9th Annual Savannah Garden Exposition
This event celebrate Savannah’s unique  garden history and heritage.  The Exposition starts already on Friday, April 17th and will continue through Sunday, April 19th, 2009, Rain or Shine, at the Roundhouse Railroad Museum at 601 West Harris Street. Come to Savannah’s Garden Exposition and view gardens that will inspire you no matter if you’re an experienced gardening pro or just a newbie garden enthusiast!

The theme for this year’s exposition  is “Our Square Roots”. This theme was chosen in honor of Savannah’s city planning and garden designs which as you know consists of lot’s of squares. Full-size exhibition gardens, lectures, demonstrations given by experts, and an open-air market with growers and vendors are just a few of the events. There is also a competition with the theme “Our Square Roots” where the competitors will be planting containers inspired by the theme. Visitors will get the opportunity to bid for the container gardens during the silent auction held during the weekend.

PREVIEW PARTY
Thursday, April 16, 6:30 p.m.
$100 HSF & DH members; $145 *Non-members
Join patrons and supporters of the Savannah Garden Exposition for an evening of food, fun and horticulture. Be the first to experience “Our Square Roots” and the transformation of the historic Roundhouse Railroad Museum into an extravaganza worthy of General James Edward Oglethorpe. This festive evening combines the distinctive historical site and the incredible beauty of the Exposition with the extraordinary food and talent of many of Savannah’s top chefs. Don’t miss this year’s Silent Auction which will include rare and unusual plants, fine art, parties, trips, garden ornaments and more.

Carolyn Ross McDonald Lecture Series: Featuring well known author and speaker Tovah Martin; Vince Dooley, well loved UGA coach and Master Gardener; local entertainment expert, Bethany Hewitt; and Buddy Lee, the inventor of the Encore Azalea®.

Friday, April 17
Tovah Martin – Bringing Nature Indoors: Houseplants, Terrariums & You – 11 a.m. Free Lecture
Tovah is the author of the recent book, The New Terrarium, published in February, 2009. Tovah has authored numerous gardening books including Tasha Tudor’s Garden and View from a Sketchbook: Nature through the Eyes of Marjolein Bastin. Her articles can be found in many magazines, including Country Home, Horticulture and Country Living. She has been a featured speaker aboard the QE2. Tovah is a frequent guest on the PBS series “Cultivating Life”. In May, 2008, The Garden Club of America awarded her the Sarah Chapman Francis Medal for “outstanding literary achievement.”

Vince Dooley – Diggin in the Dirt with the Dawg – 12:30 p.m. Free Lecture
Friday, April 17
$15 Box Lunch, advance purchase required, pick up at noon.
There may be a no more decorated director of athletics and former head coach in the country than Georgia’s Vince Dooley, who served as head football coach at UGA from 1963 to 1988, and as Director of Athletics from 1979 to 2004. Mr. Dooley, a Master Gardener, was instrumental in the University’s campus being designated as an arboretum and was presented with the Georgia Urban Forest Council’s 2001 Individual Achievement Award for significant accomplishments in promoting urban forestry in Georgia.

Bethany Hewitt – Entertaining with Grace
Saturday, April 18
11 a.m. Free Lecture & Demonstration
Presented by locally known caterer Bethany Hewitt of Southern Graces Indulgent Catering & Delicious Design, a custom design and catering company. Bethany, a talented chef and designer will share her refreshing perspective to events and food, combining southern classics with french country and a dash of whimsy, creating an end result that is nothing short of “Sophisticated Grace.” Bethany will demonstrate creative ways to use fresh herbs and flowers in recipes with fabulous presentations! She will showcase some of the latest trends in cocktails, savories, and tablescapes that will include numerous items from the garden for a delightful twist on the classics.

Buddy Lee – Evergreen Azaleas: Backbone of the Southern Garden
Saturday, April 18
12:30 p.m. Free Lecture
$15 Box Lunch, advance purchase required, pick up at noon.
Robert (Buddy) Lee, the inventor of Encore Azalea®, the only azalea to bloom in spring, summer and fall, has more than 30 years experience in nursery management, breeding, propagation, and new plant development. Past president of The Azalea Society of America and past president of the Louisiana Nurseryman’s Association Region III, his current role is Director of Plant Innovations at PDSI (Plant Development Services Inc.) in Loxley, Alabama specializing in bringing new innovative plants to market. He is responsible for both Encore Azalea® and the new Southern Livingâ„¢ Plant Collection.

The Garden Exposition Workshops
Friday, April 17
Tovah Martin – Terrarium Workshop
2:30 p.m.
($25 for materials – advance tickets purchased by April 11).
Join us for this exciting and unique “make-it-and-take-it” workshop. Work alongside acclaimed gardener and author, Tovah Martin, as she guides you in creating your very own terrarium inspired by her book The New Terrarium published in February 2009. Tovah will inspire you with wonderful ideas for containers, plant material, color and design and take the mystery out of creating terrariums. Her delightful and easy personality will make you feel as if you are spending the afternoon with a dear friend.

Saturday, April 18
Gaye Drummond – Hand-Tied Bouquet & Table Arrangement Workshop
2 p.m.
$50 for materials (advance tickets purchased by April 11).
Gaye hails from England where she began her career selling her own floral designs on London’s vibrant Portobello Road Market. Gaye’s work has been the subject of features in Southern Living magazine and her floral displays have graced such events and venues as the Telfair Ball, the Savannah Yacht Club, Bray’s Island Plantation and many homes throughout Savannah. The hallmark of her work is vibrancy, quality and freshness, and her inspiration remains the English country garden. Come learn how to make a hand-tied bouquet and a tabl