NEW Grand Garden Shows by Proven Winners
Many of you may remember me raving about my experience at the Proven Winner’s annual Grand Garden Show last August at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island (northern Michigan). Well, here I go again, but now there are TWO GRANDIOSE events in 2016.
The 2016 Grand Garden Show at the regal Grand Hotel (named the best hotel in Michigan in 2015 by Travel & Leisure Magazine) takes place August 28 – 30th. The show features keynote speakers Keith Kirsten (pictured right, an amazing horticulturist, author, TV and radio star from South Africa), P. Allan Smith (award-winning food, lifestyle and garden expert and host of two public television programs) and Jack Barnwell (award winning garden designer, author, and owner of C3 Gardens of Southwest Florida as well as Barnwell Landscape and Garden). I will also have the treat of returning as one of the breakout session speakers. In addition to fantastic lectures, gourmet food and accommodations, oodles of gifts and door prizes, you will also tour breathtaking gardens that offer countless ideas for your own landscape.
PLUS, I will be leading a special garden design and plant class on Sunday afternoon from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. as a kick-off to the Grand Garden Show. The set-up will be similar to what I’m doing in conjunction with the 12th Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium BUT the material covered will be different. I will have more about this special session in a future newsletter.
The SECOND 2016 Grand Garden Show takes place at the world- renowned Greenbrier Resort on September 7 – 9 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The Greenbrier is a National Historic Landmark and world-class resort that has been welcoming guests (26 of our country’s 44 Presidents have stayed there) from around the world since 1778. The speakers ( I am ecstatic to be one of the keynotes) and topics will soon be posted on the Proven Winners web site and in my newsletters.
Finally, there are two Outdoor Living Extravaganza (OLE) events scheduled this May. These day-long programs feature incredible speakers, great food, outrageous goodie bags and a free plant. The first OLE will be hosted at Chicago Botanic Gardens on May 14. This event sold out last year, so don’t dilly-dally registering. The second program will be at The Greenbrier on May 21. For details about the speakers, topics and to register, click here.