Where do I find info on this event? I'd like to go to the one in Ames.

In the upper right corner of the linked page there are several menue items that will provide all of these answers. Just click on them. (HOME, AGENDA, REGISTER, etc.)

IronBelly

Ummm ... Make that the other upper right corner.

*** Note: Some people prefer to call that "left". Ooops.

IronBelly

Eileen and her ISU guest were talking about this program this morning on WHO Radio's 'Gardening Today'.

Sounds like an informative meeting.

I noticed the fee is $90 for the day long program in Ames.

Pete in I.F.

Yeah, Pete, this symposium does cost $90 - a significant amount for any of us. However, I find it easy to justify the cost because the return is so great both in quality and quantity. These types of events truly raise your level as a gardener. You learn cutting edge stuff and insight from the "gurus" of horticulture.

I realize that $90 is hard to justify for someone who just plays at gardening. However, there are many gardeners that approach this avocation with a serious fervor. I have been annually going to this event for 7 or 8 years and the quality (my bang for the buck) just keeps improving. The event had become so popular that a few years ago they were forced to add a second session on Friday that alternates between the east and west sides of the state. This year it is on the west and next year the Friday session will be on the east -- probably Davenport.

An impressive transition in the Horticulture program at Iowa State University has quietly been happening over the last decade. Quite frankly, when I attended Iowa State, the ornamental horticulture program really sucked. If it was not corn, beans or alfalfa it was not considered "important". Since the appearance of Dr. Cindy Haynes, a substantial change in focus has transpired. She has been instrumental in raising the level of this entire department. She is the driving force behind this symposium. I am constantly amazed at the speakers she brings in.

Last year when the symposium was held in Davenport, I was not too enthusiastic about the lineup of speakers. I thought the program was going to be pretty weak. Boy, was my ignorance showing! Just because I had never heard of some of these speakers, that did not diminish their ability to impress me with their message. It turned out to be one of the best symposiums I have ever attended. Obviously, Dr. Cindy Haynes knows a few things that I don't!

$90 is not chump change. However, if you really take gardening seriously, it is a solid investment. Sometimes we need a mental snack. If nothing else, the people you meet and the contacts that you make offer a tremendous value. The speakers are quite approachable and mingle with the crowd. You can ask them anything you want to. I have later emailed a number of them with questions and they have always responded with an answer. I hope to see some of you there. I will probably (again) be the only one in the crowd wearing a cowboy hat.

IronBelly

I get dumber every day! I didn't even notice the link at the end of your post. Alas, I have to go somewhere else on the 12th. I have the 11th clear, but Omaha is to far. :(

I attended; enjoyed very much and will go agin next year.