Sneak peek at 2009 program plans

Plans are well underway for our 2009 programs. Here's a sneak peek at the tentative schedule:

Feb. 21: Members share meeting will feature Barb Hamlin who attended her first NARGS National Conference in Ottawa and is eager to share photos taken from the field trips in natural areas offering great biodiversity and presentations by other Chapter members.

March 21: Rock Garden Basics workshop. Learn the basics of soil mixes, construction and plants from Chapter experts and invited guests.

April 25: Michael Shadrack will speak on Miniature Hostas. Michael has been a member of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society for twelve years and is currently their Chairman and Bulletin Editor. He is also a member of the American Hosta Society. His interest in photography has led to a library of nearly 3,200 hosta images, many of which have been published in books, magazines and catalogs. He has co-authored with Diana Grenfell two wonderful Timber Press books: The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas and The Pocket Guide to Hostas.

May 16: Plant sale at Ithaca High School

May TBD: Tour of Ithaca gardens.

June TBD: 2-night trip to the Philadelphia area to visit Chanticleer and private gardens.

Aug. 15: Members-only plant sale and tour of Cornell Plantations.

Sept. 19: Michael Loos, horticulture educator with Ohio State University Cooperative Extension, Cuyahoga County and active NARGS member on What's Wrong with my Plants? Rx for Ailing Plants and Best Cultivation Practices. We plan to meet at Billie Jean Isbell's garden for some hands-on troubleshooting.

October: Program TBD.

Nov. 14: Annual meeting, dish-to-pass and presentation by Donald J. Leopold on Native Plants for the Naturalistic Garden. Leopold has been studying native plants for nearly 30 years. In 1985, he joined the Faculty of Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York. Currently, he is Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY. Dr. Leopold has published five books, including Native Plants of the Northeast, Trees of New York and Landowner's Guide to State-Protected Plants of Forests in New York State co-authored with D. J. Raynal.