2026 Southern Garden Symposium

The Southern Garden Symposium Steering Committee continues its rich tradition of offering the very best speakers in horticultural education and floral design!

Saturday- 5:30pm- The Enduring Landscape- An evening of dinner and conversation with landscape architect Ryan Cole, hosted by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, Louisiana Chapter.

Friday

Join other enthusiastic gardeners for a full day of workshops and garden tours!

Light refreshments will be served at 8:30 a.m. with morning workshops beginning at 9:30, lunch is served at Afton Villa at 11:30 a.m., and afternoon workshops will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Friday Morning Workshops

• Floral Design Demonstration Will Hunt Lewis at Afton Villa Gardens
• Camellias: Growing and Propagating Hunter Charbonnet at Butler Greenwood Plantation

Friday Afternoon Workshops

• Choosing Plants: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly with Dr. Allan Armitage, Horticulturist and Author, Retired Professor from UGA at Rosedown State Historic Site
• Innovative Solutions Rooted in Plants Lee Rouse, Horticulture Director- Rouses Horticulture at Rosedown State Historic Site
• Designing from the Ground Up with Jeff Allen, Landscape Architect at Audubon State Historic Site

The Speakers’ Gala- Friday at 6:30pm

Saturday Symposium at Afton Villa Gardens: Arrive early to enjoy light refreshments and browse the book sale and plant sale. Open at 8:30 a.m. with lectures beginning at 9:30 a.m. Lunch will be served following the third speaker.

Program

Barbara Adkins Past Forward: Reviving an Old Southern Home and Gardens with Collections, Antiques, and Passion

Dr. Allan Armitage The Making of a Garden: from Chaos to Contentment

Jeff Allen An approach to landscape design in relationship to the architecture, design, client tastes and the land

Ryan Cole and Jeremy Corkern Preserving Afton Villa