By The Discovery Garden Club and the Columbia Public Library will be hosting a Winter Garden Forum via Zoom on Sunday, Jan. 30, from 1:30-3:30 pm. Get inspiration for a new gardening season from two experts. Kelly McGowan, field specialist in horticulture with MU Extension, will talk about growing lavender in Missouri. Matthew Dolan, with the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, will discuss growing and caring for fruit trees in your backyard. Register here for a link to the event.
More About The Speakers:
Kelly McGowan has been with University of Missouri Extension for eight years and serves as a field specialist in horticulture, working primarily with home gardeners in southwest Missouri. Her areas of concentration include vegetable production, soil fertility, pollinator education, sustainable home landscapes and serving as Master Gardener coordinator and Master Naturalist co-coordinator.
McGowan obtained her bachelor of science degree in horticulture from Missouri State University’s Darr School of Agriculture. She received her master of science degree in natural resources and agroforestry through the University of Missouri, which included a thesis project in elderberry flower production.
Matthew Dolan manages the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture fruit trees at Columbia’s Agriculture Park and in gardens across town. CCUA adopts a holistic approach to growing fruit trees and promotes tree health through cultivating a beneficial microbial community and boosting trees’ natural defenses. Dolan has been gardening with CCUA for five years and installs garden beds and plants fruit trees and berry bushes with area residents. He’s passionate about encouraging and supporting Columbians in their efforts to grow their own food. He aims to make gardening concepts more readily accessible.
