Brie Arthur , a nationally known horticulturist, bestselling author, foodscape consultant, and celebrated speaker, will be the lead presenter at the 27th annual Gardening in the Northern Neck Seminar.
The seminar, hosted by the Northern Neck Master Gardeners (NNMG) and Virginia Cooperative Extension, will be held virtually on Saturday, March 20, 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s seminar will be conducted as an online webinar hosted via Zoom’s online platform.
The theme of this year’s seminar is “Be Intentional: Create Livable, Edible, Sustainable Garden Spaces,” said NNMG president Marge Gibson. “As the lead speaker, Brie Arthur’s presentation ‘Foodscaping in the Norther Neck: Brie’s Spring Tricks for Success,’ will reflect the seminar’s theme with her unique approach to gardening.”
In the introduction of her book “The Foodscape Revolution,” Arthur defines foodscaping as “…the logical integration of edibles in a traditional ornamental landscape. In other words, to foodscape is to grow food alongside your flowers, within the landscape the already exists.”
Arthur’s approach to gardening is realistic, flexible, scalable, and meant to be both fun and beautiful. Her journey into foodscaping began when she was a horticulture student who could not afford farmers market organic vegetables but wanted to eat pesticide-free, healthy food. Her solution was to plant lettuce on her windowsill, which evolved into her current comprehensive strategy of gardening. Arthur’s presentation will provide a guide on how to develop and nurture a successful foodscape for any level of gardener.
Other speakers include Nancy Lawson, author of “The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife,” and Vincent Simeone, whose presentation will be “Grow More with Less: Sustainable Garden Methods.”
“The annual Gardening in the Northern Neck seminar has gained a strong following due largely to the high quality of the speakers,” reported NNMG vice-president Lynn Osborn. “This year is no exception with nationally recognized speakers addressing a range of topics. While the format will be different this year to reflect the times we are in, the high quality this seminar is known for will remain unchanged.”