Olbrich Botanical Gardens: Midwest Gardening Symposium

Midwest Gardening Symposium: Green Gardening from the Ground Up

Saturday, March 13, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Registration Deadline: March 8

The second-annual Midwest Gardening Symposium celebrates “green,” low-maintenance gardening. Hands-on gardening experts will offer practical advice at the Midwest Gardening Symposium: Green Gardening from the Ground Up, at Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Saturday, March 13.

This all-day symposium, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., will show gardeners 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. Sessions include:

Teaming with Microbes: Your Soil is Alive! by Jeff Lowenfel
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Green Management of Pests and Diseases by Melinda Myers
Natural Beauty: Combining Native and Ornamental Plants by Christine Nye
Shrubs: The New Perennials by Ezra Haggard
This unique symposium is co-sponsored by Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Allen Centennial Gardens. The fee is $99 for Olbrich members or $119 for the general public and includes lunch Call 608-246-4724 to become an Olbrich member and receive benefits all year long. Horticulture students and certified Master Gardeners receive a $99 educational rate. To register, call 608-246-4550. Registration deadline is March 8. Olbrich Botanical Gardens is located at 3330 Atwood Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin.

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Midwest Gardening Symposium Speakers

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 guys, live with the ugly (but not harmful) insects, and use eco-friendly techniques when the bad guys 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 and minimal worry. Christine Nye, horticultural manager at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, recently designed the exhibit WaterShedd which demonstrates effective ways to combine native and non-native plants.

Shrubs: The New Perennials

Discover shrubs for low-maintenance gardening! 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. Garden designer Ezra Haggard is author of the book Trees, Shrubs, and Roses for the Midwest.