Continuing Education and
Communication Services
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
10/31/01
Contacts:
Cynthia Haynes, Department of Horticulture, (515) 294-4006
Anjanette Fisher, University Conference Services, (515) 294-6222
Micki Nelson, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-105
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nationally Recognized Authors Headline Horticulture Event in Ames November 10
AMES, Iowa -- Michael Dirr, University of Georgia professor and author of the ultimate reference on shrubs and trees, and Tracy DiSabato-Aust, author of The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques, will share horticulture wisdom at Iowa State University's annual Herbaceous Perennial Saturday on November 10.
DiSabato-Aust is an award-winning designer, professional speaker, and consultant, as well as a nationally-recognized horticultural author. She has worked, studied, and taught at gardens in Belgium, England, Canada, and the U.S., and has been working in the industry for over 20 years. DiSabato-Aust will talk about "Bed Preparation: Insurance for Success" and "The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: The Facts About Maintenance". DiSabato-Aust appears on Home and Garden television and is a guest on numerous national radio gardening programs.
Dirr, well-known for his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses, will talk about breeding and introducing new woody shrubs to a contemporary landscape setting, and address the conference a second time discussing little known gardens of Europe.
The daylong conference features two additional speakers. Michael Heger, an author and Minnesota landscape design firm owner, will talk about growing perennials in cold climates. Mark Kane, executive garden editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, will give useful tips on photographing garden settings.
"This conference is for nursery and garden center personnel, landscape architects, landscape designers, groundskeepers, educators, master gardeners…anyone interested in learning more about herbaceous perennials and other ornamental plants," said Cynthia Haynes, ISU Extension horticulturist and one of the conference organizers. "It is an excellent opportunity to learn more about gardening with these wonderful plants and ways to integrate them into attractive and functional landscapes."
The Herbaceous Perennial Saturday registration fee of $80 includes program materials and lunch. The program begins at 8:15 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m. in the Scheman Building on the Iowa State University campus. Online registration is available at www.lifelearner.iastate.edu/conference/online/htm. The program schedule is available on the World Wide Web at www.lifelearner.iastate.edu/1101/herbaceous.htm, or call your local ISU Extension county office for information.
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Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.