Outdoor Living Extravaganza Event a MUST for 2011 Gardener’s

Let’s just start at the beginning shall we? Would you all like to have a 3 course lunch HERE in Spring? I thought so! OK then, it’s a done deal. A fantastic lunch will be served with THIS view at The Golf Club at Newcastle March 18th, 2011.

Now, let’s make it an even juicier day of fun. How about if you also had the opportunity to hear engaging speakers on garden related topics that will stir your insatiable need for new plants and design ideas? What if those high-profile speakers were 3 local gardening experts and 1 very funny “designer plant executive” who gives you inside scoop on NEW plants for 2011 in an all day retreat style format? Well then you have found the sweet spot here on March 18, 2011 for the Outdoor Living Extravaganza!

These seminars have been incredibly popular over the past two years, with many selling out weeks, and sometimes months, prior to the event. Here’s a taste of what you will get to hear from these “Garden Glitterati of Horticulture” you can also take a look at their websites and bios for some good “dirt” on them.

First up is our iconic Northwest gardening author Marianne Binetti. Her talk will be Knock Out Gardens That Pack a Punch and Wallop the Weeds. Marianne’s latest book is “Edible Gardens for Washington and Oregon” and her best seller for beginning and experienced gardeners is “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” Marianne is the author of 10 gardening books, writes a syndicated column and appears on radio and TV! Wow- what a horticultural powerhouse huh?

Our Northwest’s own garden jewel Willi Galloway, will be giving a talk called  Mix It Up: Strategies for Adding Edibles into your Ornamental Garden. Willi give her recommendations for the best ornamental edible plants and varieties for the Pacific Northwest. And she is one to know too, since Willi is an award-winning writer and radio commentator on KUOW who lives and gardens in Portland, Oregon. She writes weekly on her popular blog, DigginFood, and is at work on her first book, “A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening” that will be published by Sasquatch Books in January 2012.

You might have read one of Willi’s articles recently, but here is a taste of her writing and since she was the Organic Gardening magazine West Coast Editor for 6 years- I would listen to her!

Rick Schoellhorn, Proven Winners Director of New Products will be giving his phenomenal talk titled Only The Best For Your Garden. Rick will give a sneak peek of a couple of 2012 varieties that growers don’t even know about yet!

Proven Winners is dedicated to bringing only the best plants to the gardens of North America. Working closely with plantsmen and breeders from around the world, new and innovative potential Proven Winners’ plants are vigorously trialed for years before introduction. The process of product development will be discussed in-depth as well as unveiling the new introductions for your 2011 garden.

Otherwise dubbed “Dr. Dude” or “Dr. Fun” by his co-workers, Dr. Rick Schoellhorn joined the Proven Winners team in 2005 as Director of New Products. Rick coordinates the US trials of Proven Winners and works with PW global on global trialing issues. He is responsible for finding new plants and testing them via Proven Winners exhaustive trialing program and working with plant breeders around the world to help them make headway in developing new crops.

Though I have never met “Dr. Dude” in person I have had a chance to interact with him on Facebook and he IS a very funny guy! I can’t wait to hear him give his talk!

To wrap up your day of plant mania, I will be giving a talk called “Foliage- Confessions of a Leafaholic”.

“You can have an affair with the flower. But, you’re married to the foliage.” Flowers can be the divas and the ephemera that draw us in for a closer look and rapturous fragrance. However, foliage is there as the ever strong support structure and often demanding leading role in your garden. As a designer, I’ll show how you can  use leaves and texture to produce the dramatic interplay that creates a striking landscape. I have SO much fun giving this lively and energetic presentation! I will show you loads of pictures of foliage of all types from tropical to native that you can use this summer to make your garden or containers sparkle.

So now you have taste for all of the great information, view and lunch. How about we throw in a fabulous goody bag just for coming? AND as if that weren’t enough there will be loads of prizes too! There will even be 2011 plants available for purchase (that can be hard to find at local retailers) plus lots of other gardening goods to purchase at  the Proven Winners store. 

Even your non-gardening friends will enjoy this relaxed and entertaining look at what’s new in outdoor decor, Proven Winners style.

Here is a wonderful video to give you a feeling for the experience your day with Proven Winners will provide. Hopefully it will become an Annual tradition that all of you experienced and new gardener’s alike will be looking forward to sharing!

Tickets are sold online or by phone and seating is limited for this event, so be sure to get you and your friends signed up plenty early and be the first to be “in the know” for the latest and greatest information on plants and gardening in this area!  Click here to buy your tickets right now.