Perennial school event to feature Cincinnati Zoo plant program manager, humorous garden speaker and more

The lineup has Irven Etienne, curator of herbaceous plants and seasonal garden design at Newfields, A Place for Nature & the Arts, in Indianapolis. If you haven’t been to Newfields, it’s worth a day trip to Indy.

Irven, fellow GardenComm member and humorous garden speaker and our keynote, will focus on “Nativars: Strangers in a Strange Land” and “Tough Perennials.” Nativars are cultivars of native plants, and many can attract pollinators.

I followed Irven on Facebook, and his own garden is incredible. He grows and overwinters numerous tropical plants and works in the garden from the time he gets home until past dark, unless he is taking care of his rabbits and ducks.

Fine Gardening went to his home and filmed his garden and his bold tropical plants. Go to their YouTube page and search for tropicals to see their video.

Tough perennials need no explanations: We all need some of these, and Irven, with his many years of experience, knows the toughest of the tough.

My colleague at Ohio State University Extension in Miami County, and no relation, Assistant Professor Amanda Bennett, is going to cover a topic that is quickly gaining popularity with gardeners – roses. She discusses the different types of roses and their selection and maintenance.

Bob Iiames, a well-known garden speaker and conifer expert in the Miami Valley, will talk about “Perennials and Conifers for Year-round Interest.” Bob is a groundskeeper for a large estate in our area and is a Board member of the American Conifer Society. The ACS focuses on the appreciation and study of conifers.

Bob spoke at the Master Gardener Volunteer State Conference last fall and shared his extensive knowledge on the types of conifers and those that work best in our area.

Finally, good friend and excellent speaker Brian Jorg will talk about “Underuse Native Plants for Perennial Gardens.” There are lots of beautiful native plants that can be incorporated into established gardens to help provide pollinator services.

Brian is the native plant program manager at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. He is also the manager of their Bowyer Farm, which is located near the zoo. The land was donated to the zoo with the guideline that it supports the zoo’s mission of sustainability and conservation.

The property has 600+ acres and includes wetland restoration, native plant sales and propagation, beekeeping, animal feed harvesting, a cheetah run area, and sun and sheep farming.

Registration is $70 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. For more information and to register, go to http://go.osu.edu/clarkgardenworkshops Register as soon as this program typically fills up.