Winter-weary gardeners can take heart in the knowledge that a growing number of plants are being revealed as cold-weather colorants in Patrick County’s zone 7. The proof is being nurtured at Juniper Level Botanical Garden in Raleigh, N.C. Garden curator Amanda Wilkins is one of a trio of speakers scheduled for the Patrick County Master Gardeners’ 13th Spring Gardening Symposium on March 12.
The 2022 symposium will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Patrick County Community Center, 212 Wood Brothers Drive, in Stuart. (The site also houses the Stuart Campus of the Patrick & Henry Community College.) A boxed lunch, light refreshments and vendor shops are included in the $25 price for reservations ($30 after February 20).
Wilkins has promised that her talk, Interesting Plants for the Southeastern Garden, will be an entertaining “walk through gardens and backyards, looking at interesting plants that could also be at home in your garden in western Virginia.”
Based on what’s to be seen at Juniper Level Botanical Garden, even in February, that covers a wide range of trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals, including hellebores, winter magnolias, mid-winter flowering wild ginger and Massonia depressa, a genus of bulbs in the asparagus family.
Wilkins, the Garden’s curator, received her bachelor’s degree in horticultural science from North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC) and her master’s degree in the biodiversity and taxonomy of plants from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for the PCMG Symposium, as Covid guidelines may limit the number of persons in the auditorium. To register, mail your contact information along with the $25 registration fee ($30 after February 20) payable to Patrick County Cooperative Extension to Master Your Garden c/o Glenda Cobbler, 932 Palmetto School Road, Stuart, Virginia 24171.
Persons with a disability and desiring any assistive devises, services or accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Patrick County Extension at (276) 694-3341 during business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days prior to the event. Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer.