Henderson County Master Gardener 2004 Conference With Greg Grant

Henderson County Master Gardener Association is pleased to announce the 4^th Annual Spring Conference to be held Tuesday, April 20, 2004 at the Henderson County Senior Citizens Center. This year’s conference promises to be an outstanding event featuring Greg Grant, who will present a program on “The Old-Fashioned Cottage Garden.” Greg’s presentation will cover heirloom reseeding annuals, perennials, plant diversity, and organic gardening.

Greg Grant is a horticulturist, garden writer, ornamental plant developer, lecturer, and farmer from Arcadia, Texas. He is co-author of Home Landscaping-Texas (2004-Creative Homeowner) and The Southern Heirloom Garden (1995, Taylor Publishing, Dallas, Texas), contributing editor to Texas Gardener, and serves as Director of Propagation and Plant Development for Naconiche Gardens (naconichegardens.com) in Nacogdoches, Texas.

He has degrees in floriculture and horticulture, both from Texas A&M University and has attended postgraduate classes at Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University, and Stephen F. Austin University. He has experience as a horticulturist with the Mercer Arboretum and San Antonio Botanical Gardens, an instructor at Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana State Universities, an award winning horticulturist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the director of research and development for Lone Star Growers, and with the Antique Rose Emporium.

Greg has introduced a number of successful new plants to the Texas nursery industry including Blue Princess, Ice Princess, and Pinwheel Princess verbenas, Gold Star esperanza, VIP and Laura Bush petunias, John Fanick phlox, Stars and Stripes pentas, Pam’s Pink honeysuckle, LeCompte vitex, Henry Duelberg sage, and Marie Daly rose. He has traveled extensively to hundreds of botanical and public gardens throughout the United States and Europe and is a popular and entertaining public speaker. He is a graduate of the Benz School of Floral Design, a member of the Garden Writer’s Association of America, a charter member of the Crape Myrtle Society of America, and a lifetime member of the Southern Garden History Society.

He lives in deep East Texas, where he tends a cottage garden full of old fashioned flowers, a small bulb farm, a patch of sugar cane, and the world’s only arboretum dedicated to the Catalpa.

Advance tickets are available from any Henderson County Master Gardener, with a limited number of tickets available at the door. For more information, please call Henderson County Cooperative Extension at 903 675 6130.