Oak Open Day, Pavia Nurseries, Belgium

Dirk Benoit, owner of Pavia Nurseries and retired IOS Board member, extends a kind invitation to an Oak Open Day at the Nurseries on 22nd September, starting at 10.00. The day will include a workshop on clonal oak propagation by grafting.

The Nursery was created in 1987, and as well as Quercus (propagated both by seed and by grafting), specializes also in Aesculus, Crateagus and Tilia. Other genera are well represented, and a catalogue can be found on www.pavia.be.

Plants selected, named and introduced by the nursery, in addition to many oak cultivars and natural hybrids, include Aesculus ×neglecta ‘Autumn Fire’, Carpinus caroliniana ‘Red Fall’, Crataegus ellwangeriana ‘Fire Ball’, Styrax japonica ‘Pink Snowbell’ and Tilia henryana ‘Arnold Select’...

The day will be free of charge (other than for sandwiches, see below).

NB: It will be possible to buy plants ordered in advance. As a courtesy to Dirk and his staff, please do not pick up or move plants during the tour – some of these may not be for sale.

Program:

10.00: Welcome.

10.15: Presentation: Clonal Oak Propagation by Grafting, followed by a visit to the propagation facility and container-grown plants.

12.30: Aperitif and lunch. Drinks are free, but you are advised to bring your own picnic, or a sandwich can be ordered on arrival at a cost of €4.

14.00: A walk through the mother plants, which are distributed both in the nursery and in other fields in the village. The nursery, however, is not an arboretum per se.

Booking:

Dirk would prefer a small group of around 20, with a maximum number of 30, so if you are interested please contact Shaun Haddock at shaun.haddock@orange.fr as soon as possible in order to ensure your place.

Location:

The Nursery is easy to reach, situated approximately 2 km from exit 4 on the E17 motorway from Ghent to Lille. The address is: Pavia Nurseries, Roterijstraat 18, 8540 Deerlijk, Belgium (email: info@pavia.be). Tel: +32 5671 7876, mobile: +32 476 246365.

Accommodation:

There is a brand new 4-star hotel near the motorway 2 km from the Nursery: www.bluewoodshotel.be. Other accommodation may be found in the nearby towns of Kortrijk and Warengem (see www.booking.com).

Oak Open Days are open to both members and non-members of the IOS, although should the day be over-subscribed priority will be given to IOS members. So don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to learn more about oak propagation, see a wide range of plants, and meet up with your ‘oaky’ friends!