Brookgreen Gardens to Host Garden Symposium with Renowned Experts

Brookgreen Gardens will host a Garden Symposium with lectures, demonstrations, and workshops by nationally-recognized garden experts on both March 11th & 12th. Most events are free with garden admission and afford guests an opportunity to learn about the latest in gardening techniques and practices.

“At its core, Brookgreen Gardens is a botanical garden,” said Page Kiniry, president of Brookgreen Gardens. “We strive to be a leader in the collection, conservation, and exhibition of plants that are native to our area. So, we are excited to host this event, that will celebrate the joy of gardening with the best in the field. After joining a lecture or program, we hope guests will enjoy strolling the gardens that are coming alive with spring blossoms.”

For more information about the symposium, click here.

Speaker Information:

Brie Arthur

Lecture: “A New Era of Foodscaping” on March 12 at 10:00 a.m.

Lecture: “The Heritage Camellia Collection” on March 12 at 1:00 p.m.

Known for her leadership with the national Foodscape movement and her lively, information packed presentations, Brie Arthur is a celebrated speaker and bestselling author. With more than two decades of experience as a professional horticulturist, propagator, and communicator, Brie shares her expertise with audiences around the country and is a correspondent on the Emmy award winning PBS television show “Growing a Greener World.” Follow Brie’s gardening journey through her YouTube channel, “Brie the Plant Lady.”

Dr. Michael Dirr

Lecture: “New Hydrangeas for Southeastern Gardens” on March 12 at 2:15 p.m.

After earning a doctorate in plant physiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Michael Dirr became an assistant professor of ornamental horticulture at the University of Illinois, Urbana. He went on to become a Mercer Fellow at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and, in 1979, the director of the University of Georgia Botanical Garden. In later years he taught at the University of Georgia. Dirr’s Georgia Plant Introduction Program has introduced over 40 new cultivars into the nursery trades. After retiring from his professorship at the University of Georgia, Dirr has become more active in botanical research and new plant development.

Darrel Morrison

Lecture: “Beauty of the Wild” on March 12 at 11:15 a.m.

Darrel Morrison, who grew up on a farm in Iowa, earned his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Iowa State University and his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he taught from 1969-1983. He also taught at the University of Georgia from 1983-2004. Morrison lived and worked in New York City from 2005-2015 and returned to Madison, WI in 2015, where he is a senior faculty associate in the department of planning and landscape architecture at UW-Madison. He was awarded the Scott Medal by Swarthmore College in Philadelphia in October 2021. His book, “Beauty of the Wild” was published by the Library of American Landscape History in June 2021.

Anne Blackwell Thompson

Lecture: “Pressing Botanicals – Foraging and Harvesting Nature’s Bounty” on March 11 at 1:00 p.m.

Harvesting from the swamps of South Carolina, the gardens of Virginia’s countryside, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and the mountains of the Shenandoah Valley, artist and plantswoman Anne Blackwell Thompson preserves foliage and flowers using centuries-old traditions and turns her bounty into beautiful, artistic compositions. Her work is a culmination of her years of study, her significant training in studio art and art history, and her love of the natural world. Her skills were further honed while studying as an apprentice to world-renowned botanical artist Stuart Thornton in Turin, Italy.

Mike “Gibby-Siz” Gibson

Program: Topiary Demonstration in the Zoo Field on March 11 at 10:30 a.m.

Mike, a self-taught property artist, topiarist, and entrepreneur, has spent over 20 years beautifying residential and community spaces. With the support of the Central Carolina Community Foundation and McKissick Museum, Gibson has been hired as Topiary Artist-in-Residence to restore and preserve Pearl Fryar’s Topiary Garden in Bishopville, SC. He will discuss how he connected with Pearl Fryar, his journey of becoming a topiary artist, and how topiary can be used to bring peace in any space.

Leanne Kenealy Atkins

Program: Grafting Workshop at Jennewein Gallery on March 11 at 1:00 p.m. (ticketed event)

Leanne Kenealy Atkins received her master’s degree in horticulture at Clemson University where she specialized in peach rootstocks and began to cultivate a love for grafting. Subsequently, she was hired as a propagation manager by Moore Farms Botanical Garden in Lake City, SC. This marked a shift in her grafting skills from fruits to ornamentals. She then began work at the JC Raulston Arboretum as a research technician and propagator for their garden. Currently, Leanne owns her own business doing design work and contract grafting for hobbyists and botanical gardens around the country.

For more information about this event, visit https://www.brookgreen.org/events/plant-grafting-workshop.

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