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JUST ANNOUNCED: RICK DARKE TO SPEAK AT IRVINE NATURE CENTER’S 14TH ANNUAL NATIVE PLANT SEMINAR
August 12, 2005
Contact: Jeff Muller, 410-484-2413 ext. 23
STEVENSON, MD – Internationally recognized author, photographer and consultant Rick Darke has just been added as the keynote speaker for Irvine Nature Center’s 14th Annual Native Plant Seminar, to be held on Saturday, August 20 from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. He will be replacing noted landscape designer Darrel Morrison, who has had to cancel due to a recent knee surgery, and who has rescheduled his talk for the 2006 seminar.
Darke’s lecture, entitled “Grasses for Livable Landscapes,” is the result of his latest research on native grasses, and this year’s seminar attendees will be the first to hear this new presentation. The lecture description follows: Durably dramatic, luminously responsive, and uniquely adaptable, grasses can play a multitude of roles in designed spaces, and can contribute immensely to the livability of private and public landscapes. Examples from diverse gardens and habitats will illustrate the promise and possibility of regional grasses, sedges, and woodrushes.
President of RICK DARKE LLC, Darke is a design consultant, author and photographer focused on regional landscape design, planning, conservation, and enhancement, and is an internationally recognized authority on ornamental grasses. Blending art, ecology, and cultural geography, Darke is dedicated to the design and conservation of the livable landscape, and his work has been featured on National Public Radio. Recipient of the AHS Horticultural Writing Award and the Garden Writers Association Book Photography Award, Darke has authored and illustrated multiple books including The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses (also on CDROM), In Harmony with Nature: Lessons from the Arts & Crafts Garden and The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest, which received the American Horticultural Society's Book Award, the Garden Writers Association Golden Globe Award for book photography, and the National Arbor Day Foundation's Certificate of Merit. His most recent book, The Timber Press Pocket Guide to Ornamental Grasses was published in August 2004. Formerly Curator of Plants at Longwood Gardens, Rick has traveled extensively in both hemispheres in search of plants and ideas to enrich American gardens. In 1998, the American Horticultural Society honored Darke with its Scientific Award, which recognizes individuals "who have enriched horticulture through outstanding and notable research." Further information is available at www.rickdarke.com.
The other speakers for this year’s seminar are Rick Lewandowski, Director of the Mt. Cuba Center, who will be speaking on “Native Plants for Diverse Landscapes” and Doug Tallamy, Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, who will be speaking on “Restoring Biodiversity to Suburbia Using Natives.” As well, room still remains in only one optional afternoon workshop: “Sogetsu Flower Arranging Using Native Plants” led by Jeanne Benson, Director of Sogetsu Maryland.
Founded in 1975, the Irvine Nature Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental education. The Center is located on the grounds of St. Timothy’s School at 8400 Greenspring Avenue, Stevenson, MD (1 mile north of the Baltimore beltway exit 22). Call 410-484-2413 or visit www.explorenature.org for more information.
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