Spring Gardening Symposium
A Premier gardening event Brought to you by UNH Extension Master Gardeners
Saturday, March 9, 2024, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | in-person* or remote (Zoom)
$40 per session or $65 for both. NH Master Gardener Alumni Association members receive a discount.
Registration Deadline: March 6, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.
Click here to register for one or two days
*In-person location on Saturday is University of Southern New Hampshire in Manchester/Hooksett
The Spring Garden Symposium is perfect for anyone who enjoys gardening and learning ways to do it better. It has remote and in-person options and features four presentations by gardening experts. A silent auction fundraiser for UNH Extension Master Gardeners includes gardening tools, supplies, artwork, experiences and more. MainStreet Bookends of Warner will also be on hand selling garden-related books, including those written by some of the speakers.
The Spring Gardening Symposium is an important fundraiser for the NH Master Gardener Alumni Association, with proceeds supporting Extension Master Gardener projects across New Hampshire such as educational, community, food pantry and therapy gardens at schools, youth centers, historic museums, nature centers and libraries.
Click here to see Auction items
Proceeds support Master Gardener programs | New items added often
See items at the Symposium after noon on Saturday, March 9. Auction ends at 3:15 p.m.
Symposium attendance or registration not required to bid or win.
Schedule
Friday, March 8, 2024 (Fully on-line)
12:45 – Open the Zoom meeting
1:00 – Welcome to the Symposium
1:15 – Gardening in a Changing World by Darryl Moore, author and landscape designer
2:30 – Break, check out the silent auction items
3:00 – Invasive Plants: Mitigation and Adaptation by Pamela Hargest, Horticulturist with University of Maine Extension
4:15 – Wrap up
Saturday, March 9, 2024 (Hybrid event – live at SNHU, live stream option)
12:30 – Check-in for in-person event
1:00 – Welcome
1:15 – Invasive Jumping Worms: What to do about them by Steph Sosinski, UNH Home Horticulture Program Manager
2:30 – Break: silent auction, book sales, displays, refreshments
3:15 – Mammals in the Garden and Orchard: Practical measures for protecting your plants by Susie Spikol, Author and Naturalist Educator at the Harris Center for Conservation Education.
4:30 – Silent auction and Wrap-up
2024 Presenters
An exploration of recent developments in planting design, horticulture, ecology and plant science. It addresses our relationship with plants and gardens, looking at the ways we can begin to appreciate and work together with plants in facing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.
About the Presenter
Darryl Moore is an award-winning garden and landscape designer and writer. He is author of Gardening in a Changing World: Plants People and the Climate Crisis. He is Director and co-founder of the innovative urban landscape organization Cityscapes, realizing creative approaches to greening city spaces through novel design ideas that ensure ecological, economic and social sustainability.
Ideas for effective nonchemical mitigation strategies for use in home and community gardens. Pamela will also challenge participants to consider how plants can be both invasive and useful.
About the Presenter
Pamela Hargest is a Horticulture Professional with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension where she provides technical assistance to home, school, and community gardeners and develops educational programs in collaboration with community partners and Master Gardener Volunteers. She also manages the UMaine Gardens at Tidewater Farm in Falmouth, a public garden and educational site where a variety of gardening techniques are demonstrated.
Information about the biology of these invasive worms, their impact on soil and plant health and current research about how to manage them in our landscapes.
About the Presenter
Steph Sosinski is a Home Horticulture Program Manager at UNH Extension. She holds a B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Maine, Orono, and a M.S. in Crop Science from North Carolina State University. When not playing with worms, Steph is responsible for providing education and outreach to backyard gardeners and Master Gardener Volunteers on a wide range of topics including plant selection, care, weed management, soil health, and more.
A look at the mammals who like to eat your garden. Find out the natural history, hows and whys furry raiders find your plants and trees so tempting, and discover and discuss some practical measures you can try to protect your flowers, crops, and sanity.
About the Presenter
Susie Spikol has over 30 years of experience in environmental education with people of all ages and from all walks of life. Winner of NH Environmental Educator of the Year, Garden Club of America’s Hull Award for Excellence in Environmental Education, and NH’s Cheshire County Conservation District’s Environmental Educator, Susie brings with her a wealth of experiences in the field of place-based education and is the author of The Animal Adventurer’s Guide: How to Prowl for Owls, Make Snail Slime and Catch a Frog Barehanded as well as the author of many articles for magazines including Northern Woodlands, Taproot and Yankee Magazine.
Click here to register for one or two days
Saturday, March 9, 2024, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | in-person* or remote (Zoom)
$40 per session or $65 for both. NH Master Gardener Alumni Association members receive a discount.
*In-person location on Saturday is University of Southern New Hampshire in Manchester/Hooksett
If you need an accommodation to participate in our programming, please contact [Ruth Smith, ruth.smith@unh.edu, 603-351-3831] prior to the event. Given ample time, we will make any reasonable effort to meet your needs, including language access services if requested, which will be provided free of charge.
