Central and Upstate NY Horticultural Events

Brave the snow, get out of the house, and learn something new! Here are some gardener-worthy events coming up in my neck of the woods.

• “CNY Blooms” –Spring 2007 will sprout up before you know it, and with it the blossoming of Syracuse’s flower and garden show, now known as “CNY Blooms”. Mark your planting calendar and get ready to enjoy this beautiful show, devoted exclusively to the world of flowers and gardening. It all starts blooming March 1st through the 4th, 2007, in the Convention Center at Oncenter, Syracuse. Hundreds of area landscapers and horticulturalists will be offering you the best of the season’s blooms. Interested in learning more about perennial flower gardens? Want to know more about creative outdoor structures or innovative patio designs? There will be seminars and presentations to help with your landscape plans. Adults-$9, Children 12 and under free. Discount coupons available at a Price Chopper store near you
• “Dream It—Do It!” The Men’s Garden Club of Syracuse is holding its 13th Annual Spring Gardening Seminar on Saturday, March 31, 2007 at the Craftsman Inn on East Genesee St. in Fayetteville, NY. Tres Fromme and Tim Toland will be the speakers this year.

  Tres Fromme is an Associate Designer with MESA, a landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm in Dallas, TX. He was formerly Planning and Design Leader at Longwood Gardens. Fromme has spoken on design and planning internationally and has written for various publications including a design series in The American Gardener [which I read. It was excellent. The man should write a book]. His talk, “Forget Plants; Start with Design,” will challenge your ideas of what a compelling garden can be and how one designs such a garden.

  Tim Toland is a landscape architect currently teaching courses at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. His local design work includes the new Native Plant Garden at Clark Reservation in Jamesville, which showcases garden-worthy trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, and wildflowers that grow naturally at the park.

  The first 20 paid registrants will receive a potted perennial, courtesy Phoenix Flower Farm. Admission is $35 for members, $40 for non-members and includes a continental breakfast. Send name, address, and phone number, along with check payable to Men’s Garden Club, P.O. Box 23, Syracuse, NY 13209.

• Spring Fling: Native Plants for Beauty and More Wednesday, April 4, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Tompkins County, 615 Willow Ave. Ithaca, NY

  Ephemeral bloodroot, dark purple asters, delicate maidenhair ferns and the vibrant fall leaves of chokeberry only give hints as the diversity and beauty of native plants. Dan Segal of The Plantsmen Nursery in Lansing will share the many benefits of incorporating native plants into the home landscape. Learn how to attract birds and butterflies, find the right plants for a rain garden and bring color to your garden. This event is free, thanks to support from The Plantsmen. Co-sponsored by the Watershed Network and Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Registration required.