This week is your last chance to register at the discounted rate for the upcoming Green Thumb Conclave, an all-day conference modeled on the Briggs Nursery Research Days of the past. The registration cost is just $55 if you sign up by June 30. Starting next week, the cost goes up to $70. To reserve and pay online, and learn about lodging options, log on to www.oan.org/researchday.

The event will be held Monday, July 16 at the Oregon Garden Resort, 895 West Main Street, Silverton, Ore. It will be an interactive event with key research and production personnel discussing plant breeding, evaluation and cultivar introduction for the northwest nursery industry. Speakers will include Ryan Contreras and Neil Bell of Oregon State University, Mark Krautmann of Heritage Seedlings, Richie Steffen of the Elisabeth Miller Botanical Garden, Steve Hootman of the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Ed Schneider, PhD and Pete Moe, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.