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Sunday, February 15, 2015

March 7: Make your garden grow greener

‘Gardening in Harmony with Nature’ is theme of URI Master Gardener Symposium, March 7
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KINGSTON, R.I. –The annual gardening symposium sponsored by the University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners will feature keynote speakers, a panel discussion, an open marketplace and great food, all focused on the theme of “Critters, Containers and Native Plants: Gardening in Harmony with Nature.” The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 7 at the URI Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences.

Featured speakers at the symposium are:


• Doug Tallamy, professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, whose presentation, “A Case for Native Plants,” will focus on the importance of including sustainable plants in our gardens. He is the author of The Living Landscape and recipient of the Garden Club of America’s Medal for Conservation.

• Colleen Plimpton, a “professional garden communicator” who has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, penned a prize-winning newspaper column, and authored the book Mentors in the Garden of Life. She will entertain participants with her presentation, “Not Tonight, Deer,” about the challenges of gardening in deer country. She will also share her recipe for a never-fail deer repellent.

• Louis Raymond, who will combine his talents as a former opera and concert singer with his years as a landscape designer, will educate and entertain about how to plant, grow and nourish all things green. His presentation, about his six decades of expanding the limits of gardening in pots, pools, pans, tubs, troughs, and garbage cans, is called “Potted! Gardening on the Edge.”

The registration fee for the event is $75. Pre-registration is required and seating is limited. For more information about the symposium, contact the URI Outreach Center at 401-874-2900 or outreach@uri.edu. Click here to register online.