The eighth Winedale Gardening Symposium follows highly successful programs each year since 1994. This year’s topic, “Texas Gardening . . . Adventures In Success,” will cover many of the defining characteristics of both old and new garden interpretations suitable for Texas conditions.
In this symposium we will examine a range of plant material and gardening techniques, from time-honored concepts of planting by the moon, to the creation of settings featuring fragrance, water efficient landscapes, or mixed beds of both vegetables and ornamentals. The history and lore of poisonous plants will be detailed by Barney Lipscomb of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.
Friday afternoon
There will be a self-guided tour of gardens in the Round Top area again this year. In addition to the plantings at Henkel Square and Festival Hill, Tony Scanapico has organized an interesting and diverse set of private gardens that will be open from 1:30 to 5:30 on Friday. Registration for the tour (cost: $5) will be at the entrance to Henkel Square in Round Top and begins at 1:30, Friday October 26th. Maps will be provided along with a descriptive list of the gardens. Henkel Square is a museum village nationally recognized as an authentic restoration of the Anglo-American and German-American 19th century culture of the area. There are numerous themes to the plantings around the Menke House at Festival Hill. Other gardens include those of the Nechanitz Haus, Graf Haus, the Fred Hallmans, Sharon Baker, Ramsey Restaurant, Herb Haus, Audrey Mallette, Gene Thorntons, and the Round Top Retreat garden.
Friday evening at Festival Hill
Registration for the evening at Festival Hill is limited, and has been an early sellout every year. Included are opportunities for further visiting of the Festival Hill Herb Gardens, reception at Menke House, and dinner under the direction of Gwen Barclay and her staff. After dinner, Bob French, Brazos Valley meteorologist, will entertain the guests with a program entitled, “Texas Weather: Hit or Myth.” Bob is not only a well respected TV weatherman but an entertaining speaker and musician as well.
Saturday program at Winedale
The Meadows Foundation Education Center will be the site of the Saturday program, lunch and plant sale. Speakers will continue the theme of “Texas Gardening . . . Adventures In Success” with a series of interesting programs.
Dr. William C. Welch, Extension Landscape Horticulturist at Texas A&M University, will begin with introductory information defining the judicious use of old, new and native plant material in the modern gardenscape. He is well known throughout Texas and the South for his work with perennials, antique roses, and Southern garden history. His books Perennial Garden Color, Antique Roses for the South, The Southern Heirloom Garden, and, most recently, The Bountiful Flower Garden, are popular references on our Southern gardening heritage.
Following the Welcome and Introduction by Bill Welch and Kate Adams, representing the Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin, will be a program by Dr. Sam Cotner of Texas A&M University entitled, “Vegetables in your Ornamental Garden.” Sam Cotner is recognized as an expert on Texas vegetables and the author of The Vegetable Book.
Sally Kittredge Reeves will then speak on “Gardening by the Moon,” a concept followed even today by many people. She is a notarial archivist for the City of New Orleans and has done extensive research on early agricultural practices in Louisiana. The LSU Press has recently published her translation of Jacques Lelievre’s Nouveau Jardiniere de la Louisiane, first written in French in 1838, and one of the first books written about gardening in the Southern United States. Her extensive introductory section details the background and significance of the agricultural concepts of the time.
“Poisonous Plants” will then be featured by Barney Lipscomb of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. He will make famous poisonous plants - and famous poisoners - of history come alive again through case histories and details.
Plant sale
Just prior to the catered lunch at noon on Saturday participants registered for the program are invited to a very special plant sale ably coordinated by Jayme and Harley Ponder. This year’s offerings are more exciting than ever. A slide presentation by Dr. William C. Welch will feature many of the plants under discussion. Aubrey King, third-generation East Texas nurseryman, D. Greg Grant, gardening authority, and Heidi Sheesley/Bill Rohde of Treesearch Farms in Houston have all contributed to the outstanding selection of desirable plants at the sale. Proceeds go toward landscape development of the Winedale Historical Center.
Following lunch at the Pavilion area at Winedale, Scott Ogden will speak on “Plants for the Dry Years.” Scott lives and gardens in Austin, Texas in the dry, calcareous region where the Hill Country begins. He has written extensively on such topics as soils, bulbs and night gardens.v
Our program this year will end with Greg Grant speaking on “Fragrant Plants.” Greg is a well known lecturer and author who has recreated the cottage garden and environs of his grandmother’s home in Arcadia, Texas, where he has experimented with many plant possibilities for Texas.
NOTE: Texas Master Gardeners may now earn 8 hours of recertification credit by attending the Saturday lecture series.
