Friday, April 18, 2009 Schedule

Executive Auditorium
 
10:15-11:30   Perennials that Leave You in Low Maintenance Bliss 
Hugh Conlon, UT Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, has never failed to fire our enthusiasm for gardening. This year he has chosen perennials as his subject. It will be a new look at old favorites.

11:45-1:00   Flowers Are Almost Forever
Libbey Oliver, a former manager of floral decorations for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, shares tips and techniques on the care and handling of cut flowers. She will take the mystery out of giving your flowers a long and beautiful life.

2:00-3:15    Secrets to Being Successful with Roses
Dr. Mark T. Windham, UT plant pathologist and specialist in rose diseases, will show that you don’t need a green thumb to grow beautiful roses. He will share his list of no-spray roses for the Southeastern states.

3:30 - 4:45 Guinness, Gunnera, and the Giant’s Causeway
Explore the great gardens of Ireland with Robert McDuffie, landscape architect and VT Associate Professor.

Room 240

10:15-11:30  Detecting and Diagnosing Plant Problems
Eric Day, manager of the Virginia Tech Elizabeth Bush, a diagnostician in the Virginia Tech Plant Disease Clinic, will teach participants how to recognize and distinguish typical symptoms of fungal, bacterial, and other plant pathogens.

11:45-1:00   Farm-Fresh “Frankenfood”
How and why your food is genetically modified is explained by Mary Ann Hansen, VT plant pathology professor. The talk will focus on several GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) common to the American food supply.

2:00 - 3:15   Growing Hardy Heathers in Appalachia
These small evergreen shrubs are ideal for year round gardening. Art Pilch will help you learn how to plant, care for, and propagate these frequently overlooked plants.

3:30-4:45   Tree Selection & Placement in Utility Easements
Bill Worrell, a certified arborist and VT Extension Natural Resources Agent, will discuss tree species that can tolerate urban environments and are aesthetically pleasing without compromising overhead utility lines.