Lecture to Kick Off Annual Chrysanthemum Show at Smith College

As the colors outside fade, you can see a riot of indoor color at the annual chrysanthemum show at Smith College. The popular show previews at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, with a public lecture by Michael Marcotrigiano, the new director of the Smith College Botanic Garden, who will discuss "What Makes Variegated Plants Variegated."

The lecture, which will take place in Seelye Hall 106, will be followed by a reception in the illuminated Lyman Conservatory, where visitors can meet the new director and be the first to view the show.

Marcotrigiano comes to Smith College after 17 years as a teacher and researcher in the department of plant and soil science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is widely published in professional journals on various topics including leaf development, micropropagation and plant breeding.

A highlight of the show are the cascade chrysanthemums, grown in the Japanese manner on a flat surface, which hang down about four feet over the edge of the pot. Because their training is laborious and time-consuming, cascades, which appear to be a blanket of color, are a rare sight in this country.

The chrysanthemum show -- which is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible -- is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Saturday, Nov. 4, to Sunday,
Nov. 19. Lyman Conservatory is located on College Lane, and parking is available.

For more information, call (413) 585-2742.

Contact: Marti Hobbes, mhobbes@smith.edu

October 31, 2000