Winter Symposium and Rare & Unusual Plant Auction: “Plants with Benefits: Plotting a Purposeful Garden”

Curious how to make your garden work for you? While the addition of trees and shrubs can certainly make your landscape look nicer, the practical benefits of an ornamental garden are too numerous to ignore. Imagine: with thoughtful consideration, intentional placement and creative plant selection, your shade trees could reduce your energy costs, your perennial border could solve your stormwater issues and your privacy hedge could be filled up with tasty fruit.

This morning symposium is for everyone who loves plants, horticulture and gardening and is ready to go beyond beauty to make sure our gardens are not only gorgeous, they have purpose. Whether you're looking to maximize the benefit you get from a single planting, or you're one flannel shirt away from turning your home garden into a permacultural homestead, the Winter Symposium at the JCRA has something to teach you that's worth knowing.

NC State's own Dr. Barb Fair and Sam Hubert from One Green World Nursery in Portland, OR, will show you the practical potential in your ornamental landscape that's waiting to be unlocked. Barb will give you the tools you need to lower your bills while helping the environment through your plantings, and Sam will open your eyes to the substantial palette of fruiting plants that's available to zone 8 gardeners.Their knowledge and passion will inspire and empower you to fill your landscape with plants with benefits and get you plotting a more purposeful garden!

This program is available both in-person and online. Recordings of the presentations and supplemental materials provided by the speakers will be made available to all participants.

Regular Registration (Monday, January 6 through Monday, January 20, 2025): $65.00 for members, $80.00 for nonmembers.
Late Registration (Monday, January 21 through Friday, January 24, 2025): $75.00 for members, $90.00 for nonmembers.