Meeting P. Allen Smith in Old Salem, North Carolina

We were so excited when we realized that P. Allen Smith was going to be in Winston Salem, and we just had to take the opportunity to meet him. We signed up to do the entire event, which consisted of lunch and lecture at the Forsyth Country Club, where he also signed copies of his book. Throughout the lecture on gardening techniques and history, he showed slides from his beautiful home and gardens in Arkansas- Moss Mountain Farm.

The next evening, we had hors d’oeuvres in the gardens at Old Salem, followed by a question and answer session. I am always amazed when a speaker opens the discussion to allow questions. You really have to know your topic to do this, because you never know what crazy question someone is going to ask, but, of course, he did great!

Thunderstorms were all around us, but the rain managed to hold off long enough to enjoy a great evening. So many people turned out for the events, and it was amazing how he managed to speak to everyone who wanted to talk to him. However, I don’t think he was able to enjoy the nice spread the caterers had prepared for everyone because everyone was eager to meet him.