Horticultural experts create a "sense-sation" at Mid-Atlantic Home & Flower Show
An array of educational gardening presentations are on tap for visitors to the Mid-Atlantic Home & Flower Show presented by Certified Angus Beef, Feb. 15-17 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Centered around the theme of Sensuous Gardens, the presentations will offer stimulation for all the senses - sight, sound, taste and touch.
From organic lawn care to feng shui gardening principles to infusing color into your landscapes, the line-up of expert speakers will keep audiences entertained and in-the-know on how to cultivate their best gardens. The following presentations will take place in the upstairs meeting room.
Friday, Feb. 15
11 a.m. Feel and fragrance
The weekend-long gardenfest gets going with Sandy McDougle as she presents “Velvet, Perfume and Delightful Variegation.” This program will focus on plants that provide texture, fragrance and variegated foliage in perennial gardens. Perennial plants, both new and time-tested favorites, that stir the senses of gardeners and visitors alike will be discussed. McDougle is the owner of Sandy's Plants, one of the largest perennial plant nurseries in Virginia. An expert on perennial plants, her nursery carries over 2,500 varieties of perennial plants and she propagates most of them. This year alone, she added over 200 new varieties to her catalog and McDougle will also provide a sneak preview of some of the new varieties that will be available to gardeners this year from her nursery.
1 p.m. Growing Hydrangeas
Jim Orband, Horticulture and Natural Resources Extension Agent for York County, will introduce audiences to the basics of growing hydrangeas in the Hampton Roads area with "Hydrangeas 101." Hydrangeas are plants that tend to confuse gardeners about their various types and their specific pruning requirement times. Jim’s program will de-mystify the art of growing Hydrangeas as he discusses the several varieties that do well in this region, their care, cultural practices, and specifically, their proper pruning times and techniques. In his position for York County, Orband manages over 125 master gardener volunteers by providing an effective delivery system for educational and informative horticultural programs. Orband is also the featured gardening expert on WHRV's HearSay program.
2:30 p.m. Plants - a religious connection
Learn a fascinating history lesson on the identification, symbolism, and use of plants in the holy writings from Dr. Lytton Musselman as he presents “Plants of the Bible & the Quran.” The current Mary Payne Hogan Professor of Botany and chair of the department of biological sciences at Old Dominion University, Dr.Musselman received his Ph.D. in botany from 
the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and
has studied Bible plants for three decades. He has published several books including Jordan in Bloom (2000), which was commissioned by Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, Dr. Musselman has lived and worked in several Middle Eastern countries, serving as a Fulbright professor at the American University in Beirut. His studies and research have been updated in his newly published book, Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh, and his program reflects this research. After the program there will be a book signing by Dr. Musselman.
4 p.m. Plant public relations
Dr. Holly L. Scoggins takes us on a fun and lively trip through the rapidly-changing greenhouse and nursery industry with "From Grower to Garden Center." She'll discuss the effects that technology, branding, media, and new plant introduction have had on what's available at your local garden center. Dr. Scoggins is an Associate Professor of Horticulture at Virginia Tech, and the Director of the Hahn Horticulture Garden. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Georgia and her Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. A frequent speaker at both gardening and green industry conferences and symposia, she teaches several courses at Virginia Tech including Herbaceous Landscape Plants, Greenhouse Management and Public Gardens Maintenance and Management. Her research focuses on greenhouse and nursery production of perennials, specifically root-zone management issues.
Saturday, Feb. 16
10:30 a.m. Garden harmony
The ancient principles of feng shui teach us that our surroundings can have a tremendous impact on our health, attitude, relationships, and success. With "Using Feng Shui Principles for Your Garden," feng shui practitioner and consultant, Bonnie Primm will show audiences how to successfully incorporate some simple techniques into their gardens that can positively influence their loves. Primm will discuss the effects that layout, shape, design, paths, fences, plant selection, color, and garden features can have on a person's our sense of harmony and balance.
Noon Regional favorites
It keeping with the theme of this year's show, why not use native plants of this region to add sensuous properties to your garden? Marion Lobstein will instruct show-goers on which indigenous trees, shrubs, and plants can be used to add color, texture, form, and fragrance to their gardens with "Sensuous Natives." Lobstein is an associate professor of biology at Northern Virginia Community College, where she has taught for 34 years. She has also co-authored a book, Finding Wildflowers in the Washington-Baltimore Area, and also produced a DVD, Spring Wildflowers of the Mid-Atlantic Region. These and other native plant items, will be available for purchase after the program.
2 p.m. Creating a "sense-sation"
Discover how to create a living feast for the senses with "Creating a Garden for the Senses" presented by Jack and Margaret "Fred" Douglas. This knowledgeable husband and wife team will give a program covering all aspects of garden design including layout, hardscape, garden elements, and artistic features and plant selection. Jack Douglas is President and founder of Douglas Associates, a professional landscape and design firm in Richmond, Virginia. He is also an instructor for the University of Richmond, Georgetown University, and the University of Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University. His garden designs have been featured in Southern Living and Southern Accents magazines.
Margaret "Fred" Douglas holds a bachelor’s degree in Art and Education from the University of Mary Washington and Certification in Landscape Design from George Washington University. Jack and Fred’s recent
design accomplishments have included the Town Plaza for the Town of Ashland, VA and the Shenandoah HouseHospice Gardens at the Augusta Medical Center in Fishersville, VA.
3:30 Cultivating color
Generally known by her nickname "Fred", Margaret Douglas will demonstrate ways to effectively infuse color into gardens with "Color in the Landscape." Douglas will offer suggestions on selection, use, and combination of colors in various types of gardens. Douglas is a residential landscape designer for Douglas Associates and has taught landscape graphics for the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s educational program and landscape design at the University of Richmond. She is also a member of the Virginia Society of Landscape Designers.
7 p.m. Container gardening
Learn the in's and out's of successful container gardening from Marie Butler, Landscape Coordinator for the Virginia Zoological Park in Norfolk. In her position, one of Butler's responsibilities is to design containers, select the right plants for them and grow and maintain the numerous container gardens found at the zoo. These container gardens are grown year round, range in shape and size and have to be able to withstand harsh environmental, animal, and human pressures. In "Container Gardening: Come to Your Senses," Butler shares her secrets, expertise and success with growing plants in containers. Butler was named the 2005 Horticulturist of the Year by the Hampton Roads Nursery & Landscape Association.
Sunday, Feb. 18
10:30 a.m. Garden playtime
Remember when your parents would tell you to go play in the yard? Well, you still can. D. Scott Price will show audiences how to make the most of their outdoor living areas as he presents "Now Go Play In the Yard." Price’s amusing and educational program will highlight garden design with examples ranging from the comically whimsical to over the top formal, and many styles in between. His program emphasizes that gardens and landscapes are more than eye candy, they should delight all the senses. These areas should be a space to experience and use, not just to look at. Price is president of the landscape contracting division of SnowKnows, Inc., a multi-faceted horticulture services company in the Charlottesville, Virginia area. Price co-hosts the SnowKnows Radio Show, the longest continually running radio garden show in the country, which will host a live remote from the Home & Flower Show Saturday morning.
1 & 4 p.m. Green gardening
All you do-it-yourself gardeners and landscapers, looking for a healthier alternative to the synthetic chemicals you may be using to combat weeds and pests? Sit in on the "Organic Lawn Care" presentation by Paul Tukey, reigning American Horticultural Society Horticultural Communicator of the Year. One of the most sought-after gardening and landscape experts in the nation, Tukey is the founding editor and publisher of People, Places & Plants magazine and author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual. Organic lawn care is free of toxins and safe for people, pets and the planet. In 2006, Tukey facilitated the creation of SafeLawns.org, "a coalition of organizations committed to educating society about the benefits of organic lawn care and gardening, and affect a quantum change in consumer and industry behavior." Tukey serves as chairman of the board of directors and spokesperson for SafeLawns.org. and believes it is his mission to spread the word about the many other benefits of organic lawn care and to assist others with the transition from synthetic to organic landscape materials.
2:30 p.m. Cutting gardens
Get expert advice from someone who knows the business of cutting gardens. One year, Lisa Ziegler began growing field-grown cut flowers on less than one acre in the Newport News area. During the growing season, this garden yielded over 3,000 stems of flowers each week. Ziegler also operated a wholesale business of growing and selling cut flowers to upscale florists, Colonial Williamsburg, and at the Williamsburg Farmer's Market. Her program, "Establishing a Cutting Garden," will cover how she became interested in commercially growing flowers, methods used to decide what types of flowers could be grown profitably, planting and harvesting techniques, and marketing methods. She will also share stories from her journey from a struggling home gardener to successful commercial flower farmer and entrepreneur.