by Kristina Gabalski
Planning, dreaming, brainstorming – for gardeners those are three of the fundamental activities at this time of year and if you’re looking for some fresh ideas to use for the 2013 growing season, you’ll want to attend the 22nd annual Spring Garden Symposium Saturday, March 9 at the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG), 500 University Ave. in Rochester.
The Symposium is presented by the Rochester Civic Garden Center (RCGC) and Clover Nursery and Garden Center and RCGC Executive Director Christine Froehlich says people enjoy the day-long event which begins with registration at 8:15 a.m. The program begins at 9 a.m. and includes lectures, shopping and refreshments.
“People want to go home with ideas they can use for reviving their gardens. That’s what winter’s about. We like to inspire people,” she says.
This year’s theme promises to be very inspiring – “Art in the Landscape” coincides with the launching of the Centennial Sculpture Park at the MAG.
Three landscape architects are the featured speakers – Pietro Furgiuele and Mark Bayer are from Rochester and W. Gary Smith is based in Toronto.
Smith is well known for his unique approach to landscape design which combines art, horticulture and architectural features to create exceptional gardens that connect people and plants.
His two Symposium talks – “Designing for Beauty” and “Nature’s Patterns” – are based on his latest book: From Art to Landscape: Unleashing Creativity in Garden Design.
Pietro Furgiuele is principal designer and owner of the Rochester landscape design firm Waterford Tilling. His talk is entitled, “The Concept Garden – Where Amazing Garden Concepts Sprout.” Furgiuele will share many of his private and public projects centered on provocative concepts.
Mark Bayer is founder and principal designer at Bayer Landscape Architecture and will present a slide lecture on the new Centennial Sculpture Park at MAG.
Froehlich says she’s finding Smith’s book compelling. He tells gardeners to “go ahead and call yourself an artist. Anyone can learn to work like an artist. People get intimidated by designing gardens, but Smith says to let your creative self go wild,” she says.
Local gardeners may know Pietro Furgiuele as the “guy who does flipped-out things at Gardenscape. He’s an out-of-the-box garden thinker,” Froehlich says. “Having him in Rochester is kind of neat.”
Mark Bayer has been working on the Centennial Sculpture Park at MAG.
Froehlich says the sculpture park will expand on the MAG’s goal of connecting people to art, by making art more accessible.
“Gardening is an art and art makes life worth living,” she explains. She says it’s wonderful that something “that cool is going on in Rochester. People need to come and see what’s going on at the MAG. It’s very inspiring and to have two people in Rochester who are doing such awesome things is compelling.”
In addition to the lectures and talks, the Symposium includes a Gardener’s Marketplace, book sales and book signings. Local vendors are also included.
This is a great time to consider joining the RCGC, she adds. There is a membership special that takes $10 off the combined price of a Symposium ticket and a membership.
Individual memberships are $35; Family memberships are $45. Members receive many benefits including discounts on all classes and use of the RCGC library.
“You can see the collection online and have a book delivered to the Monroe County library of your choice,” Froehlich says.
To register in advance for the Symposium call RCGC at 473-5130 or go online to rcgc.org. Tickets are $48 for RCGC members and $58 for non-members.
Box lunches are available for $15 each, but must be pre-ordered by February 28. Prices for RCGC membership specials are $73 for an individual membership and one Symposium ticket, $83 for a family membership and one Symposium ticket.
