The annual Margie Jenkins Azalea Garden Lecture Series and Industry Open House will be held at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 4.
This educational event is planned for ornamental horticulture industry professionals, including nursery growers, retail garden center owners, landscape contractors and landscape maintenance managers and their employees. Master Gardeners are welcome to attend.
Registration starts at 8 a.m., and a self-guided tour begins at 8:30.
The tour will focus on the Margie Jenkins Azalea Garden and the Piney Woods Garden, showcasing several woody ornamental collections, such as Japanese maples, magnolias, sasanquas and, of course, azaleas.
AgCenter commercial horticulture specialist Jeb Fields and station staff will be available in the garden areas for questions. A garden map and a list of garden highlights will be provided to assist on the tour.
The lecture at 10 in the lab building will feature two speakers: Bill Fontenot, biologist and author of the book “Native Gardening in the South,” and Jim Foret, horticulture instructor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. They will talk about designing and managing landscape sites with native plants. Fields will provide an update on the Louisiana Super Plants program.
An optional tour after lunch will feature a native grass establishment study in the urban forest area.
Registration is free, but a reservation is preferred to get a count for the jambalaya lunch that will be served in the gardens. Attendees can RSVP online at https://bit.ly/2HmA2Ef.
The Hammond Research Station is located at 21549 Old Covington Highway (Louisiana Highway 1067) east of Hammond. Driving directions may be found on the research station website at http://bit.ly/2IliKWj.
Additional information is available by contacting the Hammond Research Station at 985-543-4125 or Yan Chen at yachen@agcenter.lsu.edu.