Join the Eastern Shore Master Gardeners for "Spring into Spring" a full day of horticultural topics to get even the novice gardener ready for the growing season. This season will be held in Auditiurium in the Higher Educaton Building on the Chesapeake Collge Campus. The cost of $10 for University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners and $15 for the General Public includes all program materials and light refreshments (water, coffee, and light snacks). Participants are asked to bring their own lunch.

Speakers include:

• What’s New with Magnolias and Hydrangeas?” by Scott Aker is Head of Horticulture and Education at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington DC. He manages curators, technicians, educators, and horticulturists and provides oversight for some of the most notable plant collections in North America. Prior to serving in management, Aker was the horticulturist in charge of the Integrated Pest Management Program at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC. He earned his Master's Degree in Horticulture from the University of Maryland and his Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota. A native of the Black Hills of western South Dakota, Aker served for a short time with the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service in Howard County, Maryland after completing his Master’s thesis. Aker wrote Digging In, a weekly garden question and answer column in the Washington Post. He now writes Garden Solutions, a column in The American Gardener.

• “Orchids 101” by Roger Cole of Arbec Orchids. Roger has been growing and cultivating orchids for 30+ years. He owns and operates Arbec Orchids in Ridgely, MD.

• “Mushroom Cultivation” Nevin Dawson, Nevin Dawson, University of Maryland Extension Sustainalbe Agriculture Coordinator. Participants will learn the basics of fungi and how they grow during a presentation on how to cultivate shiitake mushrooms on logs. Participants will learn how to properly inoculate logs with shiitake spawn as well as how to take care of these logs so they will bear mushrooms for years to come. Nevin is the Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator for the state of Maryland and the Professional Development Program Associate for Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE). He provides professional development programs to agricultural service providers throughout the state, promoting sustainable agricultural practices with a focus on Soil Health with best tillage and cover crop practices. He also conducts outreach about SARE programs. Nevin has a B.S. in Forest Science from Penn State University and an M.S. in Forestry from North Carolina State University. He is also an alum of the LEAD Maryland agriculture and natural resources leadership development program.

• “Irises” Pat McNeal also known as the “Iris Lady” has been growing irises for 40 + years. Pat founded Bayshore Iris Society, a local affiliate of the American Iris Society. She grows about 500 different irises and sells the rhizomes at the Easton Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. She has written articles for the quarterly bulletin of the American Iris Society, IRISES. Pat also hybridizes irises. She also donates irises to nonprofit organizations for fundraising activities. She has been a member of the American Iris Society since 2008.

• “Design a Potager” with Cynthia (Cindy) Brown, A traditional French kitchen garden – potager – mingles vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs to make the function of providing food for the table aesthetically pleasing. An urban potager uses every inch of available space, growing edibles and ornamentals in yards, on balconies and patios, and maybe even rooftops. Transform your yard into a verdant, edible space. Cindy Brown will eliminate excuses for excluding edibles with suggestions on what edibles to grow, unusual ways to grow them and how to do it all with style! Cindy Brown is the Manager of Horticulture Collections Management and Education at Smithsonian Gardens, a position she has held since 2010. Cindy leads a talented team overseeing Smithsonian Gardens’ archives, object and living collections, education, and web/social media. Cindy has worked in the field of horticulture since 1993, beginning her career in a nursery and serendipitously discovering the world of public gardens.