The 29th Annual Southern Garden Symposium & Workshops
October 20 & 21, 2017
St. Francisville, LA
Offering prestigious speakers amid gracious surroundings
With featured speakers like Monticello's Peggy Cornett, popular Mississippi author Margaret Gratz, and Jenny Wegley, Director of Horticulture for The Dallas Arboretum, no other gardening program brings together top quality speakers and historic plantation settings as well as the Southern Garden Symposium in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Known as much for its engaging social events and historic venues as for its outstanding gardening lectures and workshops, the Southern Garden Symposium - now in its 29th year - has become an annual tradition for garden enthusiasts from across the south.
While the symposium’s workshops and lectures provide ideas and inspiration for the gardener, social activities surrounding the event are classic southern elegance at its best. From the home-baked breakfast breads served in the morning, to the sumptuous fare of the evening gala and the delightfully relaxed Saturday afternoon tea, not a single detail of southern hospitality is overlooked.
Located about 45 minutes north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, St. Francisville was established in 1809. Set in a unique location on a bluff of the Mississippi River and often described as a town “two miles long and two yards wide,” the quaint community offers southern hospitality, fantastic shopping, and breathtaking scenery. Symposium events are held at several historic and picturesque locations, both public and private, including Rosale Plantation, Dogwood Plantation, Afton Villa Gardens, Rosedown State Historic Site, Grace Episcopal Church, and more.
Over the years, proceeds from the Southern Garden Symposium have funded numerous projects including a significant recent donation to repair the fountains at Rosedown State Historic Site, as well as donations to support the garden restoration at Audubon State Historic Site and a major highway beautification project near St. Francisville. Past projects also include scholarships in the School of Landscape Architecture at L.S.U., and a major a revitalization project for historic Ferdinand Street in St. Francisville. We do hope you will join us and help support these worthy causes!
Dr. Neil Odenwald
Master of Proceedings