For release: March 25, 2013
For press information, contact Curt Guenther, 901-678-2843

Whether your interest is bees or sustainability, community gardens or the spiritual aspect of gardening, there will be a program for you during the “Guests in the Garden” speaker series at the University of Memphis beginning Wednesday, March 27.  The other presentations will be April 3, 10 and 17.

Sponsored by TIGUrS, the Tigers Initiative for Gardens in Urban Settings, at the University of Memphis, the series will feature a different speaker each week.  They will all take place in the University Center from 6 to 7:30 p.m.  The first three will be in Room 308, the fourth in Room 304.

The schedule of topics and speakers is as follows:

• March 27 – Protecting Pollinators for the Garden, by Richard Underhill, vice president of the Arkansas Beekeepers Association. He will discuss how to create a pollinator garden, how to provide safe nesting places for bees and other native pollinators, and the relationship between pollinators and agriculture.
• April 3 – Making a Garden Out of a Wasteland: A Christian Theological Perspective on Food Justice, by theologian Dr. Emily Holmes.  She will discuss the relationship between the land and religion and ethics, and the meaning and symbolism of food beyond just the value of nutrition.
• April 10 – Community Gardening in Memphis:  Then, Now, and Tomorrow, by Chris Peterson, executive director of GrowMemphis.  He will explore the history and importance of community gardens in Memphis, the state of community gardens today, and explain how his organization supports gardens throughout the city.
• April 17 – Sustainable and Edible Landscapes for the Mid-South, by Kalki Winter of eScapes.  He will offer his expertise on how to create sustainable, site-specific landscape design using native and zone-appropriate plants along with recycled and repurposed building materials.

For more information, call 901-678-2359.