The Shades of Jade Regional Garden Club is featuring a special speaker for its Tuesday, Sept. 20, meeting. The meeting will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 501 South Washington at 7 p.m. Non-members are welcome to attend.

The speaker will be Harvey Buchite who will give a presentation on peonies in the garden. Harvey and his wife Brigitte are the owners of Hidden Springs Flower Farm in Spring Grove. Harvey is a popular national and international speaker and garden writer. He loves sharing garden information gained from actually growing the plants and in many cases breeding them for better adaptability to the northern landscape and gardens. He has been an active member of many local and national plant societies and is the recent past president of the American Peony Society. His plant interests include peonies of which he grows over 600 varieties, alpine plants, daylilies, martagon lilies, hostas and a wide range of other perennials and flowering woody plants including magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons. He has a horticulture degree from the University of Minnesota and was an extension educator before working as a partner at Rice Creek Gardens in Blaine.