Lecture Series Lineup Gets a “Wow!”
Posted in Learning Experiences on December 17 2009, by Plant Talk
Groundbreaking Speakers Challenge Traditional Ways
 |
Phyllis Odessey, Horticulture Manager at Randall’s Island Park, earned a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden’s Continuing Education Program. |
The life of a gardener is filled with many “Aha!” moments. But when I opened the NYBG Fall/Winter Catalog and turned to page 62, to the winter gardening lecture series lineup of speakers, it was not an “Aha!” moment but rather a “Wow!” moment. Three names jumped off the page: Dan Pearson, Barbara Damrosch and Fritz Haeg. From the Ground Up: Gardens Re-Imagined is the perfect name for a series featuring this rabble-rousing trio.
In the forward to Dan Pearson’s new book, Spirit: Garden Inspiration, Beth Chatto writes, “Dan Pearson shows how the most intimidating situations can be transformed. It takes a rare mind and eye to break away from our traditional view of what makes a garden…” Dan’s also a great plantsman, as I well know, but that’s not why I’m going to his lecture on January 21. I am going because I know that Dan will challenge my notions of order, color, and texture.
To me, Barbara Damrosch is the Julia Child of gardening. Her groundbreaking book, The Gardener Primer, sits dog-eared on my shelf. Barbara was one of the people who made “sustainable,” “small-scale,” and “compost” household words. Twenty years ago, she practically invented the edible garden movement, and I can’t wait to hear her new ideas on the subject on February 18.
The NYBG series ends with Fritz Haeg: rebel, multi-tasker, and provocateur. He questions our assumptions about where to garden, what the word community means in the context of public space, and how we can encourage participation in our shared planet. His lecture on March 25 is sure to be a call to arms for radical gardening.
In early December, I hang up my gardening gloves and begin designing gardens for the coming spring. For me, it’s a time when the virtual world takes precedent over the physical world. It’s also a time when I need a good jolt. From the Ground Up: Gardens Re-Imagined is my jolt—my creative “Wow!”
From the Ground Up: Gardens Re-Imagined will be held on the three Thursday mornings mentioned above from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall. Register early as seating is limited.
