Area gardeners are invited to relax and surround themselves with beauty at the annual Gardener’s Palette gardening conference, sponsored by the University of Illinois. Registration is now open.
“Gardener’s Go Green” is the theme of this year’s event, co-sponsored by the Adams/Brown County Master Gardeners, John Wood Community College and the City of Quincy. 14 gardening-related presentations will be given by speakers from across the Midwest. There is special emphasis this year on topics that promote environmentally sustainable approaches to lawns and gardens.
Mike Nowak will offer a humorous look at lawn care in American. In his talk entitled “Organic Lawn Care: Are You Brave Enough”, Nowak will suggest ways to have an attractive lawn, using organic methods. A master gardener, Nowak hosts a popular Sunday morning, radio garden-show in Chicago and he is an award-winning writer for “Chicagoland Gardening Magazine.”
Author and herbal educator Carolee Snyder will present two programs on herbs. She elaborates on the story of her own “Herbal Beginnings” with herb lore and gardening ideas and she shows hot herbal trends - past, current and future. Snyder is owner of Carolee’s Herb Farm at Hartford City, Ind. and author of the book “Herbal Beginnings”.
Another speaker from Chicago is master gardener Bill Shores. Shores runs an urban garden management and design firm. Plus, he is the head gardener at the popular Rick Bayless Restaurant and Organic Gardens in Buckstown. Shores will talk about “Black Gold”, compost that is, with slides showing how well composting can work in the urban environment.
Other topics include “A Year in a Rose Garden” by award-winning Rosarian, Milford Clausen from Waterman, Ill., plant propagation, ornamental and native grasses, perennials for late summer and early autumn, ferns in the garden, cooking spring greens, water-smart gardening, and more.
A registration fee of $40 includes lunch, morning snacks, coffee, printed materials for all the sessions and a vendor fair showing the latest in gardening-related ideas and products. To register contact the Extension office at (217) 223-8380, at 330 S. 36th Street in Quincy, Ill., or register online at www.extension.uiuc.edu/adams.
Quincy, IL —
