OVERLAND PARK, Kan. �" Want to learn how to garden with native plants? Or to use sustainable practices in your landscaping and gardening? These topics, along with many others, will be part of the third annual Horticultural Sciences Field Day-Sustainable Horticulture, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, at Johnson County Community College.

Speakers from academics, business and government will speak on varied topics related to this year’s theme of sustainable horticulture. Daytime sessions will be in the Capitol Federal Conference Center (Regnier Center 101).

The public is invited to attend, and admission is free.

Dan Heims, CEO, Terra Nova Nurseries in Canby, Ore., will share his expertise on perennials from around the world during 7 p.m. presentation in Hudson Auditorium in the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Heims’ talk is a joint offering of the JCCC horticultural sciences department and the Polsky Practical Personal Enrichment Series.

He also will present “From Passion to Profession,” a one-hour introduction to his travels to seek new plant varieties, at 9 a.m.

The full schedule is as follows:

• 7:30-8:45 a.m. �" Vendor set-up/breakfast
  
• 9-10 a.m. - "From Passion to Profession." Dan Heims, CEO, Terra Nova.
  
• 10-11 a.m. �" “Pollinator Protection Issues, Urban Gardens and Gardening with Native Plants.” Heather Duncan, Darin Banks and Kerry Herndon, Environmental Protection Agency.
  
• 11-11:30 a.m. - "Sustainable Substrates." Cheryl R. Boyer, assistant professor and extension specialist, ornamental nursery crops, Kansas State University.
  
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - "Vegetable grafting as IPM for Tomato Field Production."
  Cary Rivard, fruit and vegetable extension specialist, Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University.
  
• 12:30-1 p.m. - Lunch
  
• 1-2 p.m. - "‘Bioplastics’ and Reducing Carbon Footprint." Ramani Narayan, distinguished professor, Michigan State University.
  
• 2-3 p.m. - "Biodegradable Mulches." Carol Miles, vegetable horticulturist,
  Washington State University.
  
• 3-3:30 p.m. - Break
  
• 3:30-4:15 p.m. - "Sustainable Pest Management." Ray Cloyd, entomology, Kansas State University.
  
• 4:15-5 p.m. - "Sustainable Landscapes." Alan Stevens, director, Kansas State University Research and Extension.
  
• 5-5:40 p.m. - "Sustaining Ourselves: How Plant Selection and Landscape Choices Can Help Us and the Environment." Matt Bunch, horticulturist, Heartland Harvest Garden, Powell Gardens.
  
• 6-9 p.m. - "New Perennials from Around the World: How new plants are found."
  Dan Heims.
  

Did you attend? I hope they had a good turnout.

Thanks for posting this. I didn't realize JCCC hosted horticultural events. I looked at their schedule and didn't see anything upcoming...sorry I missed this one.

This also reminded me to look for other events in the area. I just missed a KSU Extension class named "Growing Great Tomatoes", which is something I struggle with growing every year.

J

It was rather mixed in what was covered under the blanket topic of sustainability. The main speaker, a perennials breeder, was very good. I am not sure what his talk had to do with "sustainability" though.

It was hard for me to find. I read about it in a quick mention in the paper.

Here are a few other resources:
There is also a Growers Listserv which has many announcements I do not see elsewhere:
To sign up, send an email to: growers@ksu.edu

or view workshops without email:
http://www.growinggrowers.com/growing-growers-workshops

The emails come frequently and tend to be more up to date than the webpage if there are changes.

There is a Tomato Grafting Workshop that got rescheduled:

unfortunately we are canceling the Tomato Grafting Workshop that was planned for this evening (2/25 4-7 pm, Rosedale Dev. Association, KCK). We will plan to re-schedule the workshop and will provide details on when/where it will be within a few days. Right now, we're thinking March 25 or Apr 1.

I still have not seen a msg about the rescheduled date.

Here is another related one:

Plant Propagation and Production Planning
includes farm tour of Nick's Greenleaf Gardens (Kansas City, MO)
Monday, March 18th
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Location: Beacon of Hope Church, 1315 E. Walnut St., Raymore, MO 64083
Cost: $15

This workshop covers the basics of planning field maps, scheduling plantings and making sure crops get off to a good start. Cary Rivard, vegetable specialist with K-State Research and Extension, will address transplant production options and basic seed starting. Then, Alicia Ellingsworth of Cultivate KC will review their production planning methods and stragies for producing crops through the course of the season from seed to harvest. Nick and Loretta Rivard will host a farm tour of Nick's Greenleaf Gardens, which is a small family-owned transplant business in Kansas City, MO. Nick and Loretta have been growing transplants for over 20 years and also have a small produce business as well.
For more information or to register: crivard@ksu.edu

If your are on the Mizzery side there are similar lists that come out of MU Extension (more general Ag/Hort/Farm and nursery floral crops) and Lincoln University (veg/fruit and specialty crops or alt animal husbandry). I didn't see any recent ones to provide links.

To find out other sources of info for Missouri you might contact:
Molly Fusselman Horticulture Educator MU Ext
fusselmanm@missouri.edu
816-252-5051