Learn to spice up your garden at the midwest gardening symposium

Annual Symposium Introduces New Plants; Exciting Ways To Use Traditional Mainstays

LISLE, IL (February 12, 2008) – Some of the country’s top minds in horticulture will help gardeners glimpse the future at the Midwest Gardening Symposium entitled: “Innovation in the Garden,” March 7-8, 2008, at The Morton Arboretum.

“Witch-hazels” will show off the season’s first blooms from plants grown at the Arboretum. Kunso Kim, Arboretum Curator of Living Collections, will introduce new selections that produce golden-yellow, apricot, and deep red colors in the March garden. Experience the witch-hazel’s delightful beauty and aroma.

To spice up a springtime garden, learn to use some brand-new, brightly-colored hybrids in “Hellebores and Garden Companions.” Author Gene Bush will dispel some myths and provide guidance on using these shade garden essentials.

Homeowners can let their imaginations run wild – as in wild plants – with “Amazing Spaces That Inspire and Delight.” Daryl Beyers, Assistant Editor of Fine Gardening magazine shows strategies that mix native prairie plants with an English garden style, or, how to see a garden as a painting come to life. His concepts of melding nature with outdoor space will truly inspire even the most novice gardener.

A featured presentation is “Gardening: A Tradition of Innovation.” Anna Ball, President of Ball Horticultural Company, guides attendees through the new directions in plant use and development. This talk will also discuss sustainability, and how gardeners can help the gardening industry become more “green.”

“With more of the big box stores selling plants, there tends to be more mass-produced plants. This means gardeners today are seeing fewer plant choices than were available when local garden centers sold a greater percentage of plants than they sell today,” says Jan Little, Arboretum Assistant Director of Education. Less plant diversity can challenge the gardener; fewer choices hinder creativity, and increase the risk of pests and diseases, she says.

A new twist on “Designers Dialogue” this year allows gardeners to personalize their discussion with three, highly-inventive landscape designers: Christy Webber of Webber Landscapes in Chicago, Craig Bergman of Craig Bergman Landscape Design in Wilmette, and Jim Hagstrom of Savanna Designs in Minneapolis. Gardeners can find out from these top pros how to handle unique and tricky landscape issues. These experts will also reveal secrets to their successes in “Designers Prologue.”  

In “Innovative Planting Combinations,” Arboretum Manager of Horticulture, Todd Jacobson, describes sophisticated techniques for pairing trees and shrubs by considering texture, color, season, and scale, and creatively using annuals and perennials.

What rare plants will appear more frequently in future gardens? Barry Yinger of Pennsylvania’s Asiatica Nursery, introduces attendees to these plants in “A New Vision.”

Symposium attendees can register for one or two days. Fees are $123 for a single day or $219 for both days, with Arboretum member discounts available. All participants receive continental breakfast, lunch, afternoon break refreshments, and all presentation handouts.

Symposium attendees can relax and enjoy an optional, scrumptious, “Garden Gourmet Dinner,” on Friday, March 7. As they enjoy each of the four courses, the chef will reveal preparation hints and serving ideas. Cost is $59 per person, with member discounts available.

Create “night fever” with spectacular use of lighting around a landscape. In “The Evening Garden,” Drew Goldman of Design Illuminations of Chicago shows how to accentuate garden pathways, transitions, and staircases. Fee for this talk is $49, member discount is available.

Fine Gardening magazine co-presents the symposium with The Morton Arboretum. For more information or to enroll, call 630/719-2468.

The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized 1,700-acre outdoor museum with collections of 4,134 kinds of trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world. The Arboretum's beautiful natural landscapes, gardens, research and education programs, and year-round family activities support its mission – the planting and conservation of trees and other plants for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. Conveniently located at I-88 and Rte. 53 in Lisle, Illinois, the Arboretum is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time or sunset, whichever is earlier. The Children's Garden is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., March through October, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., November through February. Visit www.mortonarb.org or call 630-968-0074 to learn more.

Media Contact:    Gina Tedesco, 630-725-2103, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Nicholle Heffern, 630-719-5768, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it