Sturbridge, MA- The inaugural Great Plants Symposium takes place on Friday, October 6th at The Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center in Sturbridge, MA. This premier gardening event is patterned after its sister symposium in the spring, The Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium, which attracts gardeners from around the Northeast. The symposium features five dynamic lectures, great food, and door prizes. There is also a special pre-symposium 3-hour flower gardening program on Thursday.
Friday, October 6, 2017 in Sturbridge, MA 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.Sponsored by: DRAMM watering products, The American Horticultural Society, Coast of Maine organic products, Espoma, Garden Design magazine, Gardener’s Supply Company, Neptune’s Harvest, Plantskydd Animal Repellants, Proven Winners, and The Garden Conservancy.
Featured speakers: Kerry Ann Mendez: award-winning national speaker, garden consultant and designer; author of three popular gardening books and a fourth, The Budget-Wise Gardener, which will be available February 2018; winner of the 2014 Gold Medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Kathy Purdy: award-winning blogger and creator of ColdClimateGardening.com; freelance writer for Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and The American Gardener. Heather Lynn Poire: Professional horticulturist, prior Sales Manager for Proven Winners and now working with Bailey Nurseries, a premier wholesale company based in Minnesota. Suzanne Thatcher: a brilliant garden designer and plantswoman, who grew up gardening in England. She is the senior plant buyer, specializing in perennials, shrubs and flowering bulbs, at Russell’s Garden Center, an upscale nursery in the Boston area.
Informative lectures: Unique and Unusual Perennials for the Northeast; Ravishing Foliage Plants Steal the Show; Combat Cabin Fever with Your Garden – Tips, Techniques and Great Plants to Create a Winter Wonderland and Brighten Your World; The World of Roses and Hydrangeas; and A Thrifty Gardener’s Guide to Luxurious Gardens (based on Mendez’s forthcoming book, The Budget-Wise Gardener)
Symposium registration: $93 per person; $88 for Master Gardeners, members of Nursery and Landscape Associations, or Groups of 5 or more. Fee includes five garden lectures, refreshments, buffet lunch, handouts, garden gift and door prizes.
Pre-Symposium 3-Hour Gardening Program. Thursday, October 5 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Two presentations: Switcheroos – Plant This, Not That! Get more bang for your buck with these amazing annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs that provide strikingly more color than the commonly planted options. Garden Therapy: Tips for Reducing Stress, Improving Health and Growing Gorgeous Gardens. This eye-opening presentation will introduce you to remarkable plants and time-saving gardening products & tools that benefit your health, as well as the well-being of the planet. $49 per person; $45 for Master Gardeners, members of Nursery and Landscape Associations, or Groups of 5 or more. Registration fee includes handouts and refreshments.
Registration for Symposium and/or Pre-Symposium program: Visit https://pyours.com/great-plants-symposium. Questions? Call Kerry Ann at 207-502-7228.
Special Room Rates at The Sturbridge Host Hotel: $112 per night, single or double. Rates available Wed., October 4 through Sun., October 8. Call (508) 347-7393 and specify Great Plants Symposium.