Kirk Brown will portray John Bartram, America's first horticulturist, at a perennial plant symposium Feb. 10, 2011 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Photo courtesy johnbartramlives.com
John Bartram, the Father of American Botany and Royal Botanist to King George III, will be among the featured speakers Feb. 10 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s “Passion and Pursuit: Searching for the Perfect Perennial.”
The symposium was developed to replace a similar gardening program presented for several years by Horticulture magazine, which discontinued the event, said Mark Zelonis, Ruth Lilly Deputy Director of Environmental & Historic Preservation at the IMA.
The keynote speaker will be Bartram, re-enacted by Kirk R. Brown of Joanne Kostecky Garden Design Inc., Allentown, Pa.
Bartram (1699-1777) lived in Pennsylvania and was a contemporary of Benjamin Franklin. Bartram is credited with introducing more than 200 species and 100 trees to the horticulture trade.
Brown, an amateur actor, has presented his program at the Smithsonian and elsewhere in the Eastern United States, where Bartram searched for plants and documented their habits.
“John has never been that far west,” Brown said in an interview, referring to his Indianapolis excursion. It is a perfect venue for Bartram, he said, since the focus was on the search for the perfect perennial.
Other presenters: Stephen Still, director of the Perennial Plant Association, which is co-sponsoring the IMA event; Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries; Allen Bush of Jellito Perennial Seeds; Chris Hansen of Great Garden Plants; and Richard Hawke of the Chicago Botanic Garden
The program will be 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Toby. Registration, which can be done on line , is $119, and includes lunch and refreshments. Or, call (317) 955-2339.
Guerrilla gardening
At 7 p.m. Feb. 10, the IMA’s Planet Indy talk will feature Richard Reynolds, the London-based guerrilla gardener. Admission is $8. Registration is on line or at the above phone number.
This is going to be a fun day.
See you there? Unless it’s a blizzard!