Horticultural society invites public to talk by regional expert

By Jeremy Appel on November 13, 2017.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel

Lethbridge-based horticulture expert Lyndon Penner is giving a lecture at Medicine Hat College tonight at 7:30 p.m.

“Horticulture is the study of plants for aesthetic purposes,” explained Penner. “I know about how to use plants for art, basically.

“Horticulture is about how to make the world beautiful.”

Whereas botanists are focused on the scientific aspects of how plants live, horticulturists take an artistic angle.

This is fifth year that Penner is delivering a talk hosted by the Medicine Hat & District Horticultural Society, but he said he comes to the Hat “fairly often” on the way to visiting his family in Saskatoon.

He’s always sure to pick up some plants when he’s in town.

“To drive from Lethbridge to Saskatoon, which I do fairly regularly, I always have to drive through the Hat, so I often stop there and I do buy plants there quite often,” said Penner.

He says he always tries to make his presentations engaging.

“Gardening should be fun,” Penner said. “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.

“I have gone to gardening presentations myself where I’m like, ‘This is boring.’ For somebody who does this for a living to think that, I think ‘What do average people with normal jobs think?’

Penner says its of the utmost importance that each presentation is “tailor made” to the particular audience he’s speaking to.

“I make it a point when I do a presentation that I don’t want you to get just things that you can just find on Google,” he said. “Information needs to be relevant to the climate and the location that you live in.

“I want people to go home really excited about gardening, not just gardening, but gardening where they live.”

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