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Toronto Botanical Garden hosts line-up of international garden gurus

July 31, 2008, Toronto – The Toronto Botanical Garden is proud to present the fall season in its 2008 Edwards Lecture Series, supported by the Edwards Charitable Foundation.

The Toronto Botanical Garden is proud to present the fall season in its 2008 Edwards Lecture Series, supported by the Edwards Charitable Foundation. These speakers will embolden you to try new plants, to work with different materials and to let your imagination soar as you plan and redesign your garden.

Location:           Toronto Botanical Garden, Floral Hall
Time:                7:30 p.m., Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Admission:        $15, TBG members free
Door sales only. Limited seating.

Tuesday, September 16, 7:30 pm
TREASURES FROM SCOTLAND WITH IAN CHRISTIE
Ian Christie is president of the Scottish Rock Garden Club, owner of Christie's Alpine Nursery in Angus, Scotland, and a specialist in rock garden and woodland plants. His enthusiasm for plants has taken him to many exotic locations (including China and Nepal) to collect seeds. He'll talk about the plants that are his forte – Gentians, Nomocharis (small bulbs native to Himalaya), Lilies, Cypripediums, (lady's slipper orchids) Roscoeas (gingers), Meconopsis, Trilliums and dwarf shrubs. Ian Christie has been a nurseryman for 25 years. He participates in many Royal Horticultural Society events and has won a number of awards for his Meconopsis and Gentians from the RHS as well as from the Alpine Garden Society and the Scottish Rock Garden Society.

Thursday, October 2, 7:30 pm
GRASSES FOR LIVEABLE LANDSCAPES WITH RICK DARKE
Durably dramatic and luminously responsive, grasses are playing increasing roles in truly sustainable landscapes that blend fine design with conservation ethics. Award-winning author, photographer and designer Rick Darke will highlight the range, purpose, and promise of grasses, sedges, and rushes. These sturdy, all-season plants are perfect for our challenging (and ever-changing) climate. Rick Darke is a contextual design consultant, author, photographer and internationally recognized authority on the use of grasses and their relatives in public and private landscapes. Darke has authored and illustrated multiple award-winning books including The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses and The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest. His latest and most comprehensive work, The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes includes over 1000 of his photos of grasses in diverse landscapes around the world. Formerly Curator of Plants at Longwood Gardens, Rick travels extensively in both hemispheres in search of ideas to enrich North American gardens.

Wednesday, October 15, 7:30 pm
ROSES FOR A HEALTHY PLANET WITH WILHELM KORDES
Wilhelm Kordes, Managing Director of his 120-year old family firm, W. Kordes Söhne, Germany, is a rose hybridizer par excellence. He'll speak of the company's history, the developments in rose breeding over the last two decades, and the company's 1988 decision not to use fungicides in their trial fields, resulting in the development of disease-free roses. Wilhelm Kordes is a dedicated rosarian, a fourth-generation member of a family dedicated to rose hybridizing. He is known for his development of very sturdy parkland and landscape roses and, most recently for the development of three new groups of disease-free roses – Vigorosa, Fairy Tale and Climbing Max.

Tuesday, November 11 at 7:30 pm
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR PUBLIC GARDENS WITH JILL CHERRY
As director of Gardens and Estates for Britain's Royal Horticultural Society, Jill is well aware of the opportunities and dilemmas facing those responsible for public gardens. Get an insider's view of these issues and learn about the fascinating ideas and themes that keep these gardens fresh. Jill Cherry is a horticulturalist and landscape architect with over 25 years experience in municipal, botanical and display gardens. She began her career as Director of Parks, Forestry and Recreation for the City of Toronto, then became Director of VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. She served for 3 years as a trustee on the board of the American Public Garden Association before becoming Director of Gardens and Estates for the RHS.