12th Great Gardens Symposium
Many of you have attended this popular symposium in the past, an event that draws hundreds of gardeners from the Northeast. After a one year hiatus due to publishing deadlines for my latest bestselling book, The Right-Size Flower Garden, the Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium is now set for 2016. This prestigious symposium will be hosted at a new location, the world-class Woodstock Inn & Resort in Woodstock, Vermont on Saturday, April 16, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This 4-star property features first-rate amenities, a strong connection to environmental conservation through the Rockefeller legacy, and a picture-perfect charming village.
Another new 2016 feature is the symposium registration fee and hotel accommodations are totally separate. There are no longer symposium overnight packages that include the symposium, hotel room and breakfast buffet. Now it is a la carte.
The Saturday symposium features five dynamic lectures, a Gardener’s Marketplace, great food, door prizes and gifts. In addition to the symposium there is a special 3-hour Garden Design and Care Class on Friday, April 15th.
Featured speakers include:
Joseph Tychonievich: Joseph is an independent plant breeder living in Michigan and a popular guest speaker on public radio’s food show, The Splendid Table. He is the former nursery manager at the famed rare plants nursery Arrowhead Alpines and author of Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener plus an upcoming book on rock gardening. Joseph was named by Organic Gardening Magazine as one of “…six young horticulturists who are helping to shape how America gardens”.
Kim Eierman: Kim is the founder of EcoBeneficial!, a horticulture consulting and communications company dedicated to improving our environment by promoting ecological landscaping and the use of native plants. She is a certified horticulturalist with The American Society for Horticultural Science and has a certificate in Horticulture from the New York Botanical Garden where she is an instructor as well at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. She is also an accredited Organic Landcare Professional and steering committee member of The Native Plant Center.
Benjamin Pauly: Ben is the Master Gardener for the Woodstock Inn and Resort, where he designed, created and maintains a 2.5 acre kitchen garden to provide the Resort with certified organic flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit. While volunteering for the U.S. Peace Corps in Togo, Africa he developed and supervised the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices and natural resource management. Ben is also a talented landscape designer and architect.
And me (Kerry Ann Mendez): Kerry is the founder and organizer of the symposium and the recipient of the 2014 Gold Medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Her gardens have been featured in many gardening magazines including Fine Gardening and Horticulture. Kerry is the author of three best-selling titles including her most recent, The Right-Size Flower Garden. She has also been a guest on HGTV and a former TV garden series host.
Featured Lectures:
The New Rock Garden: How to Grow Alpine Gems that Thrive in Small Spaces
EcoBeneficial Gardening 101: Boosting the Ecosystem in Your Own Yard
Remarkable Flowering Shrubs for Three Seasons of Interest Great
Unusual Perennials You Don’t Already Know
Gardening with Intensity – Habits of the Highly Effective Kitchen Garden
Friday, April 15th Garden Design and Care Class from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. This new presentation combines the art of designing low-maintenance, high-impact gardens with sustainable maintenance practices and shortcuts. This 3-hour class has a separate registration fee. $49 per person includes helpful handouts & afternoon refreshments.
SYMPOSIUM REGISTRATION: The registration fee includes five dynamic garden lectures, Saturday morning coffee, mid-morning and afternoon refreshments, lunch, handouts, garden gift and door prizes.
*Individuals: $98 per person
*Special Group Rate: $89 per person when 5 or more people register on the same form before April 1, 2016. Payment by check only using the registration form
*Special Master Gardener’s Rate: $89 per person before April 1, 2016. Payment by check only using the registration form
TO REGISTER for the symposium please visit the Symposium’s web page
SPECIAL OVERNIGHT RATES AT THE WOODSTOCK INN for registered Symposium guests: $159 per night, single or double (usually $300+). Price includes resort fee which includes admission to Billings Farm & Museum, afternoon tea and cookies, use of the Racquet & Fitness Club, use of the Mt Peg Hiking Trail Preservation, touring bikes and more! To make reservations, please call (802) 457-6632 and request the special great gardens symposium rate. www.woodstockinn.com.