Topics, Tour Locations Set for Perennial Plant Association Education Day

The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) will sponsor a series of educational sessions this summer.

Monday, August 1 of PPA’s 2022 National Symposium will be Perennial Plant Education Day. Attendees will have the option of attending a day of education at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square or choosing from two different day-long bus tours.

The educational sessions will be presented by PPA, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), Morris Arboretum, and the Penn State Extension Master Gardener program. The speakers and topics are designed with the public in mind, and everyone from garden enthusiasts to gardening professionals, are encouraged to attend!

Participants who attend education sessions will engage in lectures by five speakers with lunch included. Information is centered around the theme Native Friendly Gardening and Supporting Pollinators and includes the following sessions:

• Plants for Pollinators: the Ecological Value of Perennial Garden Flowers, presented by Emily Erickson, Postdoctoral Research with Tufts University.
• Have you Thought of Growing Clematis for Pollinators? What We Know About Their Ecosystem Functions, presented by Jeff Jabco, Director of Grounds and Coordinator of Horticulture with Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College.
• Champions or Chumps? Perennial Plant of the Year Winners in Review, presented by Stephanie Cohen, Author, Gardener, also known as the “Perennial Diva.”
• Containers that Create Spaces, presented by David Mattern, Horticulturist with Chanticleer Garden.
• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gardens: Flourishing through Sustainability, presented by Andrew Bunting, Vice President of Public Gardens and Landscapes with PHS.

The other option of Perennial Plant Education Day is designed for horticulture industry professionals to attend one of two bus tours for a hands-on approach to learning, while navigating through the beautiful countryside of the piedmont region of Pennsylvania. All tours include snacks and lunch.

At the Lancaster & Local Tour, attendees will be able to visit garden centers, greenhouses, and a unique production facility for the entertainment industry. These tours include:

• Penn State Trial Gardens.
• Briar Rose Greenhouses.
• Black Creek Greenhouses.
• Esbeshade’s Garden Center.
• Rock Lititz.
• Stauffers of Kissel Hill.

At the Northwest & York Tour, attendees will have the opportunity to explore greenhouses and private gardens located in this region of Pennsylvania. These tours include:

• Quality Greenhouses.
• Millbourne.
• Fears Private Home Garden.
• Brister Private Home Foodscape Garden.

The early bird registration deadline is June 24 and final registration deadline is July 22. Full details and registration for the Perennial Plant Education Day can be found at https://perennialplant.org/page/2022NSMonday.

For more information visit www.perennialplant.org.