Speaking of Gardening Symposium
The Garden Symposium for Horticultural Professionals and Enthusiasts
Friday, August 24 & Saturday, August 25, 2012
Mike Buffin, this year’s keynote speaker, is Gardens and Parks Adviser for the National Trust, United Kingdom. Buffin provides technical advice for historic gardens and parks in London, Southeast England and Northern Ireland. His garden portfolio includes some of the Trust’s most treasured garden properties including Sissinghurst, Nymans, Sheffield Park, Cliveden and Chartwell, as well as Mount Stewart and Rowallane in Northern Ireland. He trained at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and has worked at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. He was curator at Hillier Gardens in Hampshire for over 10 years. Until 2011, he was the National Trust’s national specialist on plant conservation and worked with an international consortium to pilot a web-based plant database called Plant Collections. Mr. Buffin is Chair of the Plant Conservation Committee of Plant Heritage, the UK’s largest cultivated plant conservation organization. He is a published author and his work includes Winter Flowering Shrubs and The Illustrated Guide to Trees.
Mr. Buffin will be joined on the program by:
· Takayuki Kobayashi, Nurseryman, Kobayashi Nursery,Saitama Prefecture, Japan
· Jenks Farmer, Horticulturist and Nurseryman, Lushlife Nurseries, Columbia SC
· Rita Pelczar, Educator, Author and Owner of Blue Ridge Hops organic farm, Marshall, NC
This program is developed and supported by an advisory committee of WNC’s most passionate gardeners and horticulturists, alongside local green industry businesses and is hosted by The NC Arboretum.
This program may qualify for PLANET, NCBOLA and APLD continuing education credits with board approval.