The King’s Garden at Fort Ticonderoga will present the first Garden & Landscape Symposium: “Planting the Seeds of Knowledge for Home Gardeners” on Saturday, April 14.

This new day-long symposium, geared for both beginning and experienced gardeners, provides helpful insights from garden experts who live and garden in upstate New York and Vermont.

The program focuses on practical, easy-to-implement strategies for expanding and improving your garden or landscape. The programs are offered in an informal setting that encourages interaction between speakers and attendees. Speakers include:

Emily DeBolt, owner of Fiddlehead Creek Native Plant Nursery in Hartford, “Go Native! An Introduction to Gardening with Native Plants”; Amy Ivy, Cornell Cooperative Extension, “Home Composting Made Easy”; Heidi teRiele Karkoski, Curator of Landscape at Fort Ticonderoga, “The King’s Garden 2012: A Sneak Peek”; Sarah Kingsley-Richards, a Vermont master gardener, “What is Wrong with My Plant? Diagnosing Common Pests and Diseases in Garden Plants”; Leonard Perry, instructor and researcher at the University of Vermont, “Perennials: New Introductions & Underused Favorites”; and Nancy Wotton Scarzello, herbalist and educator, “The Gourmet Garden: Culinary Herbs & Edible Flowers.”

This event takes place in the Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center and is open by preregistration only. The cost is $75 (includes lunch) and interested participants can register by calling 585-2821.