Talk: Growing Plants with Karl Gercens

Karl Gercens III is scheduled to speak about growing plants on Thursday, May 21, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Legallet residence, 88 Selby Lane in Atherton, according to local event listings. The appearance is listed on Menlo Park-Atherton Patch and on Craigslist’s Peninsula events page, which both describe a talk centered on plants and gardening. (sfbay.craigslist.org) The listings identify Gercens as a Longwood Gardens horticulture professional and say the event will be held at a private residence in Atherton. Karl Gercens’ own website describes him as a lecturer and photographer whose presentations focus on horticulture and garden travel. (patch.com) Longwood Gardens materials identify him as a section gardener responsible for changing displays in the Pennsylvania garden’s conservatory, and say he teaches horticulture classes through the institution’s continuing education program. ### When and where is the talk scheduled? Thursday, May 21, is the date listed for the event, with start and end times of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The venue is given as the Legallet residence at 88 Selby Lane, Atherton, in both the Craigslist posting and a separate Peninsula calendar listing. (sfbay.craigslist.org) The SF Station calendar also lists the event as free. Patch’s Menlo Park-Atherton events calendar carries the event within its local listings, though the calendar page also carries a note telling readers to confirm details with organizers before attending. That notice is standard on Patch’s calendar page and does not provide additional event-specific information. (karlgercens.com) ### Who is Karl Gercens III? Longwood Gardens’ speaker profile says Gercens is a section gardener who works on changing displays in the institution’s conservatory. The profile says his presentations draw on his use of colored foliage trees, shrubs and perennials, and that he has visited public gardens in all 50 states and more than 24 countries. (sfbay.craigslist.org) Karl Gercens’ website says his horticulture interest began in childhood and that he later earned a bachelor’s degree in ornamental horticulture from Mississippi State University. The site says he completed internships at Walt Disney World and at Filoli Estate in the San Francisco Bay Area before building a career that includes work at Longwood Gardens. (patch.com) ### What is he expected to talk about? The Atherton event listings say Gercens will give “a talk on his favorite topic, Plants!” and frame the appearance as a session about growing plants. The listings do not provide a formal lecture title or an agenda beyond that description. (longwoodgardens.org) Longwood Gardens’ speaker materials show the kinds of subjects Gercens has presented elsewhere, including “Plants that Pop,” container gardening, desert plants and garden design for small spaces. His own website says his lectures combine horticulture and photography and that bookings are often made more than a year ahead. (karlgercens.com) ### Why does Atherton appear on his schedule? The Bay Area has appeared in Gercens’ professional background before. His website says he interned at Filoli Estate in Woodside, a short drive from Atherton, and the Craigslist listing says he was an apprentice gardener at Filoli in 1996. (sfbay.craigslist.org) The listing also says he is a frequent speaker for garden clubs, horticulture groups, and flower shows around the United States. ### What should attendees know before going? Patch’s calendar page tells readers to confirm event details with organizers before attending, and the Atherton venue is listed as a residence rather than a public hall. The available listings do not include registration instructions, a ticket link or an organizer contact on the Patch calendar excerpt returned in search results. (longwoodgardens.org) May 21 is the next dated milestone in the public listings, with Gercens scheduled to appear from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 88 Selby Lane in Atherton. Readers looking for the event can find it on the Menlo Park-Atherton Patch calendar and other local event listings that were live as of May 16. (karlgercens.com) (patch.com)