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Tonic for the Garden(er)
Invitation to a Symposium
Gardening, by its very nature, is generally a solitary occupation. We indulge our inner introverts by delving deep into nature, uprooting weeds, pruning the four “d’s” off of shrubs and trees (the diseased, dead, deformed and demented!). I don’t know about you, but come spring—especially if it’s a warmish day with a bit of humidity in the air so everything smells sweet and strong—and I practically run out into the garden and begin to work. The day flies by “like an arrow” as they say in Chinese. Next thing you know the sun’s setting and you go inside reluctantly. It’s magical stuff—and let’s not even talk about delicate flowers or masses of gorgeous bloom. Don’t you feel sorry for those who don’t have gardens?
Most of us have in-house critics, who ask us unbelievable questions such as “do you really think you need more plants?” or “how much have we spent on soil and amendments the last few years?” We can hardly be blamed for seeking out fellow conspirators--a gardener a few blocks away, or nowadays someone we swap email messages with on the Internet—with whom we can share garden thoughts, plants and commiserate over the bulbs dug up by the damn squirrels!
Imagine, if you will for a moment, a whole auditorium full of such people—and you have a pretty good image of a NARGS Study Weekend or Annual Meeting. I must warn you, these are addictive! I’d hate to count how many of these I’ve attended over the decades (the first for me was in Seattle and Vancouver in 1976—49 years ago!) I cannot begin to relate what I have learned at such meetings or the friends I’ve made and the heros I’ve come to know. Jim Archibald was one, who was selling plants at Alpines ’81: little did I suspect at the time that he would use our home as a base of operations as he and Jenny collected across the Rockies and Great Basin in the summer of 1987, or that he and I would collect seed together in Africa a few years later or that we would go to Wales several times to visit. Multiply that by people manifold—the memories are golden!
This June the NARGS Annual meeting (“Peaks and Prairies”) will be held in Cheyenne, Wyoming—a relatively small, charming city, with a fantastic botanic garden few large cities can match. Cheyenne is surrounded by vast natural areas—many of which will be featured during and after the conference: shortgrass prairie full of paintbrush, penstemon and buckwheats. Several mountain ranges are nearby: the Laramie Range, the Medicine Bow (or Snowy Range) and the northern Front Range. And throughout Laramie and Albany counties, there are concentrations of rare cushion plants--many endemic--which will be in full bloom,
The roster of speakers includes some of the greatest talents of the New Wave of rock gardening: Kenton Seth’s recent book (co-authored by Paul Spriggs) has become a veritable bible for rock gardeners—believe me, Kenton has new things to convey. Mike Kintgen has been Curator at Denver Botanic Gardens for several decades: he has researched rock plants and gardens around the world, and always has fresh ideas and wonderful images to share. Connor Smith—who gardens at Utrecht Botanic Gardens—is also a world traveler in the forefront of European rock gardening. And several local specialists will provide programs on the rich geology and botany of the area.
There are numerous options for flying directly to Cheyenne, or if you plan to take a few days extra, perhaps fly to Denver and rent a car (it’s only 100 miles away). One thing you can be sure of—you will have wonderful programs, beautiful venues, great gardens and natural destinations at the peak of bloom. And droves of the best gardeners from across North America (and beyond) to chat with dawn to dusk! And beyond!
Click here for more info (and sign up!):
https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/cheyenne-botanic-gardens/nargs-conference
Hope to see you there!
Panayoti Kelaidis