People ARE interested in Garden-oriented events

In my guest rant on today's gardenrant.com, I maintain that many people ARE interested in gardening events. This is in response to a NYTimes article a few weeks back that botanical gardens have had to cancel their garden-oriented events, because there's not enough interest. I took part in eleven (11) garden-oriented events in Florida over this past year where up to 20,000 people attended. I've summarized some of the best ideas for holding successful garden-oriented festivals. I've also included a link to a photographic tour. Enjoy!

I was quite pleased to see that various FNPS chapters were organizers or participants in the majority of the Florida garden fests. What a great way to reach out and educate the very specific group of folks--the gardeners!

If you have more ideas or would like to share your experiences, please leave a comment.

Ginny Stibolt

Comments

Susan said…
I love and look forward to garden-oriented events. It's a chance to find some unique plants and participate in workshops being offered. Perhaps the lack of interest in events is due to the economy, and people cutting back financially...than a lack of interest in the event itself. Anyway, I hope my favorite annual events won't be cancelled.
September 16, 2010 at 8:22 PM
Ginny Stibolt said…
The NY Times article talked about botanical gardens bringing in top chefs for their restaurants and other non-garden attractions instead of holding garden events. I just thought it was off base seeing what I'd just experienced here in Florida. Yes, the economy is tough right now, but maybe that means folks are spending more time at home and in their gardens. Maybe even growing some food.

Show support for your local events by bringing some neighbors.
September 16, 2010 at 10:01 PM
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