CRANBERRY TWP - Master gardeners from Cranberry Township will host an open garden tour at the trial garden on the grounds at the municipal center beginning at 7 p.m. on Aug. 16.

The garden is located behind the Sample Schoolhouse and is different each year.

"We never know what were going to get from Penn State Main Campus," said master gardener Rose Romboski.

The master gardener program and its trial gardens are extensions of the Penn State agricultural programs. Penn State sends plants to various trail gardens in different regions of Pennsylvania to see how they do, she explained.

Master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions about the trial garden.

For more information, call Romboski at 724-772-7834.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden, in cooperation with the Penn State Cooperative Extension, will host four plant specialists in a day-long conference entitled "Specialty Plants: Hard to Find, But Worth the Effort."The conference is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 18 at Phipp's Botany Hall.Experts attending the lecture include:Michael Hsu, owner of PeonyLand in Richlandtown, Pa.Martha Oliver, co-owner of the Primrose Path in Scottsdale, Pa.Henry Schannen, proprietor of Rare Find Nursery in Jackson, N.J.Barry Yinger, one of four owners of Asiatica in Lewisberry, Pa.Early registration costs $75. After Wednesday, the cost is $85. For more information, call 412-473-2549.