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The season is coming for gaining new gardening knowledge By Rhonda Nowak for the Mail Tribune Sep 22, 2019 12:00 AM A A “That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin’d choirs where late the sweet birds sang.” — William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 73,” 1609 Sonnet 73 is one of several instances in which the Bard used the seasons as metaphors for human aging. In “The Winter’s Tale” (1610), Perdita welcomes guests to the village’s sheep shearing festival by passing out herbs according to their “time of day.” “Reverend sirs, for you there’s rosemary and rue; these keep seeming and savor all the winter long.” One of the men replies, “Shepherdess, a fair one are you — well you fit our ages with flowers of winter.” As a gardener, it’s interesting to note the plants Shakespeare thought of when he wanted to conjure up images for the different seasons: yellow leaves for fall, “savory” rosemary for winter, “violets dim” for spring, “hot lavender” for summertime. I have my own botanical signifiers for the seasons in Southern Oregon. Autumn arrives, for me, in Medford when the maple trees turn red and gold and our front yard is a mosaic of fallen leaves. Among the evergreen conifers along the coast, autumn greets me when the paths are strewn with green pinecones, dropped by small, gray squirrels as they dart among the branches collecting their winter’s store. I also associate the fall with learning more about gardening at the annual Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens Symposium, hosted by the Jackson County Master Gardener Association in support of the OSU Extension Service. I spoke with Rebecca Jurta, who headed up the Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens committee this year with fellow Master Gardener Kathy Apple. In fact, Rebecca decided to participate in the Master Gardener program in 2017 after attending the Winter Dreams conference. “I really enjoyed the interactions with other gardeners at the symposium and wanted to continue that,” she said. Rebecca got me excited about the diversity of presentation topics slated for this year’s conference. Thirty-five classes are scheduled in four sessions. New and seasoned symposium speakers include professors from OSU and the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, as well as local specialists in several specific aspects of horticulture. “We were very intentional about making sure the symposium has something for all levels of gardening experience,” Rebecca told me. Here is the 2019 WDSG lineup by category: Gardening for the Future Hügelkultur: An Atmosphere-Friendly Alternative to Burn Piles Sustainable Landscaping Including Climate Change in Your Garden Planning All about Roots and Regenerative Gardening Regenerative Agriculture: A Powerful Tool for Responding to Climate Change Natives Managing Your Land for Biodiversity & Resilience Using Native Plants Native Asters, Bulbs & Lupines for Home Gardens Chasing Wildflowers Propagating Native Plants from Seed Edibles: Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs All about Apples High Quality Table Grapes from Yard to Table Producing Blueberries in Your Home Garden on Patio Microgreens Herbs: Grow, Harvest and Use The Best Veggies for the Rogue Valley Wildlife, Bees & Birds Dueling with Diggers Be Bear Aware Silent Spring 2.0 Top 10 Beneficial Insects to Know and Love Latest Research on Bee-Friendly Gardens Annuals, Perennials and Trees Fall in Love with Annuals and Seeds The Dry Shade Challenge The Care & Hybridization of Daylilies Trees of Southern Oregon Maintenance: Plants, Gardens and Gardeners Pruning Tools and Tips Avoiding the Green Meatball: How and When to Prune Flowering Shrubs Healthy Gardeners Soil Fertility in Garden Beds: NPK and Beyond How to Train and Grow Espaliered Fruit Trees Get Inspired The Humble Groundcover: A New Look at an Old Landscape Staple Basic Botany for Plant ID Creating a New Garden: What Really Matters? The Basics of Beekeeping All about Fragrance in the Garden Creating a Backyard Bird Habitat Each 90-minute class will allow time for discussion between the speakers and audience. In addition to the presentations, there will be bulb sales, garden book sales and informational displays. Kristin Lyon from Jefferson Farm Kitchen in Jacksonville will serve lunch, which is optional this year for an additional $10. The Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens symposium takes place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center, 101. S. Bartlett St., Medford. The cost is $45 if registered by Oct. 20; $55 after. For more information about the program, speakers and registration, see the Jackson County Master Gardener Association website at www.jacksoncountymga.org. Rhonda Nowak is a Rogue Valley gardener, teacher and writer. Email her at [email protected]. For more about gardening, visit her blog at http://blogs.esouthernoregon.com/theliterarygardener/ and check out her podcasts and videos at https://mailtribune.com/podcasts/the-literary-gardener.