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Wilson to Speak May 1 at UA Fort Smith
(Posted: April 7, 2003) (Printable Version)
Jim Wilson, one of the best known faces and voices among TV gardeners, will be in Fort Smith on May 1 to speak on “Bullet Proof Plants” as part of the Gardening With the Experts lecture series at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith.
Wilson will speak at 7 p.m. in the Reynolds Room of the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center. Admission is by a season ticket for the series, or individual tickets are $20 at the door. Wilson, who now lives in Missouri, appeared as a co-host on the PBS Television program “The Victory Garden” for 10 years starting in the mid 1980s. Since 1997, he has been co-host with Great Britain’s Peter Seabrook on episodes of HGTV’s “Great Gardeners” series.
Steve Dobbs, director of grounds and landscape program at UA Fort Smith, is coordinating the lecture series and said he is pleased that Wilson can be a part of it.
“We’re very fortunate to be able to bring Jim Wilson here,” Dobbs said. “His expertise is legendary. He’s a well-known horticulturist, television personality, author and lecturer. Gardeners in our area are in for a treat.”
Wilson gardened on a farm in upstate South Carolina until last year and has passed his 54th year in home and commercial horticulture since he graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in agriculture. He is national spokesperson for the “Plant a Row for the Hungry” program sponsored by the Garden Writers Association of America.
He is a prolific garden writer and lecturer, with a number of books to his credit. Wilson’s books published by Houghton Mifflin Co. include “Landscaping with Wildflowers” and “Landscaping with Herbs.” His state book titled “South Carolina Gardener’s Guide” was released in 1997. Taylor Publishing released “Bulletproof Flowers for the South” in November 1999 and “Jim Wilson’s Container Gardening” in December 2000.
In his career in horticulture, Wilson has worked in management positions with a garden seed company and a manufacturer of controlled-release fertilizers in California. He served seven years as executive secretary of All-America Selections, where his work took him to several foreign countries. He and his late wife, Jane, operated a commercial herb farm for seven years, furnishing fresh herbs to restaurants.
Wilson was presented the seventh annual “Horticulture Initiative” award by the Southeast Greenhouse Conference in June 2001 for his work in speeding the introduction of viable new concepts, products and varieties to home gardeners. He also received the 2002 Horticulture Communication Award from the American Horticultural Society.
Wilson, a South Carolina Certified Master Gardener, has been recognized for his advocacy of Master Gardening by being named an Honorary Master Gardener by the cooperative Extension Services of Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Oregon. He is a Fellow of the Garden Writers Association of America and was installed in its Hall of Fame in 1995. He is also a Life Member of the National Council of State Garden Clubs.
In 1992, Wilson was honored by having a sweetbay magnolia named after him, M. virginiana MOONGLOW (r) ‘Jim Wilson’ (tm). This new columnar cultivar has held most of its leaves through Central Illinois winters, which is recognized as quite an achievement for an evergreen tree. Earl Culley of Culley’s Nursery in Jacksonville, Ill., bred this new cultivar.
The May program at UA Fort Smith is the fifth in the series. Upcoming speakers include author Cathy Wilkinson-Barash of Iowa, who specializes in gardening and cooking with edible flowers; Brent Heath of Virginia, co-author of the “Daffodils for American Gardens” book; Greg Grant of Texas, horticulturist, lecturer, author and plant developer; and Steve Dobbs, who is also an author and horticulturist in addition to his administrative role at UA Fort Smith.
For further information on the series, call Dobbs at 788-7170.
| Article by: Sondra LaMar, Director of Public Relations |
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