Just as Spring Arrives Brookgreen Hosts Garden Festival Saturday, March 21, 2015
Diggin’ It, the annual garden festival, offers a full day of expert and entertaining gardening advice. Dr. Allan Armitage will be a featured speaker. Engaging as well as knowledgeable, he has lectured worldwide and will offer a morning and afternoon program. Dr. Armitage is professor emeritus at the University of Georgia and a prolific author. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Medal of Honor from the Garden Club of America and the National Educator Award from the American Horticultural Society. 
Dr. Robert Polomski will present two lectures. As a horticulturist and arborist, Dr. Polomski has educated commercial and consumer audiences for more than two decades on a wide range of topics in a variety of media that includes radio broadcasts and television appearances. He has published his research in scientific journals and authored regional gardening books.
Diggin’ It Programs in the Wall Lowcountry Center Auditorium
Dr. Robert Polomski
10 a.m. – 11a.m. – Learn to avoid these top 10 landscape mistakes.
An attractive landscape can add beauty and value to your home. Avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary effort to create a landscape that’s easy on the eyes and easy to manage. Learn about these “Top 10 Landscape Mistakes” and create a healthy, attractive landscape that looks good and saves money.
Dr. Allan Armitage
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
Tales From The Gardens: Who in the World is Nellie Stevens?
Where do plants come from? How does our garden grow? Why is yarrow called woundwort? How do the spots of lungwort affect medical research? How did unmarried men let available girls know their marital status? These are stories your mother never told you, and they may include plants you are not familiar with, but they are fun to hear.
Dr. Robert Polomski
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. – Have you checked your trees recently? Learn how to inspect your trees to keep them and you safe.
Trees provide numerous benefits to our homes and communities, but they may become liabilities when they fall or break apart. Some tree failures are unpredictable and cannot be prevented, but others can be avoided with a simple tree inspection. Many potential failures can be corrected before they cause damage or injury. He will address seven common structural tree defects that often result in failures, such as uprooting and trunk and branch breaks.
Dr. Allan Armitage
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – Color – People Never Get Tired Of It
Dr. Armitage will present recommendations on color in the garden, showing off the latest and greatest annuals that will take the heat of a southern summer and still look great in the fall.
Between lectures, the Brookgreen Horticulture staff and volunteers will offer activities and tips on how to become a better home gardener.
Representatives from Waccamaw Audubon Society, Waccamaw Riverkeepers, Georgetown Daylily Club, and more will have informational tables throughout the day outside the Lowcountry Center. All the programs, speakers, and exhibits are free with gardens admission.