Davidson Gardeners’ Conference coming Feb. 7

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 30, 2018

When gardening enthusiasts can’t dig because the ground is frozen, what they love to do is learn about new plants, new techniques and tools, and get tips from other gardeners. This is why each year the Davidson County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers sponsor a Gardeners’ Conference in February. The conference is open to the public.

This year’s conference, to be held on Feb. 7, 2019, will feature two main speakers and a variety of concurrent sessions from which to choose.

The keynote speaker is Pam Beck, a freelance garden writer, lecturer and photographer who has been regularly published in Carolina Gardener and Organic Gardening magazines. Pam wrote “Perennially Yours,” a monthly gardening column for the Raleigh News & Observer for five years.

She received the Silver Trowel Award for magazine-writing for 2006 by the Garden Writer’s Association of America. She also co-authored the book “Best Garden Plants for North Carolina,” published by by Lone Pine Publishing in February 2006. Beck’s topic at the conference will be “Le Quattro Stagioni – The Four Seasons.” She will explore how to maintain beauty in the garden throughout the year.

The morning speaker will be Adrienne Roethling, garden curator at Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden in Kernersville, a position she has held since 2008. Adrienne has been published in several publications including Fine Gardening magazine. She studied at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania and was a curator at Plant Delights Nursery near Raleigh before coming to Paul J. Ciener. Her presentation will be “Caged in Shade,” where she will discuss gardening in sun-deprived areas.

Between main speakers, participants may choose to attend two of the five concurrent session offerings. These will include “A Year of Growing Roses,” “Watering Container Gardens: A Simple Drip System,” “The Woody Ornamental Obsession,” “Insights on Pesticides” and “Life on the Nut Farm – A Guide to Chestnut Production.”

Registration for the 2019 Gardeners’ Conference opens Dec. 1. This will be the eighth annual conference sponsored by the Davidson County Extension Master Gardeners. The event has grown from 47 registrants in 2011 to 200 in 2018. Registration is limited to 200, so all are encouraged to register as soon after Dec. 1 as possible.

This year’s conference will be held at Center United Methodist Church in Welcome. This will be the fourth year at this site. In case of inclement weather, the event has a snow date of Feb. 14. The cost to attend the conference is $35, which includes morning refreshments and a hot lunch.

As an added attraction, the conference also features an array of vendors featuring gardening supplies, plants, handcrafts and more.

Additional information and registration forms can be obtained at the Davidson County Cooperative Extension Office, 301 E. Center Street in Lexington, phone 336-242-2080, or online at go.ncsu.edu/gardenersconference2019.

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