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Talking points. Comments and questions on: => MGS branch events => Topic started by: Rosie on February 06, 2012, 04:41:38 PM

Title: Spring Conference, Algarve, Portugal
Post by: Rosie on February 06, 2012, 04:41:38 PM
Algarve  Mediterranean  Flora
Friday/Saturday/Sunday March 23/24/25, 2012
Hapimag Resort, Albufeira, Algarve

The Portugal Branch of The Mediterranean Garden Society invites you to join them in experiencing the magnificent and diverse flora of the Algarve in the midst of the spring flowering season. Lecture topics will cover the scientific background for appropriate plant choices and the creation and day-to-day management of a natural and waterwise garden.  
The Forming of Mediterranean Landscapes – an illustrated talk by Prof. Oliver Rackham OBE. Life Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. We are delighted to welcome him for a rare visit to the Algarve to participate in this event. He has studied and published extensively on the ecology of the Mediterranean and also the island of Crete. He is the author, with A T Grove, of The Nature of Mediterranean Europe, an Ecological History.  He is also an acknowledged authority on the British countryside. In 1998 he was awarded the OBE for "services to Nature Conservation". In 2006 he was appointed Honorary Professor of Historical Ecology in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge.

Lavenders of the Iberian Peninsula – an illustrated talk by Joan Head, former UK National Collection Holder for Lavandula species. Joan has visited Portugal and Spain to study lavenders as well as using them in her own garden.
Wild flower tour in the nearby cliff top habitat - organised and led by Biologist Udo Schwarzer, and Landscape Architect and specialist in native plant gardens, Claudia Schwarzer.
The Spring Conference will be an opportunity to see the remarkable Hapimag Algarvean native plant Garden, hear the story of how it was made, and learn about the plants used in the garden. There will be a presentation by the Gardens Manager, Marilyn Kahan. A new specialist native plant nursery will have plant displays & sales. The mediterranean landscape of the Algarve will be the subject of illustrated talks and visits, including private gardens of MGS members. This area, the most south west part of Europe, is home to a diverse range of mediterranean plant families, the varied geology and soils giving a unique and special character to the region.
Information will be provided to all attending about other gardens open during the days before and after the conference. There will also be information on local nurseries and garden centres, recommended walks and good locations to view wild flowers.
An attractive residential or full day-visitor  inclusive package is available for the duration of the conference, with the option to extend your stay at favourable rates. All are welcome to participate. The Hapimag Albufeira Resort is part of Swiss company Hapimag, with 57 hotels and resorts around the world, all managed with a sustainable focus. Website & map http://www.hapimag.com/en/albufeira-algarve.htm  
For the full programme and all bookings, please contact Rosie Peddle
Tel. 00351 289 791 869    Email  rosie@thebtf.net  or visit my blog for more info url=http://www.gardeninginportugal.com]here[/url]