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Midwest Gardening Symposium: Green Gardening from the Ground Up The second annual Midwest Gardening Symposium, Green Gardening from the Ground Up, celebrates "green," low-maintenance gardening with practical advice from Midwest-focused, hands-on gardening experts. Learn how to create the healthiest soil, eco-friendly ways to deal with pests and diseases, how to determine where to use native and non-native plants, and how to create pleasing landscapes with shrubs - the latest excitement in low-maintenance plants. The Midwest Gardening Symposium is co-sponsored by Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Allen Centennial Gardens. Teaming with Microbes: Your Soil is Alive! Soil may sound boring, but Jeff Lowenfel makes it fun to learn how to create the best "living" soil to make everything in your garden grow better. Learn how to create rich soil for a healthy, safe lawn and garden without resorting to synthetic chemicals. A dynamic and humorous speaker, Lowenfel is co-author of the book Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Green Management of Pests and Diseases Managing pests in the garden, while being kind to the environment, can be easier than you think. Only about 3 percent of all insects are harmful. The other 97 percent or so pollinate flowers, eat harmful insects, and help by decomposing plant debris. Melinda Myers, author and host of public television's Great Lakes Gardener, will show you how to attract the good bugs, live with the ugly (but not harmful) insects, and use eco-friendly techniques when the bad bugs get out of control. Natural Beauty: Combining Native and Ornamental Plants Are native plants always the best choices in a home landscape? Could a native plant be appropriate in one spot where an ornamental plant might be a more eco-friendly choice in another area? Learn how to combine the best of native and non-native plants for maximum effect. Christine Nye, horticultural manager and Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, recently designed the exhibit WaterShedd that demonstrates effective ways to combine native and non-native plants. Shrubs: The New Perennials Discover shrubs for low-maintenance gardening with Ezra Haggard, garden designer and author of the book Trees, Shrubs, and Roses for the Midwest. Shrubs provide seasonal interest, offer flowers and colorful foliage, and fit small landscapes as well as the perennial garden. Many shrubs are resistant to insects and diseases, are durable and reliable, and require less maintenance than perennials, annuals, vegetables or turf. Saturday, March 13, 8:30 am-4 pm Registration Deadline: March 5 Call 608-246-4550 to register. Course fee includes lunch. Please indicate if you would like a vegetarian or turkey sandwich boxed lunch.
UPCOMING Events Winter Concerts Children of the Rainforest: Samba 1 Brazilian Dance Group Children of the Rainforest: Hale O Malo Polynesian Dance Group Indulgence, Wine & Chocolate Tasting |
Olbrich Botanical Gardens is operated as a public-private partnership between the City of Madison Parks Division and the Olbrich Botanical Society.
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