By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

The Pacific Horticulture Symposium, "Gardening Under Mediterranean Skies VII: Lessons in Sustainable Gardening" set for Sept. 26-27 in Santa Barbara, California sold out a few days after it was posted.   If you missed out, you have another chance.  The same symposium will be repeated on October 3-4.

Here's what the package includes:

Saturday, Oct. 3:  continental breakfast and morning lecture at the Hotel Mar Monte, docent-lead tour and al fresco luncheon at spectacular Lotusland, (see photos below for a sneak preview) tour of a Susan Van Atta designed garden, and finally twlight tour and wine reception at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

Both photos above by Bill Dewey

Sunday:  continental breakfast, again at the Hotel Mar Monte, followed by tours of four private gardens designed by such well-known landscape architects such as Isabelle Greene and Lynn Woodbury.

There is also a bonus Friday night lecture.  Owen Dell will be speaking on "Sustainable Landscaping: A Visionary Look at the Future of Gardens".  Dell is the author of Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies which we reviewed on Fresh Dirt recently. 

If you sign up before September 1, the fee for the whole package is $320, which includes a one-year subscription to Pacific Horticulture magazine.  If you already a subscriber or are a member of either the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden or the Mediterranean Garden Society, your early registration fee is discounted to $295.   After September 1, add $50 to those figures.

Sounds like a lot of education and entertainment for the price.  The Hotel Mar Monte are offering discounted rates for Symposium members, which helps, too.

I think I've just talked myself into going.

For a registration form, email medskies@SDHortSoc.org or call (760) 295-2173.