SCC’s Arboretum Adventures 2020 to feature public gardens expert Todd Lasseigne
Respected horticulturist and public gardens expert Todd Lasseigne, PhD, will be the featured presenter for Arboretum Adventures 2020, an annual event benefiting the School of Horticulture at Spartanburg Community College.
Dr. Todd Lasseigne
The popular annual fundraiser will be held virtually this year due to COVID-19 restrictions for large gatherings. Attendees will participate in a Zoom presentation on Thursday, September 17, at 7 p.m.
“Arboretum Adventures has become a much-anticipated event that brings award-winning presenters to our community each year,” said Bea Walters Smith, Executive Director of the Spartanburg Community College Foundation. “While the 2020 event will be a bit different, this year’s virtual presentation will be interactive, engaging, educational and fun.”
Lasseigne, who is Executive Director of Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Theodore, AL, will speak on “Building A Better World, One Botanical Garden and Arboretum at a Time.” During his career, Lasseigne has visited more than 450 gardens, and developed and databased a personal collection of more than 40,000 images of plants and gardens.
A renowned public gardens leader, Lasseigne holds horticultural degrees from University of Louisiana at Layfayette, the University of Georgia, and North Carolina State University. Early in his career, he was awarded the Martin McLaren Horticulture Scholarship from the Garden Club of America, which he used to study gardens, garden history, plant diversity, plant conservation, and horticulture in the United Kingdom. He has undertaken plant expeditionary work in China, the Republic of Georgia, Mexico and much of the United States.
Before joining Bellingrath Gardens and Home, he shared his talents at the Tulsa Botanic Garden in Osage County, Oklahoma, the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden in Kernersville, NC, and the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh.
Want to attend?
What: Arboretum Adventures 2020: Building a Better World, One Botanical Garden and Arboretum at a Time
When: Thursday, September 17, 2020, 7 p.m. EST
Where: A virtual presentation via Zoom
Cost: $25 per person; Go here to purchase tickets.
For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Bea Walters Smith at 864-592-4448 or by email at smithbw@sccsc.edu.
