News Release Distributed 12/08/10
A seminar for anyone who wants to learn more about gardening will be presented by the Northeast Louisiana Master Gardeners at the West Monroe Convention Center on Saturday, Jan. 15, from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
The keynote speaker will be Barbara Pleasant, who lives and works by her philosophy that “we are meant to enjoy each day that we spend on Earth, which happens quite naturally when you nurture a garden.”
A popular lecturer at garden-related events, Pleasant will talk about beginning a vegetable garden and “revolutionary home composting methods.”
Other topics on the program will include:
– Native plants in the landscape.
– Know your soil type.
– Care for plants: fertilizers and soil amendments.
– Woody shrubs and ornamental plants in the landscape.
– Louisiana Super Plants.
The speakers will be Peter Gallagher, professor of horticulture at Louisiana Tech University; Buck Bounds, former professor of biology at the University of Louisiana at Monroe; and Allen Owings, professor of ornamental nursery crops for the LSU AgCenter.
A Master Gardener and avid organic gardener, Pleasant is author of “Starter Vegetable Gardens,” which was released in March, and co-author of the 2008 “Complete Composting Gardener’s Guide.” She is a two-time winner of the Quill and Trowel Award given by the Garden Writers Association.
During the first hour, visitors can meet with Master Gardeners at tables featuring such topics as fresh herbs, choosing mulch and using soil samples.
Registration forms are available at the LSU AgCenter office at 704 Cypress in West Monroe or by phoning 318-323-2251. To receive the same information by e-mail, send your request to Steven Hotard, LSU AgCenter horticulture agent, at shotard@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Registration of $10 per person before Dec. 31 and $15 after Jan. 1 includes a ticket to Ag Expo for that afternoon.
Mary Ann Van Osdell