Heads up, the 2013 Garden and Perennial Plant Conferences held at and by UCONN in Storrs, CT has been officially posted online via the following two sites:

http://www.2013garden.uconn.edu/

http://www.cag.uconn.edu/plsc/conferences/2013perennial/index.html

I’ve been attending these conferences every March for several years now.  Some years I go to both days, others I go to the day specially held for hort pro’s in the business.  I find them both, however, very worthwhile.

The Garden Conference, held on day two, March 22nd this year, is geared for the home gardeners.

The Perennial Conference, held on day one, March 21st, is specific to horticulture pro’s in the business.

To see the list of speakers and topics, just click the appropriate links above.

If you haven’t attended before, arrive a bit early to grab a cup of coffee after signing in, and browse the usual great selection of garden and hort books at the onsite book store adjacent the conference rooms.  Enjoy meeting other hort pro’s or avid gardeners attending while waiting for the talks to begin.

Lunch is included and consists of a buffet of sandwiches, salads, desserts, and beverage.  Everyone files down the stairs from the conference floor to the eating area around 1:30 ish and sits at large tables.  It is a great way to visit friends attending every year, or greet new attendees from the gardening and hort world.  I also like attending because it is at the campus where I took my first hort related courses.  It brings back memories.

The only challenge of the day is picking which presentation you want to see per hour.  There are two every hour, and often I can’t decide which one, but shortly after attending my preference, the person seated next to me in the next session, will give a quick review if they attended the opposite choice.  And handouts to all are provided.

The drive is easy and pleasant via country roads (for me) to Storrs.  There are plenty of parking spaces if you arrive on time, but don’t move your car once you found a spot – because you may not find another open one for the rest of day.  Vacant parking spots get taken quickly on college campuses.

This event is noted on my calendar again this year, and I will fill out the online registration by the early registration deadline which is March 14th.  Otherwise, you pay $10 more for the entrance fee, and risk missing out on limited seating.

Maybe I’ll see you there,

Cathy T

http://www.cathytesta.com (My website)
860-977-9473 (cell)
cathy.testa@aol.com (email address)