January 2 – Meet the Young Horticulturists of Memphis
State of the State of Horticulture – Meet the Young Horticulturists of Memphis
Join us for a panel discussion with some of the rising young horticulturists in the Memphis community. Sharing their perspectives will be:
Anne Ballentine – Lichterman Nature Center
Alex Boggan – Boggan’s Landscaping
Liam Boyd – Gardens OyVey
Carson Ellis – Memphis Botanic Garden
Chris O’Brien – Brussels Bonsai
Hannah Underhill – Dixon Gallery & Gardens
Refreshments at 6:30
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, Jan 2 Meeting: Goldsmith Room at the Memphis Botanic Garden, 6:30 pm Please bring a friend and a dish and to share with members and friends!
February: Brie Arthur, The Foodscape Revolution
March: Rare Plant Silent Auction
April: John Manion, Curator Native Plant Garden, Birmingham Botanical Gardens
President’s Letter
by Suzy Askew
Dear Members of Memphis Horticultural Society,
2018 brings a new listing of programs for our organization. We have added the challenge of being the sponsor of the MHS Midsouth Native Plant Conference in October, so we will have lots to look forward to and do.
I became a member of MHS in the early 80’s. The founding members were both an inspiration and a foundation for us all. Speakers each month challenged our knowledge and understanding of all things horticulture and made us see the world in a completely harmonious perspective. I remember Allan Lacy, the philosopher and gardener coming to Memphis to speak and I began reading his books. I remember the first time I heard Allan Armitage and Michael Dirr. I remember a friend’s margin-lined books by Henry Mitchell that she loaned me on threat of injury if not returned. (I’ve since started writing in the margins.) My book shelves are full of garden writers, horticulturists, plant explorers, and designers’ wisdom that I was introduced to by MHS. I cruise down the shelves and recall the lecture on one particular species or armchair travel to beautiful gardens I may never get to visit. At MHS meetings I sit next to someone whose passions for gardening make me rethink a certain plant. When I joined a garden club that didn’t accept a new member that laughed all the way through the program on manures – seriously? – I knew I had found my people! I started subscribing to gardening magazines and surrounding myself with people that design, dig, weed, propagate, plant and prune – real people. As I grow older, I have learned more about the seasonality and resilience of plants, all through listening to generous like-minded gardeners. The most refreshing thought is there is more to learn, more gardeners to meet, more lectures to absorb.
I have concluded that Memphis Horticultural Society is the umbrella organization for Memphis. We come from all walks of life and backgrounds but our common interests are plants, gardens and conservation. The only membership requirement is to pay dues – no attendance, no project, no number of service hours.
Membership is an entrée into a lecture series – 1 hour a month – starting at a timely 7 to 8 p.m. In the past we have had trial gardens on the grounds of Memphis Botanic Gardens and have invested in various projects, but not so much anymore. (We did fund a Big Bug sculpture this past year.)
Our tasks at hand are to grow our membership with diversity of ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and interests. We need “only one house plant growers” as much as PhD’s and Botanists. We need a membership that is all mixed up and eager to learn and share. Hopefully, through programming we will move towards this goal.
Look at our year’s topics and make plans to attend and tell friends about them. Give gift memberships. Attend the Rare Plant Silent Auction; support the Midsouth Native Plant Conference in October; be willing to serve on the board; be in charge of refreshments one month; and share your plants at swap time. The more your participate in MHS, the more you will enjoy it.
It’s going to be a great year. Thanks for asking me to be the President.