Paola Gardening Symposium: Garden Design with Maintenance in Mind February 25

What are your most difficult gardening challenges? When our Symposium Committee asked our members about their frustrations and challenges, the answers were consistent, especially “not enough time to take care of my garden.” And no surprise, everyone hates weeds! Many remarked on the unfulfilled promise of low maintenance when planting native seeds and plants. And all asked for ideas on how they and their garden could gracefully grow old together. The Committee detected a common theme running through these replies: gardeners still yearn for a no/low maintenance garden! And garden maintenance remains as important to success as garden design or cool plant selections.

A panel of experts will address these concerns at our 6th annual Garden Design Symposium, Garden Design with Maintenance in Mind. In her opening presentation Know before you Grow, MdC Master Gardener Stacie Campbell discusses the time demands of various styles of gardens. As she explores the differences between gardeners and their gardens, Stacie explains that “Not all gardeners are the same. Some love to spend hours in the garden while others have very little time.” Her presentation will help you to assess your gardening skills and preferences, and how to match them to your gardening space.

MdC EMG Lenora Larson hates weeds so much that she has banished them from her garden. In Winning the Weed Wars, she shares her many strategies to prevent or remove these criminals. Starting with “know your enemy,” she emphasizes prevention and horticultural practices such as minimal soil disturbance and layers of mulch. Other tactics include mechanical removal, well-timed chemical applications and heat.

Brad Guhr, Director of Prairie Restoration at the Dyck Arboretum of the Great Plains, presents Native Plant Landscaping: Best Practices. Gardening with Kansas native flora is no longer a trendy fad, it is a recommended practice as we experience the increasing severity of droughts and extreme temperatures. Brad’s 20 years of trial and error have evolved into a summary of best management practices for native landscaping, including plant-pollinator interactions.

Will we inevitably have to give up gardening as we age? Kevin Nelson, Douglas County Master Gardener, says “Not necessarily!” in Maintenance for the Aging Gardener. Continuing to garden with decreased mobility requires adjusting our landscapes, our tools, our techniques and our expectations. You will see examples of how to alter your beds, reexamine your plant choices and assess your tools. Even if you downsize from a traditional home to an apartment, you can still enjoy your smaller space if you alter your expectations and abandon perfectionism.

Garden Design with Maintenance in Mind will be presented by the Marais des Cygnes Extension Master Gardeners on Saturday February 25, 2023; 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Lighthouse Church, 1402 East 303rd Street, Paola, KS 66071. The $45 tickets will be sold online only. No refunds are possible but tickets may be transferred. Please follow this link to online registration: https://tinyurl.com/MdCEMGGardenSymposium.