GREENSBORO, N.C. — The 18th Annual Guilford County Gardening Seminar, “Fall for Gardening,” is planned for Thursday, September 19, 2019, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The event, sponsored by NC Extension and NC Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, will take place at Guilford County Cooperative Extension, 3309 Burlington Rd. in Greensboro. A full day with outstanding horticulture experts is designed to expand your knowledge and open your eyes to “Gardening with a Conscience.”
Dr. Doug Tallamy is the author of bestselling book Bringing Nature Home, and noted researcher/professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware. Tallamy will speak about the essential roles insects play, and describe the simple changes we must make in our landscapes and attitudes in “Restoring the Little Things that Run the World.” Tallamy will sign his book, available for purchase at the seminar.
Larry and Lee Newlin, former co-owners of a nursery/landscaping business and international garden tour curators/leaders, will relate their journey from an unsettling medical diagnosis to becoming organic farmers and healthy food educators. They will give tips in both areas and show gardens that inspired theirs, in “The Peaceful River Farm Story.”
Lloyd Singleton is Director of New Hanover County Cooperative Extension in Wilmington, NC, and former landscape manager at both Universal Orlando and The Breakers Palm Beach resort. With vast experience in storm recovery and designing landscapes to withstand weather-related problems, he will address “Planning Resilient Landscapes for the Future.”
Concurrent breakout sessions will be offered by Tallamy (“A Chickadee’s Guide to Gardening”, Singleton (“Planting Resilient Trees”), and Kira Chaloupka Sims (“Insights on Pesticides”). Sims is a PhD candidate in Horticulture at NCSU and former Horticulture Agent in Davidson County.
Registration begins June 1 and ends September 1 (or earlier if sold out). Early registration is recommended, as seats are limited. The $45 non-refundable fee includes continental breakfast, all three keynote addresses, one breakout session, catered lunch, vendors with garden-related items, door prizes, and gift bags. A new feature this year will be a silent auction of exciting items, including hotel and restaurant certificates.
Registration forms will be available at http://go.ncsu.edu/guilfordseminar, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Guilford County Center (3309 Burlington Rd, Greensboro, NC 27405), select garden centers, and some public libraries. For information, visit http://go.ncsu.edu/guilfordseminar or call 336-641-2400.
–Hanna Smith, Guilford County Center