Overview:
Join Holly and the Horticulture Staff of OSGF to experience the best of summertime herbaceous plants at the heart of Bunny Mellon’s private garden. Summer is incredible at Little Oak Spring: beds are filled with fantastic color and textural combinations of flowers and foliage, the potager brimming with veg and herbs, the abundant water features offer cool respite, and bees and butterflies are everywhere. In beds small and large, the talented garden staff blends heirloom cultivars and unusual species with modern selections, creating a seasonal tapestry of color and texture. We’ll cover the best of these mid-to-late summer blooming perennials, plus perennial herbs and unusual annuals. Planting and maintenance tips are included! One of the joys of this garden is that Mrs. Mellon favored reseeding plants – we’ll share how the current gardeners nurture and artfully edit this abundance. The garden of Little Oak Spring has a wide diversity of soil types, exposures, and micro-climates, so you’re sure to discover wonderful plants able to thrive in your own garden.
This is a hybrid course: two online (Zoom) lectures will provide a foundation and resources to set the stage; then we’ll gather on-site for two delightful days of learning. A generous portion of our time will be spent within the famous walled garden of Little Oak Spring. The course also includes a special behind-the-scenes tour of the production greenhouse, the cut flower garden, and a visit to her astounding library devoted to plant science, botanical art, and natural history. And of course, no visit would be complete without a peek inside Bunny’s marvelous glasshouse. Prepare to be inspired!
Eligibility:
This course is intended for experienced home gardeners, public horticulturists, landscape professionals, students, and educators. It is not suitable for beginning gardeners.
Instructor:
Holly Scoggins, Ph.D., is Associate Professor Emeritus from Virginia Tech. She recently retired after 20 years in the Department of Horticulture with teaching, research, cooperative extension, and administrative responsibilities. Her current role is Program Manager for NewGen Boxwood, the national brand and subsidiary of Saunders Brothers Inc. – a large grower of quality ornamentals in central Virginia. Holly earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia and her Ph.D. in Horticultural Science from North Carolina State University. In her career at Virginia Tech, Holly taught Greenhouse Management, Herbaceous Landscape Plants, Ornamental Plant Production and Marketing, and Plant Propagation, and advised countless undergrads. Her research and extension programs focused on the propagation, production, and landscape use of perennials and annuals. Additional work included cut-flower production, pollinator plant evaluation, and field-grown hops.
As Director of the Hahn Horticulture Garden at Virginia Tech from 2002 to 2014, she oversaw its expansion from 1.5 to 7 acres of teaching and outreach gardens and the construction of the Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion. Her passion for teaching and research has been recognized with honors including Professional of the Year from the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, the Academic Award from the National Perennial Plant Association, and multiple teaching awards.
Holly served as President of the Perennial Plant Association (2021-2023), is currently Past President, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Perennial Plant Foundation. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for horticulture at state, regional, and national gardening and professional conferences and symposia. Because she does not have quite enough horticulture in her life, Holly and her husband run Bee Berry Farm, a you-pick blueberry farm and apiary (with way too many perennial borders) in southwest Virginia.
Accommodation and Travel Information:
Participants will be accommodated with all meals and private lodging on site at Oak Spring.
Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to the Washington, D.C. area. If flying, please book flights to Dulles International Airport. International applicants are welcome, but fluency in English is necessary. Closer to the start date, our Programs team will assist with coordinating travel arrangements to the Oak Spring Garden Foundation site, as necessary.
Dates and Duration:
The on-site portion of the course runs for two (2) days with participants arriving on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 and leaving on Friday, August 9, 2024. Participants should plan to arrive between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 and depart around 2:00pm on Friday, August 9, 2024.
Course Fee:
$600 is all-inclusive and covers full tuition, lodging on-site for two nights in our comfortable suites, and all meals on-site (from dinner on Wednesday through breakfast on Friday). A limited number of full or partial Fee Waivers are available for this course.
Selection Process:
Applications will be reviewed by Holly Scoggins and OSGF staff.
Application Deadline:
Applications are due Friday, May 10, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. Applicants will be notified of their status around Monday, May 27, 2024.