First up is the Perennial Symposium, now in its third year, and held around the province, with stops in London, Toronto and Ottawa. Held February 7 to 9, 2005, the Perennial Symposium will include talks on perennials for problematic areas, such as shady and moist areas and hot, dry weather, as well as hardy daylilies, pests in the garden, year-round perennial design principles and the latest and greatest on the perennial market. For more information, contact Pat Hillmer at the LO office, 1-800-265-5656, ext. 308.
Next stop is the Growers Group Short Course, held February 9 at the Royal Botanical Gardens. A regular event on the LO roster, the Short Course is always popular, bringing in informative speakers to speak on a variety of issues affecting the nursery sector. Look to the January issue of Horticulture Review for further details.
On February 15, the Landscape Contractors Commodity Group will join the Toronto Chapter in hosting the annual Landscape Lecture Series. Held at Renaissance Park in Concord, the Landscape Lecture Series welcomes landscape contractors, designers and landscape architects to hear about the projects of two distinct industry members. This year, Janet Rosenberg of Janet Rosenberg Associates and Randy Tumber of Tumber & Associates will discuss some of their projects’ challenges and triumphs. For information, contact Wendy Jespersen at the LO office, 1-800-265-5656, ext. 336.
The IPM Symposium will set down in Barrie, London, Toronto and Ottawa February 21 to 24, for its annual information session on the latest in turf management.
This year’s roster includes updates from Pam Charbonneau and Jen Llewellyn from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, as well as an update on Ontario’s pesticide management program from the Ministry of the Environment. Other sessions include: a turf insect control product update, 10 most common tree problems, an update on IPM test plots at the University of Guelph, aeration and top dressing procedures, soil testing and pesticide reduction, organic soil management and growth management, and a review of alternative lawn care services. Look for more information in the brochure, to be mailed this December.
The end of the season also marks the start of the Winter Seminar Series of professional development courses. Starting this past November, seminars run until the end of March and include topics of interest to every sector in the industry. Most of the seminars are held at the LO office in Milton, but a variety of courses are also available at the chapter level. Look to the LO Professional Development Guide for more information, or contact Kathy McLean at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 306.
LO’s chapters are also hard at work, planning opportunities for LO members to network with and learn from their peers. Visit the Coming Events section on this website.
