Friday, April 8

Keynote Address | 6-7 pm 

“The Revival of The Carolina’s Greatest Fruits and Berries” with Dr. David Shields

Dr. David Shields, Carolina Distinguished professor, chairperson of Slow Food’s Ark of Taste Biodiversity Committee for the Southern Region, Chair of the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation, and author of Southern Provisions: The Creation and Revival of a Cuisine.

Historic Columbia welcomes Dr. Shields, who, in addition to his scholarly work in food studies, is responsible for the repatriation of a dozen classic ingredients to the region’s fields and gardens, most recently the Carolina African Runner Peanut and Purple Ribbon Sugar Cane. Dr. Shields’ presentation will explore the foods and food traditions of our past and what is being done today to revive them.

Garden Reception and Book Signing | 7 – 8:30 pm

Executive Chef Wes Fulmer of Motor Supply Bistro teams up with Dr. David Shields to offer heavy hors d’oeuvres including ingredients and preparations discussed in the keynote address. Dr. Shields will be signing copies of his book Southern Provisions, which will be available for purchase at The Gift Shop at Robert Mills.

Saturday, April 9

A trio of talented gardeners, plantsmen, and botanists will present in small groups and guide hands-on activities in three 45-minute sessions. An heirloom seed swap will take place during all sessions for attendees to participate in at their leisure and will include seed from Seed Saver’s Exchange, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.

Registration: 8:30 – 9 am
Workshops: 9 am – noon

Each workshop is 45 minutes and runs concurrently beginning at 9 am, 10 am, and 11 am. Participants will rotate through all three workshops in small groups, allowing for more personal interaction with the presenters.

Cultivating History: Growing and Saving Heirloom Crops in the Home Garden

Roger Winn, owner of Rodger’s Heirlooms and South Carolina Piedmont Lycopersicum Annual Tasting organizer and host, will join us to talk about all things heirloom; speaking on topics from variety selection and flavor to seed saving.

Sprouting, Rooting, and Dividing: Basic Propagation Techniques for All Gardeners

Eric Shealy, greenhouse and nursery manager at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, will demonstrate techniques for reproducing plants at home using various methods for seeds, cuttings, and divisions.

Seeing your Landscape for the First Time: Basic Field Botany

Dr. John Nelson, curator of USC’s A.C. Moore Herbarium, and Historic Columbia horticulturist Keith Mearns will lead a botanical walk through the Robert Mills grounds touching on tips and tricks for plant identification in the landscape.

Optional Tour: 1 pm

Visit the historic Horseshoe, the heart of the University of South Carolina’s campus, for a guided tour by South Caroliniana Library archivist and author Katharine Thompson Allen. Ms. Allen recently coauthored On the Horseshoe: A Guide to the Historic Campus of the University of South Carolina.

Limited to the first 25 registrants.

Vendors and Sales

Plants propagated from Historic Columbia properties and products from Roses Unlimited, Rodger’s Heirlooms, Heathwood Hall, and Mill Creek Greenhouses will be available.

An heirloom seed swap will take place during and after the workshops and will include seed from Seed Saver’s Exchange, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.

The Gift Shop at Robert Mills will offer books by the presenters as well as unique gardening items, including pressed herbarium specimens collected from Historic Columbia gardens and prepared at USC’s A.C. Moore Herbarium.