Perennial Plants & Design: A Perfect Combination 

Registration Fee: The Registration fee is $89 USD through June 1 and $99 USD after June 1. Full time students pay $50 USD. 

Hotel Rooms at Sheraton Wall Centre: Rooms are still available at the hotel at the group rate of $149/night. Because the conference date is near, to receive this rate you must email Paul Sharp in the reservations department psharp@wallcentre.com. Paul will confirm your reservation at his earliest opportunity during normal business hours (9 am to 5 pm Pacific time).  Please include "PPA Hotel" in the subject line. In the body of the email, include the names of guests staying in the room, your email and phone number, date of arrival and departure, and whether you prefer a king bed or two queen beds.  Paul will then follow up with you to confirm your room and request a credit card number.

PROGRAM DETAILS:

Moderator: Irvin Etienne, Great Lakes Region Director

8:20 am – Welcome

8:30 am The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty

David Culp, Sunny Border Nurseries, Inc., Downington, Pennsylvania
Brandywine Cottage is David Culp’s two-acre garden where he has mastered the design technique of layering - interplanting many different species in the same area so that as one plant passes its peak, another takes over. The result is a nonstop parade of color that begins with a tapestry of heirloom daffodils and hellebores in spring and ends with a jewel-like blend of Asian wildflowers at the onset of winter. David will illustrate a basic lesson in layering - how to choose the correct plants, how to design a layered garden, and how to maintain it.

9:30 am The Best of the Best: Edible Trees, Shrubs and Plants to Use in Your Landscape

Senga Lindsay, Senga Designs, Vancouver, British Columbia
From beautiful food-producing plants to replace those tired maples and rhododendrons to the trendiest vegetables, Senga will introduce you to the latest edibles that not only look stylish in your garden but are sought- after flavors by foodies and leading chefs alike.

10:30 am Break

11:00 am From Jewel Box Garden to Rural Estate: Creating a New Vision From Scratch

Thomas Hobbs, Southland Nursery, Vancouver, British Columbia
Tom’s move to a 20 acre farm in South Langley, BC from his acclaimed Spanish Mediterranean home and showpiece garden surprised him more than anyone else. After looking at nearly 100 properties, a potential dream garden revealed itself...under wrecked cars and acres of blackberries! For the last 5 years, he and partner Brent Beattie have dealt with copper thieves, squatters, feral llamas, rampaging cows and other colorful personalities. Tom and Brent have created a beautiful lake and formal daylily breeding gardens, planted hundreds of trees to join an established forest, and transferred Tom’s collection of tree peonies, martagon lilies, trilliums, and rarities to new gardens under huge old trees. Tom will chat about achievements in his old garden and describe how he realized that “his cake was baked” and that his garden was no longer challenging. He will introduce Bel’ Occhio, his new rural estate and share his vision for the future.

12:00 pm – Lunch On Your Own

1:30 pm Creative Solutions for Small Spaces

Beth Edney, Designs By The Yard, Toronto, Ontario

Designing small spaces can test even the most experienced designers, let alone the home gardener. Join Beth as she presents several creative solutions to common small space challenges, including how to buffer unsightly views with unique screens, fences and plants, and how to best approach the narrow spaces between properties. Through Beth’s presentation of new plant introductions and unique sculptural and artistic pieces, she will show you many ways to enhance small spaces, including making the best color choices and plant palette selections that are suitable for small gardens. Beth will also include other topics such as maximizing your space with vertical gardening and using perspective to make your space appear larger. If you garden in small spaces you will not want to miss this plethora of ideas.

2:30 pm Break

3:00 pm New Plants From Canada’s Far East: Plant Breeding at the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden

Todd Boland, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland
In 2005, the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden began a plant breeding program similar to that which existed at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. The purpose of the program is to develop new ornamental plants, both perennials and shrubs, for the landscape industry of Canada and the world. The focus of the plant breeding is two-fold. Foremost, is the development of new selections based on native Newfoundland plants. Genera being investigated include Salix, Juniperus, Larix, Picea, Iris, Erigeron, and Solidago. The other focus is on the development of new plants based on more typical ornamental plant genera such as Aruncus, Dianthus, Iris, and Caltha. The first release was Philadelphus ‘Starbright’, which is now available across Canada with a release in Europe in 2014. Come see the new plants and get a sneak-peek at what could appear at a nursery near you in the coming years.

4:00 pm Full Frontal Gardens

Lucy Hardiman, Perennial Partners, Portland, Oregon

A revolution is taking root in front gardens across North America. Gardeners are casting off the yoke of tradition and reclaiming their front yards as canvases for personal expression. Water-guzzling lawns and traditional foundation plantings are being replaced with walkways, terraces, art, ornamental plantings, and vegetable gardens. Planting beds are even jumping the sidewalk as street side grass boulevards yield to low water or vegetable gardens. Playful and eye catching front gardens speak to the street-engaging neighbors in a dialog about the delights inherent in taking the time to slow down and enjoy vistas of bold colors, bird songs, fragrance, and the flight of butterflies. Images from around the Northwest will illustrate the creativity and artful designs of gardeners in private, commercial, and municipal venues in the public eye.

Continuing Education and Certification Credit is offered with this program:
• The Association of Professional Landscape Designers offers one credit for each presentation for a total of six (6) APLD CEUs for the full-day program.

 • The Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association has approved this seminar for (6) CEUs toward CNLA Landscape Nursery Certified recertification.

 • The British Columbia Master Gardener program has approved CEUs for this program.

• Other Master Gardener participants should check with local programs for credit information.