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A Capital Adventure
2006 ARS / ASA Joint Convention

Featured Speakers

Speakers:

We have invited a number of distinguished speakers who will address a wide range of topics including horticulture trends, plant exploration, new introductions, and disease control.

Friday Evening, May 12, 2006

7:30 PM - 8:30 PM:   Mr. Stanton Gill
Stanton Gill is a Regional Specialist with the Central Maryland Research and Education Center. He is a tenured Professor with the University of Maryland and Professor of Landscape Technology with Montgomery College. In his talk, he will discuss two exotic pests that pose a severe potential for destruction of our forests: the tiny green colored beetle called the emerald ash borer and the black and white beetle called the Asian longhorned beetle. Mr. Gill will also present a low-risk pesticide approach for integrated pest management with azaleas.

8:30 PM - 9:30 PM:   Dr. Harold Sweetman
Dr. Harold Sweetman, Executive Director of the Jenkins Arboretum for the past 20 years, has traveled extensively in the pursuit of expanding the arboretum plant collections. He has a Ph.D. in Biology from Boston University and chairs the Research Committee of the American Rhododendron Society Research Foundation. His presentation will discuss wild rhododendron species that have been transformed into tamed hybrids now well suited for our gardens. As Dr. Sweetman discusses hybridizing potential in the genus rhododendron, he will relate experiences on several explorations that he has taken into the wild including Yunnan (China), Arunachal Pradesh (India), and the Appalachians.

Saturday Evening, May 13, 2006

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM:   Dr. Hartwig Schepker
Dr. Hartwig Schepker is the scientific director of the Rhododendronpark Company in Bremen, Germany. This 46-hectare park (114 acres) hosts an extensive collection of rhododendron species and hybrids. It includes the municipal Botanical Garden and Germany’s first Green Science Center, botanika, a facility that attempts to visualize the topic ‘biodiversity’ by using the genus Rhododendron as its main example. A horticulturist with a PhD in plant ecology, Dr. Schepker has a keen interest in the natural communities of rhododendrons and their companion plants. He will share with us his thoughts on rhododendron diversity including personal observations in the wild in remote places like Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo, natural stands in mainland and southeast Asia including Nepal and Yunnan, and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Sunday Evening, May 14, 2006

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM:   Mr. Jim Gardiner
Jim Gardiner is Curator of the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley, a post he has held for nearly 17 years. Prior to that, he trained at the Savill and Valley Gardens, Windsor, the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden, the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, and the City of Liverpool Botanic Garden. He also served as curator of The Hillier Gardens and Arboretum. A sought-after speaker and prolific writer on all things horticulture, he is particularly noted for his expertise with magnolias. He will profile four gardens of the RHS, Wisley in particular, as he discuss the breadth of plant collections concentrating on rhododendrons and azaleas in the garden, the Rhododendron Trials, and the challenges of growing and promoting the genus.

Informal "Yakety Yaks"

In addition to our formal speakers, we have scheduled time for some shorter, late night mini-sessions and open discussions on topics of interest. One session will focus on native azaleas, beginning with a presentation of an aerial photograph taken of Gregory Bald in peak bloom. As people register for the convention, they may order a copy of that photograph and accompanying CD with digital images of the Gregory Bald azaleas. A second session will focus on hybridizing, leading off with some of the plants developed by local hybridizers in our region. Join us for the discussion, bring some pictures of your own to share, and make some new friends.


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