You don't have to be a "green thumb" to learn about growing plants - as well as the Northern Plains Botanic garden Society's plans o establish a botanic garden, conservatory and arboretum in the region.

Feb. 3 - Chiwon Lee will cover care and maintenance of indoor plants, including watering, fertilizing, lighting, and pest control. Bring in your own plant for diagnosis.

Feb. 10 - Learn tried and true remedies to make plant propagation successful! Larry Fischer will also cover heat, light, and moisture and how they affect the rooting process.

Feb. 17 - Larry Chaput will help you decide how to choose trees and shrubs adapted for the northern climate.

Feb. 24 - Take a tour of the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute's botanic garden with Ron Ellingson! You'll also hear about the Botanic Garden Society's plans for a garden, conservatory, and arboretum project in Fargo- Moorhead. Refreshments will be provided.

Lee, horticulture professor at NDSU and president of the Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society, does research involving plant tissue culture, hydroponics and production of vegetable and other high-value crops. Fischer, and NDSU horticulture graduate, has been a research chemist for the Johnson Space Center and M.D. Anderson Cancer Institute, and owner of Fischer Greenhouses. Chaput is a research specialist in plant sciences at NDSU. Ellingson has a longtime involvement with the Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society and chairs the committee that takes care of the plantings in the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute's atrium.

posted 1-24-2002