Storrs - The University of Connecticut will sponsor the 2013 Garden Conference” from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 22 at the Lewis B. Rome Commons on the main campus.

The conference features top national speakers and local experts on various aspects of garden design, maintenance and plant selection. This all-day conference offers educational opportunities for gardeners of all levels, from the casual gardener to the advanced master gardener. Speakers will include:

• Keynote speaker Jeff Gillman, associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota and author of five books on gardening. His talk is titled, “The Truth about Garden Remedies.”

• Tina Bemis, television host and innovative co-owner of Bemis Farms Nursery in Spencer, Mass., who will speak about, “Shade Gardens Reinvented.”

• Matthew Benson, award-winning photographer, author of “The Photographic Garden: Mastering the Art of Garden Photography,” photographer for the book “Urban Farms,” and owner of Stonegate Farm, an organic community supported farm). He will speak on “Artistry in the Vegetable Garden.”

• Warren Leach, co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth, Mass., and landscape designer, will speak about, “Designing, Constructing and Planting the Entry Garden.”

• Robert Durgy, Connecticut expert and farm manager at the Griswold Research Center, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, will speak about “Invasive and Troublesome New Pests and Diseases in Your Garden.”

For program and registration information, including online registration visit: www.2013garden.uconn.edu. There is a registration fee of $80 per person if postmarked on or before March 15. The fee is $90 per person after March 15 or for walk-ins. Registration is limited and nonrefundable. Checks should be made payable to the University of Connecticut and send to: Richard McAvoy; University of Connecticut; Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture; 1376 Storrs Road, Unit 4067; Storrs, CT 06269-4067.

For information, contact Richard McAvoy at (860) 486-0627 or at: richard.mcavoy@uconn.edu.