Gardening Happenings:  Sustainability Workshops

Gardeners are hungry for more information on sustainability.  According to the Garden Writers of America Summer Trends 2012 survey, 79 percent of respondents say they need more information on the topic.  Well, lucky for Midwestern gardeners, here are two upcoming workshops.

• Ohio Sustainable Landscape Symposium (Sept. 15): Putting principles of eco-friendly, sustainable gardening into practice is the thrust of the Ohio Sustainable Landscape Symposium that includes a sale of books and native plants Sept. 15 at Dawes Arboretum near Newark. Hosted by Dawes and Licking County Master Gardeners, the symposium offers nationally known speakers, such as Prof. Allan Armitage of the University of Georgia, and other experts covering a range of topics from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is $50 through Sept. 1, $60 after Sept. 1. The fee includes lunch and garden tour. Armitage is to speak on Native Plants for North American Garden. Other speakers and topics include: David Brandenburg — Wild Collecting in the 21st Century;  Sandy Frey and Susan Weber — Ten Great Strategies for a Beautiful, Sustainable Back Yard; Don Humphrey — Gardening with Nature; Pablo Jourdan — Genes in the Bank: Investment Opportunities with Our Native Herbaceous Plants; Richard Larson — The Splendid Selectivity of Nature.
• St. Louis Green Homes Great Health Festival (Sept. 29) — The 11^th annual Green Homes and Great Health Festival returns to the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The all-ages festival showcases options for sustainable living combined with positive ways to maintain the health of people and the planet. The event is included with regular Garden admission. Bring your home improvement ideas and talk with over 100 green product and service exhibitors. Enjoy local foods and live music, and shopping for handmade crafts in the Green Marketplace. Get a free flu shot and talk with experts about your health questions. Kids will enjoy solar car races, puppet shows, and more! Help paint a Metro bus and explore the alternative vehicles on display. Learn from expert presentations and demos about the many ways that plants, air, water, soil and energy sustain our homes, our health and our living Earth.