FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

Ecological gardening is a way of gardening that enhances life under the soil and in our gardens. In this seminar you’ll discover the key elements of an ecological garden, including garden practices that build healthy soil, preserve pollinators, create habitats for birds and wildlife and protect and enhance plant growth through finding the right plant partners. Charlie will focus on new advice about companion planting, including information on flower, herb and vegetable combinations that have been proven to work. Sponsored by Gardeners Supply Company & Velcro USA.

Karen Chapman–Owner, Le Jardinet, award-winning co-author, Fine Foliage, Gardening with Foliage First and author, Deer-Resistant Design

Once hailed as the style, English gardens then went out of favor, considered to be too labor intensive due to their reliance on an abundance of perennials or endless clipping of topiary structures. Yet there are many lessons to learned including maximizing small spaces, layering, and using sight lines and focal points effectively. Enjoy an immersive and educational presentation featuring gardens from across England while you glean dozens of ideas for your own garden.

Newer Plants Showing Promise

Richard Hawke - Director of Ornamental Research, Chicago Botanic Garden

New plants are what make every gardener’s heart skip a beat. But a lot of the time, that new plant requires a ridiculous amount of care and resources to look decent, if it doesn’t die within the first year. Richard Hawke of the Chicago Botanic Garden has spent much of his career trialing plants. Each year he puts new offerings into the test gardens at CBG and monitors their overall performance, determining which are worthy of your hard-earned dollar and which can be classified as unsustainable pitfall plants. Over the past few years Richard has developed a list of newer plants that have done well in the trials—plants that he feels confident enough to recommend to gardeners—and even plant in his own landscape. In this lecture you’ll find out about scores of new nativars and ornamentals that require little input to perform brilliantly.

Sponsored by Fine Gardening’s Growing Knowledge lecture series.

Sue Milliken and Kelly Dodson - Founders, Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy and Far Reaches Farm

Chances are, you’re familiar with nursery owners Sue Milliken and Kelly Dodson and perhaps some of the plants they have introduced to the Pacific Northwest and gardeners across the country via their plant explorations abroad. But more recently, the couple has started a nonprofit organization, Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy with goal of preserving botanically important rare and endangered plants. In this lecture you’ll learn why conservation efforts like these are important to the world of horticulture and the planet as a whole. Sue and Kelly will also share some success stories of plants that have been fostered at the conservancy and that you might be able to grow in your gardens to further the cause of preservation.

Sponsored by Fine Gardening’s Growing Knowledge lecture series. 

Kelly D Norris - Award-winning plant expert, designer and author, New Naturalism

Ecological generalists—plants with broad tolerances to where they root—power the planet. Many of these species lurk in the shadows of traditional gardens or sulk in obscurity on the garden floor. But prevalence is their virtue; they have adapted to a wide range of growing conditions across a considerable geographic footprint. In this immersive class, renowned plantsman Kelly Norris will introduce the audience to a wide range of ecological generalists from North America and explain what makes them important to the ecology of the garden. Participants will learn about varied plant communities, the ecological properties that define them, and how to translate them into gardening practice, as well. 

Sponsored by Fine Gardening’s Growing Knowledge lecture series.

Vegetable gardeners are all too familiar with insect pests and plant diseases. But what about the frustrating problems that are either caused by the weather or something we did or did not do? Author Susan Mulvihill discusses blossom-end rot, sunburn, fruit cracking, bolting, leaf roll, and bitterness. Most of these disorders are preventable. Learn the simple steps you can take in your garden to eliminate or greatly reduce the chance they will become a problem.

We love flowers. The question is how can we grow lots and lots of our favorite flowers in a small space? Jenny Rose loves a floriferous garden, and she will share some of her ideas for growing as many flowers as possible for as many months as possible. Whether you garden in flower beds or containers—plant choice and management techniques can provide a succession of flowery blooms from spring through fall.

Hummingbirds amaze and intrigue us. Their high-speed enigmatic lifestyles are a blur; their startling colors and exotic behaviors are delights. Hummingbirds also inspire us—they are like tiny ambassadors with the power to usher people into a deeper interest in and appreciation for the natural world. Join John for this fun-filled program and learn how to attract hummingbirds with their favorite flowers and astute gardening techniques; learn how to cater to them, and how to be a great hummingbird host in your garden.

Accelerating your spring garden sparks a cascading effect across the entire growing season. Learn why and how to maximize spring productivity—and followed by a productive summer and fall garden too. With succession planting the right seeds at the right time, we can all grow more food for longer, the very thing our planet needs.

Kim Stoddart - U.K. garden journalist and co-author, The Climate Change Garden 

Join the U.K.’s Sally Morgan and Kim Stoddart for a look at how climate may bring extreme weather challenges, changing seasons and greater risk of pest and disease in U.S. gardens. How will this affect trees, bulbs, flowers, shrubs and edibles on the ground for everyone? This is a solution focused presentation with accessible, savvy ideas and inspiration to help gardeners make their outside spaces more climate resilient for the future (water conservation, storm water management, soil management, looking at plant selection and much more besides). The importance of soil, encouraging wildlife for biodiversity and natural pest control and many more hands-on easy-to-employ ideas.

Between square-foot style and the ubiquitous rectangular wooden raised bed, vegetable gardens are often the last to be considered creative. But creativity fuels the resourceful spirit a vegetable gardener needs to be successful—and to have fun! We’ll explore inspiration from other types of gardening, from perennials to permaculture, to find ideas that help us break outside the box and discover more creativity, connection, and joy in the practice of growing food.

A healthy garden is one where plants grow well without massive infusions of chemicals or major continual upkeep. Garden author Mary-Kate Mackey focuses on five steps you can take to boost your garden’s resilience and vigor, while supporting a wide diversity of wildlife. The bonus? Less work and more time for enjoyment of your outdoor space—whether you’re caring for a collection of containers or acres of beds and borders.

Groundcovers are low-growing plants that serve many different purposes in the landscape from limiting weed growth to stabilizing slopes to adding texture to your garden. Kathy Jentz, author of the forthcoming book, Groundcover Revolution, will cover several of these beautiful, hard-working plants and the best kinds to use for your region.

C.L. Fornari - Author, Coffee for Roses and The Cocktail Garden Hour and award-winning co-host, Plantrama Podcast

Ellen Zachos - Award-winning co-host, Plantrama Podcast, and author, The Forager’s Pantry, Backyard Foraging and The Wildcrafted Cocktail

The award-winning Plantrama duo returns! Join Plantrama podcast co-hosts C.L. Fornari and Ellen Zachos as they present their Top 10 suggestions for what to know and grow this year. Top 10 new shrubs, favorite herbs for cooking, cocktail hour garden plants, and vegetables. Hear about the Top 10 Tools and the Top 10 Tricks for making your gardening easier. Inspirations you can use with plants you can grow, plus door-prizes! In 2019 the Plantrama podcast won the Gold Medal from GardenComm International.

Time was when we wanted to design gardens that were beautiful. Planting trees, shrubs, and perennials together to create a space that was aesthetically pleasing was the goal. Now we know better. Colony Collapse Disorder and the plight of pollinators have made us aware that we do not garden alone. We need to be designing landscapes and gardens with a mindful eye to the environment around us. Join garden designer and beekeeper Deborah Trickett, owner of The Captured Garden, as she shows you how with a few tweaks we can create spaces that are not only beautiful but beneficial to bees and other pollinators.

Eating wholesome fresh fruit is not just “trendy” anymore; it’s a cultural shift. Anyone can grow veggies and fruit in the garden, and even containers are great on the patio or balcony. Join horticulturist Richie Steffen for his top discoveries from the garden show Plant Market. Indulge yourself in this main course of terrific edibles. Richie will also cover partner plants to go with edibles. Finding just what you want is a breeze, as Richie provides booth numbers and company names for you to follow up on your favorite choices.

Begonias are one of the most beautiful plants in our homes and gardens. From the huge blooms that last all summer in the tuberous group, to the luscious leaves of the indoor and conservatory types. Fibrous-rooted, tuberous, hardy, rhizomatous, and rex begonias, where should a beginner begin? From the easiest begonias to the fussiest, care, propagation, and cultivation tips will be shared for both beginners and advanced growers.

Pruning shrubs and small trees is very much a science as well as an art. If you’ve had the frustration of not getting the results you expected after pruning, this invaluable seminar will help you figure out the right tools, the right cuts, and the best timing to get the most out of your garden shrubs with the least amount of effort. Properly pruned trees enhance their beauty and add value to your landscaping. Your shrubs and trees will thank you!

Join Teresa’s floral demonstration for an entertaining look at how the language of flowers tells a story. Posies are a circular nosegay with flowers and herbs that carry sentiments and messages in a secret language. They are a sweet, elegant, and whimsical treat for the eyes, and extremely fun to make. Teresa will demonstrate the materials and inspiration to create a posy, sharing modern design techniques along with garden blooms and heartfelt messages—yellow roses convey friendship, silver-leaf geraniums articulate admiration, basil signifies best wishes, and a world of other possibilities.