six Seasons of Gardening. Participants will hear from experts on a range of topics from strategies to extend the growing season to sustainable landscaping and growing plants under lights. They also will have an opportunity to tour the Fourth Corner Foundation gardens.
Registration deadline is Oct. 12. The fee, which includes lunch, is $50 for registrations received by Oct. 1, $60 after that date. Extension Master Gardeners from Vermont and other states pay $35 or $45 after Oct. 1. Anyone who registers for the UVM Extension Master Gardener course that starts in January 2019 will receive a $25 credit toward the course fee.
For details and to register, go to go.uvm.edu/emgconference. If requiring a disability-related accommodation to participate, call Beret Halverson at (802) 656-1777 by Sept. 21.
Highlighting the program will be a keynote presentation by Margaret Roach on “Nonstop Plants: A Garden for 365 Days.” The nationally recognized Hudson Valley garden author, blogger and organic gardener will delve into garden design, planting gardens for birds and wildlife and plants for year-round gardens that appeal to all the senses. Roach has published gardening books and shares her gardening experiences and expertise through her website, A Way to Garden.
Amy Ivy, a regional vegetable specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension, will share ideas for extending the gardening season by using tunnels, row covers and other methods. Mike Ather, a UVM Extension Master Gardener and owner of backyardwilderness.com in Middlesex, will offer a hands-on herb planting experience as part of his session on growing plants under lights.
Gardeners interested in landscaping will have a chance to learn how to incorporate stones and stonework in their gardens from Jan Johnsen, a professional landscape designer and a principal of Johnsen Landscapes and Pools in Mount Kisco, New York.
Kate Kerin will discuss sustainable landscaping and the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi using examples from Innisfree Garden in Millbrook, New York. Kerin is the owner of Akadia Design Landscape and the landscape curator for Innisfree.
The conference, which is open to the general public, is sponsored by the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program in southern Vermont.
For more information, contact the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program office at (802) 656-9562.
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