As many who have a lifelong love of horticulture, Karl Gercens started his interest at an early age while growing up on a 10,000-acre cotton plantation in Mississippi. The warm Mississippi climate and long growing season helped to nurture his fondness for plants and his appreciation for the wonders of natural beauty. Karl’s experimentation with different plant types and growing methods in that region sparked an interest in new & dynamic exploration for cultivation, which ultimately led to his B.S. in Ornamental Horticulture at Mississippi State University. Karl then completed academic internships at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and at the Filoli Estate in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

Karl’s career includes professional, hands-on skills from world-class organizations such as Longwood Gardens [Kennett Square, PA], The Filoli Estate [Woodside, CA], and Walt Disney World [Orlando, FL]. His years of horticultural tenure include innovative design-work combined with time-honored approaches to serious gardening!

Well known for using a pallet of colored foliage trees, shrubs, and perennials, he continues to funnel the exciting content of his professional lectures given nationwide and his horticultural classes offered at Longwood Gardens. When Karl is not gardening, lecturing, or consulting, his horticultural passion extends worldwide with frequent visits to public and private gardens in all 50 states and more than 20 countries. During his travels, he takes vibrant and vivid digital photography that he catalogues to share his experiences with others.

Karl will speak to us on some recent innovations at Longwood Gardens along with new hydrangea cultivar additions to the conservatory display from Holland and England as well as some opposite season garden inspiration from South Africa and New Zealand. Karl traveled throughout the world in 2018 capturing hydrangea and garden images that he will share with us during his presentation. We will follow in his footsteps to beautiful and fantastic public and private gardens from which he draws inspiration for his eye-popping conservatory displays at Longwood.

Join us for an entertaining evening on Monday, April 8, 2019, in the Goldsmith Room at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Our doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the program will begin at 7:00 pm.

Check out Karl’s website karlgercens.com or follow him on Facebook.