The ability to survive years of drought, floods, freezes, and other extremes is a testament to some of the toughest plants that have been used in southern gardens for decades. Powell’s discussion will feature antique roses, heirloom shrubs, herbaceous perennials, reseeding annuals and classical varieties of fruit trees that are as pertinent in our gardens today as they were centuries ago.

9:40 AM
"Rain Gardens”
by Kristin Lamberson

A rain garden sounds very romantic and exotic, but what is it really? Lamberson will discuss the idea behind the catchy title as well as discuss some of the "rain garden" projects she has worked on in the past. She will show us the advantages of having standing water in a landscape; then how to enhance those areas, creating beauty while benefiting wildlife and managing storm water. Lamberson will also give a brief discussion of the importance of using native plants in rain gardens as well as in the rest of our landscape…all…while encompassing the theme of our role as earth stewards!

10:30 AM - Intermission
Garden Gift Shop and Plant Sales Open

11:00 AM
“Accessorizing the Garden with Re-Purposed & Recycled Materials”
by Dana Brown and Susan Ludwig

Gardens reconnect us with the earth! The elements of the earth provide sustenance for trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses, which in turn support birds, insects, and other wildlife. Even after life, all the essentials of the garden return to the earth, continuing to serve a function. With this in mind, we will discover how other materials can be recycled or re-purposed in gardens rather than becoming waste in our landfills. Such materials and features will be presented in an overview with techniques that can be implemented at home. Following the overview, a case-study garden will be presented that beautifully illustrates innovative techniques and functioning applications of recycled and re-purposed materials.

11:50 AM
Questions and Answer Session – all speakers

After … Tour Episcopal High School Rain Garden
by Brown+ Danos Landdesign, Inc.


About our speakers ~~~

Jason Powell
is owner, along with his wife Shelley, of Petals from the Past, a 23-acre nursery located in Jemison, Alabama. Jason has a degree in Landscape Design Horticulture from Auburn as well as a master’s degree in Horticulture from Texas A&M. He and Shelley opened Petals from the Past in 1994 with the goal of approaching gardening from an educational standpoint. The nursery complex includes multiple display gardens, growing facilities and an educational programs facility. “Petals” specializes in antique roses, “cottage” perennials and herbs, heirloom shrubs and a large selection of small fruit trees and shrubs.

Kristin Lamberson
is the Interpretive Gardens Specialist at Strawberry Plains Audubon Center in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She has been on staff nearly 5 years and served there as a volunteer while employed by Morgreen Nursery in Collierville, Tennessee. Kristin’s landscape design ideas are inspired from nature, which is also her source of solace, learning and joy. “By allowing the wild into our life through the venue of the home landscape we give ourselves the opportunity to experience magnificence in the small and grandeur in the common, enabling our souls to sing.”

Dana Brown
received a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from LSU. She serves as the president and principal of Brown+Danos Landdesign, Inc., leading various projects throughout the state. She was the local landscape architect working with Michael Van Valkenburgh in development of the Baton Rouge River District Master Plan. Dana served as Assistant Professor in the 1980’s and more recently as Associate Professor 2002 to 2005 in the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. She is President of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, a member of the Board of the Louisiana Urban Forestry Council, a Certified Planner, and a LEED Accredited Professional.

Susan Ludwig
has a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, and received her degree in Horticulture from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Currently, Susan is working for the Center for Planning Excellence in Old South Baton Rouge as a community planner. Prior to beginning her new career in urban planning, Susan managed a lush and diversely populated 45-acre greenbelt and wetland system facility for 16 years in Lafayette, Louisiana. Susan started Raintree Nursery and Gardens in 1999, a successful nursery and gardens and landscape design/build company promoting renewable and sustainable designs.