The Lowdown on Gardening Down Low
The spring symposium presented by The Vermont-New Hampshire Chapter of The New England Wild Flower Society will be held Saturday, April 10, 2010
at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center VT, which is located at exit 4 off Interstate 89.
Anne Spiegel has been an active member of North American Rock Garden Society since 1984 and is one of their most highly recommended lecturers.
Her garden is an unwatered, windy, sunny site in NY Zone 4b, with stepped ledges and a small cliff. She has observed and photographed these plants
in their homes in the Wallowas, Cascades, the Rockies from Montana to Utah and in the Alps and the Dolomites in Europe. The desire to have more
than just photographs has led to years of experimenting with ways to grow them at sea level. In her program, Alpine and Rock Garden Plants -
At Their Home and At Yours, you will see plants in their mountain homes and in gardens, and hear how factors such as drainage, wind and air circulation
can play an important role as well as water, sun, soil mixes and hardiness. Attention will be paid to various growing methods such as crevice gardening,
raised beds, troughs and wall gardens, and most particularly, how plants with special needs can be included in your home garden design.
Scott Lafleure, Botanic Garden Director of the Garden in the Woods, formed his own business following formal education at UNH. He
developed and implemented a $1.5 million master plan for a 145-acre Vermont farm, which encompassed ponds, a three-mile trail system,
numerous gardens, a greenhouse, and the reshaping of over 60 acres of rocky hillside into rolling green hills. Scott deftly used native plant
materials and ecological design that handled the site's challenging climate and 1,700-foot elevation. At the Garden in the Woods, his
innovative special exhibits, Art Goes Wild and Rock On, and his Idea Garden with roof plantings on a garden shed and sedge replacing lawn
have been a huge success. Scott's program is titled "Under the Canopy: Shade Gardening with Native Plants". All shade is not created equal.
Even in a shade garden you need to choose the right plant for the right shade. Scott will discuss layers of the woodland garden and how to plan
accordingly,
to look past
flowers to texture,
shades
of green
and the interaction of light.
Finally Scott will share his favorite native
plants
to
use.
After
beginning
studies in art and botany Mary Crain
Penniman
earned a BS in amenity
horticulture then
headed to
England
for an
apprenticeship
and studies with the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley Gardens and the University of London. . After a Project at Callaway Gardens, more
studies at Conway School of Landscape Design, Mary Crain worked for Mass. Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Watershed
Management conducting habitat evaluation and field reconnaissance around sensitive resources for over 10 years. In 2002 she launched her
landscape design business, which is focused on residential "whole site" planning, often involving environmental elements such as wetland or
woodland restoration. Naturalistic plantings combined with traditional stone masonry around antique properties are her design practice specialty.
Mary Crain's program, Groundcovers for Northeast Gardeners will use both photos and live material as she tells about choice groundcover plants
for low maintenance. The natural world gives us myriad examples of ground covering plants that New Englanders can model in their own gardens.
There is a right groundcover for every place. This presentation will explore the subject asking which are the most choice plants and which are the
hardest
workers.
The fee which includes
lunch,
free parking
and the
symposium packet, is $53 for
non-members and $47
for
members of
the
cosponsoring
organizations,
The Friends of the Horticulture Farm, the Hardy Plant Club, The Fells North American Rock Garden Society, Master Gardeners and New England Wild
Flower Society. To register please send your check, payable to NEWFS-VT (preferred) or Visa or Master Card number and expiration date, with your
name, address, phone number and e-mail address (for confirmation and directions) all clearly written to Thelma Hewitt, PO Box 2333, New London,
NH 03257. No refunds after April 1. For further information, phone NEWFS at 508 877 7630, ext 3303