DATE: 1/26/06

CONTACT: Paul Thompson, (803) 684-9919

WRITER: Diane Palmer, (864) 656-4741

Master Gardeners offer gardening symposium with help from Clemson

YORK – Want to learn how to choose the correct plants for specific locations? Want to learn how to make the right choices when it comes to fertilizing your landscape plants?

Learn these answers and more at “The Joy of Gardening Symposium” on Feb. 25 at Bethelwoods Camp and Conference Center in York. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $40, which includes lunch.

The workshop is for anyone who is interested in gardening and is sponsored by the Master Gardeners of York County.

Garden Writer and Illustrator Peter Loewer is the keynote speaker and will talk about “The Pure Joy of Gardening.” He has written 34 books and provided illustrations to hundreds more. His book, “The Wild Gardener,” was named by the American Horticultural Society as one of the 75 best gardening books of the 20th century.

Scheduled presenters are: Clemson Extension Horticulturist and Naturalist David Bradshaw on Heirloom Vegetables; Garden Writer Susan Rivers on Red Clay Gardening; Clemson Extension Urban Horticulturist Bob Polomski on Creating a Sustainable, Waterwise Landscape and Solving the Mystery of Using and Choosing Fertilizer.

Also, Clemson Extension Agent Paul Thompson on The Seven Deadly Sins of Landscaping and Plants Are Like Tinkertoys (a pruning demonstration); Pam Beck, lecturer, photographer and freelance garden writer, on Moving Through the Landscape and Combing Perennials; and Lisa Wagner, director of education at the S.C. Botanical Garden, on Creating a Garden Full of Life: Gardening for Nature.

Make checks payable to Master Gardeners of York County. Registration deadline is Feb. 15. Send checks to Marilyn Hakim, 355 Pepper Mill Drive, Rock Hill, S.C. 29732. For more information, call (803) 981-5303 or e-mail yorkjoyofgardening@yahoo.com .

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