FEATURED SPEAKERS

Friday, April 25, 11:30 am
Lucille McLennan of Charleston, SC
Slides and lecture on Celia Thaxter’s Garden. Mrs. McLennan brings a lifetime of gardening experience and travel as she shares her knowledge with festival visitors. A featured contributor in South Carolina Magazine, and Charleston Magazine, she is sure to entertain and enlighten  the gardening audience.

Friday April 25, 1:00 pm
Margot Rochester, author, gardener;
Lugoff, SC; Earthly Delights.
Margot Rochester has a relaxed and entertaining speaking style and “imparts wisdom like blossoms strewn along the garden path.” Her topic, A Glorious Garden the Easy Way, Promotes diversity of texture, color, shape, and size that makes a garden not only more satisfying and inviting, but also undemanding in regard to cost, time and labor. The speaker’s freewheeling attitude and enthusiastic delivery is infectious as she describes her garden design concepts and methods.

Saturday, April 26, 10:00 am
Ted Stephens, Nurseries Caroliniana; North Augusta, SC
A popular speaker at the garden festival, Mr. Stephens is the founder of Nurseries Caroliniana, a retail garden center focusing on offering rare and unusual plant material to the gardening public. He travels to Japan and other foreign countries regularly to collect new plant selections for introduction into the American market. Mr. Stephens has served as the past president of the South Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association and currently serves on the advisory board of the South Carolina Botanical Garden.

Saturday, April 26, 11:30
Melodie Scott-Leach; Director of Horticulture, Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens; Columbia, SC
Ms. Scott-Leach has been with Riverbanks for 15 years, and truly believes she has “the best job in the state!. A native of Columbia, she  worked her way up to Director after working as a horticulturist in the zoo and as curator of horticulture. She now oversees everything green at Riverbanks. Ms. Scott-Leach will offer an educational talk for children during the festival, describing “Bog Gardens” and their carnivorous plants.

Saturday, April 26, 1:00 pm
Wendy and Ryan Tilley, “The Rose Gardeners" of Acworth, GA
The Tilleys  combine their expertise with roses and their interest in finding and using proper tools to avoid hand injury while working. A consulting rosarian, Master Gardener, former Atlanta Rose Society President and owner of “Rose Gardens by Ryan”, Ryan has been in the rose business for over 15 years. He is a nationally respected writer and educator on “everything roses”. His popular newsletter, “The Georgia Rose”, has been answering rose questions, suggesting varieties, and giving advice to growers throughout zones 7and 8 for over a decade. 
Wendy speaks to garden clubs and rose groups about new technology in tools, and is invited to Rose Shows and Conventions throughout the United States. She brings advice, shares pruning tips, the best rose lists, drought care and general rose garden maintenance.

Sunday, April 27, 2:00 pm
Clyde Lester, Rome, GA
A native of Rome, Ga. Mr. Lester received his BS and MS degrees from The University of Georgia, where he served on the state's Extension Service from 1970-1998. He was named Richmond County Extension Director Emeritus in 1998, and has been Horticultural Consultant  in the area since that time. Clyde is the co-host for the Lawn and Garden Radio Show on WGAC Radio, and speaks at many gardening events. He is a Master Gardener instructor, and an avid garden writer. His topic on Sunday will be "Plants of the Bible".

CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES

Saturday, April 26, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Saturday is Children's Day!
Join us in the Children's Tent on Saturday, between noon and 5:00 pm, for hands-on activities and the popular Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Volunteers will help your child with various arts and crafts and will host the tea party while the parents enjoy the festival. The tea will take place at 1:00 and again at 3:00. Admission to the garden festival for children under 12 is $5.00 per person.