George’s Talks and Trips

When I don’t have my nose in a computer or compost pile, you’ll find me out and about doing gardening talks and leading garden-themed trips.

George talking compost in a backyard seminar.

   See below for my new 2013 lineup, which includes a mini-vacation to great gardens of Ohio and a pair of Christmas 2013 trips to North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate and the ever-popular Winterthur and Longwood Gardens.

   If you’re interested in having me speak to your group, email me at george@georgeweigel.net and I’ll get you my current list of 21 topics.

   Stauffers of Kissel Hill Garden Centers (www.skh.com) is again sponsoring the 2013 trips, which are planned and operated by Lowee’s Group Tours of Harrisburg (www.lowees.com). Stauffers is kicking in $25 gift cards to several lucky winners on each of the trips.

Details on all the trips and talks…

2013 TALKS BY GEORGE

 Sat., Sept. 21: Ashcombe Farm and Greenhouses

   Spruce up the fall landscape with 30 of my favorite fall-interest plant choices – 10 with great fall flowers, 10 with flashy fall foliage and 10 “berried treasures.”

   I’ll show you the lineup in a program scheduled for Sat., Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. at Ashcombe Farm and Greenhouses, 906 W. Grantham Road, Mechanicsburg (www.ashcombe.com).

2013 BUS TRIPS WITH GEORGE

   These one-day and multi-day excursions target some of our region’s best and often little-known public gardens. Each trip includes traveling seminars and timely gardening tips by George, plus gardening games and prizes that may land you a plant or two from George’s gardens or a $25 gift card to Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill garden centers. Bonus: George’s fun, friendly wife, Sue, will serve as your escort and “mom” for most of these trips.

   Pickups are at both East Shore and West Shore locations. Here’s the 2013 lineup:

 June 27-June 30: Garden Treasures of Ohio and Pittsburgh

Take a 4-day, 3-night mini-vacation to see eight great gardens (count ‘em), plus one of the country’s best zoos. On the way out to Columbus, we’ll see the perennial garden and stunning new hillside conifer grove at Mission Oaks Gardens in Zanesville, then tour the Dawes Arboretum with its peaceful Japanese garden.

Columbus Topiary Park.

In Columbus, we’ll see Ohio State University’s Chadwick Arboretum and flower trials, the 121-acre Inniswood Metro Garden, the Columbus Community Gardens (the best George has ever seen), Columbus’s botanic gem — Franklin Park Conservatory — and a very unusual topiary park that recreates a Victorian painting in figures made out of live, clipped evergreens.

We’ll spend a few hours at the Columbus Zoo and cap it all off with a stop at Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory on the way home.   Cost is $575 per person, including hotel, seven meals and as with all of these trips, all admissions.

To sign up, call Lowee’s at 717-657-9658 or at toll-free 1-888-345-6933. Or email CKelly@lowees.com. Pickups are at both East Shore and West Shore locations.

 Aug. 8: Penn State Arboretum and Two Bellefonte Private Gardens

What? You haven’t seen Penn State’s new arboretum and H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens yet? This trip starts with a guided tour of our state’s newest botanic attraction, including a look at the latest addition — a children’s garden — which is expected to be under construction by then.

We’ll then pop in for a quick tour of the gardens surrounding Penn State’s Hintz Alumni Center, then have lunch at The Tavern in State College, then spend the afternoon touring two beautifully landscaped bed-and-breakfast inns in Bellefonte: the Inn at Walnut Acres and The Queen, A Victorian Bed and Breakfast.

   Cost is $99, including lunch. To sign up, call Lowee’s at 717-657-9658 or at toll-free 1-888-345-6933. Or email CKelly@lowees.com. Pickups are at both East Shore and West Shore locations.

Sept. 13: Monticello and Morven Gardens, Charlottesville, Va.

Here’s one for the historical garden fans — especially those interested in all things Jefferson. The morning stop is Morven Gardens, run by the University of Virginia on land originally owned by Thomas Jefferson. It features an 1820 house, a formal garden, a cutting garden, a kitchen garden, an old rose garden, a collection of great old trees and a 2-acre Japanese garden with a house and three waterfalls.

Monticello’s vegetable garden.

After a classic Colonial-Virginia lunch at historic Michie Tavern, we’ll spend the afternoon at Jefferson’s Monticello home. The terraced vegetable garden is the must-see attraction here, but the whole place is a living testament to Jefferson’s many fascinating innovations — inside and out.

   Cost is $139 per person, including lunch.To sign up, call Lowee’s at 717-657-9658 or at toll-free 1-888-345-6933. Or email CKelly@lowees.com. Pickups are at both East Shore and West Shore locations.

Oct. 25: Fall Foliage in Philadelphia

We’re hoping to time this one just right to catch prime fall foliage at two of the Philadelphia area’s top arboreta — Tyler and Jenkins.

Tyler Arboretum covers 650 acres and has great walking trails all over that are lined with champion old trees and specimen conifers. Jenkins Arboretum showcases many of our native trees and shrubs in a tranquil wooded setting that overlooks a large pond.

   Cost is $112 and includes lunch. To sign up, call Lowee’s at 717-657-9658 or at toll-free 1-888-345-6933. Or email CKelly@lowees.com. Pickups are at both East Shore and West Shore locations.

 Dec. 2-Dec. 4: Christmas at Biltmore

Arguably America’s greatest house, the Vanderbilt Biltmore estate in Asheville, N.C., is at its finest when decorated for Christmas.

Biltmore in spring.

The highlight of this 3-day, 2-night excursion is a tour of the house (including a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into decorating the mansion for Christmas), but we’ll also see the National Gingerbread House Competition, and on the way back, tour the North Carolina Arboretum with its 65 acres of gardens and excellent bonsai collection.

   The cost is $499 per person. If you’re interested, call Lowee’s at 717-657-9658 or at toll-free 1-888-345-6933. Or email CKelly@lowees.com. Pickups are at both East Shore and West Shore locations.

 Dec. 13: Winterthur and Longwood for Christmas

So many people like to see these two places every Christmas that we’re offering this trip again. We’ll spend the morning at the “other” duPont place down the road from Longwood Gardens – Winterthur, which offers an intriguing house tour, a pretty fair holiday-decorating display in its own right, and if the weather is decent, a tram tour of the rolling grounds.

December is actually Longwood’s most-visited month — and you’ll see why with its stunning outdoor lights and Christmas-adorned conservatories.  We’ll have lunch at Longwood, then hours of free time to peruse the plants and decorations. We’re staying after dark to see the lights.

   Cost is $115, including lunch. To sign up, call Lowee’s at 717-657-9658 or at toll-free 1-888-345-6933. Or email CKelly@lowees.com. Pickups are at both East Shore and West Shore locations.