Horticulture Immersion and Visual Beauty
Jennifer Langston & Judith McMillan
Shirley Meneice 2019
Natural Landscape at Chatfield Farms
The theme of the 2019 conference was “Horticulture Elevated,” so named because of the unique environment of the steppe ecosystem of the Denver conference location. Hosted by the Garden Club of Denver and the Denver Botanic Gardens, these two organizations have worked collaboratively for over 60 years, creating an expansive and stunning botanical garden. The botanic garden has two locations, a 24 acre site in the city complete with glass houses and many display gardens, and Chatfield Farms, a 700 acre plant refuge and working farm. This is a must-see destination for all garden club members.
Exceptional Keynote speakers:
Building and Waterfall behind a garden at Denver Botanical Garden
Brian Vogt: CEO of Denver Botanic Gardens, Chairman of the American Public Gardens Association as well as recipient of the 2019 GCA Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal.
Debbie Edwards, President of the Garden Club of America, speaking about current GCA initiatives including the 2019-2024 “Garden Create Advocate” strategic plan, the Second Century Funds campaign, and the Shirley Meneice Horticulture Endowment Fund.
Lauren Springer, author: The Undaunted Garden and Plant Driven Design. Introduced as the best designer and queen of the Rocky Mountain gardening, she creates stunning gardens using native material. They fit the region, do not need any more water than a native plant, but still require care and maintenance to look natural and lush. She advises any gardener to start by planting the plants that will need a head start to compete with more vigorous growers and to be ruthless in containing the plants that take off and will crowd out others.
Cary Fowler, Ph.D., American agriculturist and Senior Advisor for the Global Crop Diversity Trust, Recipient of the 2019 GCA Elizabeth Craig Weaver Proctor Medal. His topic: the Svalbard Global Vault in Norway. This is the ultimate backup seed bank for the world, storing over 20,000 seeds, 930,000 unique crops, representing 13,000 years of agriculture. His most recent book: Seeds on Ice: Svalbard and the Global Seed Vault won the Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal.
A Hort tip we thought you might all enjoy: How to assess your soil with underwear!
Plant a pair of your husband’s cotton skivvies. If, after a season, they have been consumed, your soil is good. That is microbes at work! If the skivvies are still there, you need to improve your soil.