Proven Winners ColorChoice to Sponsor Southeastern Plant Symposium, Rare Plant Auction

On June 10 and 11, JC Raulston Arboretum and Juniper Level Botanic Garden will combine resources to host the 4^th annual Southeastern Plant Symposium and Rare Plant Auction.

The program will be held live and in-person in Raleigh, North Carolina’s vibrant downtown and internationally online, according to a news release. Southeastern Plant Symposium is presented by Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs.

“We hope you’ll join us for two intense days of talks and the chance to visit both JC Raulston Arboretum and Juniper Level Botanic Garden,” Tony Avent, Founder of Juniper Level Botanic Garden, said in the news release. “You’ll have a chance to chat with the speakers and participate in the now famous, Rare Plant Auction. Many of the plants in the auction will not be found anywhere else in the world.”

Expert presenters at the event include:

• Eleftherios Dariotis (aka Liberto Dario on social media), Horticultural genius, Athens, Greece.
• Dan Hinkley, Plantsman/founder, Gardens of Windcliff, and Director Emeritus/founder, Heronswood, Indianola and Kingston, Washington state.
• Kelly D. Norris, Gardener, Curator, Artist, and Owner, Three Oaks Garden, nationally renowned garden designer, Des Moines, Iowa.
• Peter Zale, Ph.D., Associate Director of Conservation, international plant explorer, Plant Breeding and Collections, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
• Tony Avent, Founder and Co-owner, Juniper Level Botanic Garden and Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, North Carolia.
• Ian Caton, Co-owner, Wood Thrush Natives, Floyd, Virginia.
• Shannon Currey, Marketing Manager, Hoffman Nursery, Rougemont, North Carolina.
• Janet Draper, Lead Horticulturist, Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
• Richard Hawke, Plant Evaluation Manager, Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, Illinois.
• Hayes Jackson, Urban Regional Extension Agent, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, Alabama.
• Adrienne Roethling, Executive Director, Paul J. Ciener Botanic Garden, Kernersville, North Carolina.

Fundraising efforts operate under The Endowment Fund of North Carolina State University, a 501(c)3 non-profit. Proceeds from the Southeastern Plant Symposium and Rare Plant Auction benefit the endowments of Juniper Level Botanic Garden (tax ID 56-6000756) and JC Raulston Arboretum (tax ID 56-6049304). Donors receive official receipts for contributions to the fund.

Above, NC State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, North Carolina – Photo: Robert B Butler