MANDAN – The 96th North Dakota State Horticultural Society Conference, open to gardeners throughout the state, is slated for July 25-27, 2019, at the Baymont Inn and Suites in Mandan.

The conference provides an opportunity to share ideas with fellow gardeners, attend workshops focused on successful growing in the Northern Plains, and tour area gardens and the Menoken demonstration farm. Participants will get the scoop on healthy soil, hear about the latest research at North Dakota State University, learn how to use low-water plants in in landscapes and turn trash into garden treasures.

Sara Williams, a retired horticultural specialist with the Extension Division at the University of Saskatchewan, is the keynote speaker. She continues to write and give workshops on gardening in the prairies. A renowned speaker,Williams is also the author of numerous books on gardening in cold climates. Williams will discuss groundcovers and vines for the prairies and rock gardens.

The event starts the evening of July 25 with a reception at the Former Governor’s Mansion and guided tour of the period-appropriate plants. Events on Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27, feature a barbecue and tours of the demonstration farm, pollinator and conservation gardens. Gardeners will have a variety of workshops to select, such as soil health strategies, building and maintaining ponds, building self-watering containers, upcycled reclaimed material planters, dealing with summer garden pests, and fall vegetables and fall variety trials.

Full registration costs $55 for high school and college students, $85 for members and $95 for nonmembers, or Friday for $55 and Saturday for $40. Registration can be sent to NDSHS, c/o Bismarck-Mandan Garden Club, P.O. Box 269, Bismarck, ND 58502. For registration information, go to https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/mastergardener/events/nd-state-horticultural-society-conference.