Creative Gardening Series 2013
Three FREE lectures presented by ISU Linn County Master Gardeners.
at Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Hall Room 234 view map of campus
6301 Kirkwood Blvd SW
Cedar Rapids, IA
(No registration required.)
Tuesday • APRIL 2 • 6:30pm–8:30pm (Double Feature!)
presented by: Don Engebretson
Really Cool Plants for Cedar Rapids Gardens
Sometimes stalwart northern gardeners can’t help but feel a twinge of remorse for having to pursue their passion in the colder regions of the United States. Take heart—the North is not the Forbidden Zone. Learn about new perennials, shrubs, and trees with which northern gardeners may not be aware, in addition to the inclusion of some standard, tried-and-true selections that give us what we need to create gardens and landscapes as gracious and beautiful as gardens in any part of the country.
Embrace Your Shade: Plants & Design Tips for Shady Spaces
Gardening in shade unleashes a whole new world of fabulous perennials, shrubs, and, yes, even trees. Designing gardens and even entire landscapes where the sun don’t shine offers many advantages over those sun-drenched areas. This talk will cover some fabulous part shade and shade plants, plus give gardeners a vast array of design tips so that those shady areas can be the parts of your yard that dazzle most. Don, The Renegade Gardener, is a nationally recognized authority on landscaping and garden design and speaks frequently at industry events across the United States. He is an author, field editor and garden scout for Better Homes and Gardens and spent three seasons as the gardening expert on HGTV’s TIPical MaryEllen show, a six-time winner of the Garden Writers Association Garden Globe Award for excellence in garden writing and operates the landscape design and installation company Renegade Gardener Landscaping.
We would like to extend our sincerest apologies to anyone who came to the first Creative Gardening Series presentation and had to be turned away. The attendance for the first in the Series exceeded our highest expectations by 250% and therefore resulted in the room filling well over capacity with many individuals having to be turned away as there was simply no room. Please know that we have already implemented a plan so that this will not happen again in the future and we will be prepared to accommodate all who come. In past years we have never even been close to reaching the maximum capacity of the room we use for the Series and want to thank all who attended for making this year's first lecture in the Creative Gardening Series such a huge success. If you or someone you know was turned away at this presentation, please have them call our office at 319-377-9839 or send an email to benesh1@iastate.edu and provide your name and contact info. We want to make sure everyone who tried to attend gets a copy of the handouts from this presentation and we want you to be the first to know if we are able to bring Don back for an encore presentation.
Tuesday • APRIL 9 • 6:30pm–8:30pm
presented by: Rita Minard
Clematis For Iowa Gardens
Clematis are so elegant and surprisingly easy to grow. See clematis in bloom from early spring to late autumn. Take home tips on how to grow, prune and display these magnificent and diverse plants in unique and fun ways. Rita Minard is a Polk County Master Gardener, a member of the American Clematis Society, grows and displays over 100 clematis plants, and is treasurer on the advisory council of the Des Moines Botanical Center.
Tuesday • APRIL 16 • 6:30pm–8:30pm
presented by: Willowglen
Much Ado About Willow
Lee Zieke and Lindsay Lee believe that willow is the ultimate renewable resource. Whether you want to build plant supports and fencing for your garden or functional baskets and boats, willow can supply your needs. In this day and age of everything sustainable, willow is the poster child of sustainability. Join these two noted Iowa gardeners as they share their love affair with all things willow. Lee Zieke planted her first willow cuttings in 1988. Now as the self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Sticks’, she and her husband Lindsay Lee own Willowglen Nursery. You may know this pair from their 20 years of growing and retailing perennial flowers on their farm near Decorah. Closing their garden center in 2010, they now focus their attention on garden design and willow work.
The Creative Gardening Series is presented by the Linn County Extension Master Gardeners, a dedicated group of volunteers, trained by Iowa State University. They share their horticulture knowledge with the community through demonstrations, classes like the Creative Gardening Series, events and the Hortline. For unbiased, research-based answers to your horticulture questions call the Hortline: 319.447.0647.
