PPA Symposium to Address Sustainable Style

On Oct. 7, the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) will host “Sustainable Style” in Dallas, Texas, a symposium for nursery industry professionals.

The program will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Rosine Hall at The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

Sustainable Style will showcase guest speakers addressing sustainability issues, with landscape aesthetics in mind. With a focus on perennial plants, speakers will cover topics such as native plants, heat and drought tolerant plant selections, landscape restoration, organic versus sustainable plant production for growers, an update on rose rosette disease and using plants with a purpose.

Presentations at Sustainable Style include:

• “Plants with Style” presented by horticulturalist Kelly Norris, director of horticulture of the Greater Des Moines (Iowa) Botanical Garden and author of “Plants with Style.”
• “Organic Versus Sustainable Plant Production” presented by Lloyd Traven, owner of Peace Tree Farm, a certified organic greenhouse company in Kintnersville, Pennsylvania.
• “Moving Beyond Pretty: Plants with Bonus Points” presented by perennial expert Susan Martin, owner of Gardener Sue’s News of Holland, Michigan.
• “Rose Rosette Disease Update” presented by Kevin Ong, associate professor & Extension plant pathologist at Texas A&M University.
• “Native Plants for Southern Landscapes” presented by Andrea DeLong-Amaya, director of horticulture of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.

National and local organizations offer continuing education credits for attending this strong program:

• Texas Nursery & Landscape Association offers 5 CEUs,
• Association of Professional Landscape Designers offers 5 CEUs, and
• National Association of Landscape Professionals offers 4 CEUs.

The registration fee for the one-day program includes lunch, coffee break and a tour of the trial gardens at The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is $99 for PPA members, $50 for full-time students and $149 for non-members. Space is limited and registration closes October 3.

Full details available on the Perennial Plant Association website.