UNL Garden Friends Lecture April 1

Kelly Norris
Kelly Norris

Kelly Norris, an up and coming horticulturist from Iowa, will deliver the UNL Garden Friends annual lecture beginning at 2 p.m. April 1 in the Nebraska Union auditorium. The lecture, open to the public, costs $5 per person but is free for members of UNL Garden Friends.

Norris, a 24-year-old horticulturist and plant breeder, is the award-winning author of three books including the “Iowa Gardener’s Travel Guide,” the first travel guide to Iowa’s public gardens and nurseries, and “Cultivating the Rainbow: A Guide to Bearded Irises for Beginners and Enthusiasts,” (May 2012, Timber Press). He is currently writing, “Dig This — A Style Guide to Kickass Gardening."

Norris has garnered national acclaim for his high-energy presentations, leading many to name him as one of the rising stars of American horticulture.

His April 1 presentation is “Life on the Edge: Tough Plants for Tough Places.” He will share information on an array of garden-worthy plants from harsh environments across the United States. Learn how plants respond to their environment and how home gardeners can translate that into success even with less-than-glamorous soil conditions. Norris has recently explored northeastern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota.

A reception and author meet and greet follow the lecture.

For more information about Garden Friends, go to http://www.unl.edu/bga/friends/join.shtml