SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

From the blue mopheads and lacecaps to the white panicles and beyond, there’s a hydrangea for every garden. Learn which varieties will live and flower well in your gardens. Find out how to prune those blue-flowering types that bloom on “old wood.” Hear about shorter varieties, and types that do well in pots. Have your Hydrangea questions answered, and discover how to get long-lasting flowers in your yard and garden. From sun to shade, from tall to small, there is a hydrangea for every garden, and attendees will discover the plants that are right for them.

Anne Biklé  - Biologist, science writer and co-author, What Your Food Ate and The Hidden Half of Nature

David R Montgomery, PhD - Award-winning University of Washington professor and co-author, What Your Food Ate and The Hidden Half of Nature

We know that what we eat matters to our health, but one aspect remains underappreciated—what the plants and animals that land on our dinner plates eat. It turns out that the roots of human health begin in the soil, with how we grow crops and raise livestock. Weaving history, science, and visits with innovative farmers reveals the links between soil health and human health become clear, and practices to improve soil health come into focus. Whether you are a conventional, organic, or regenerative gardener, everyone can improve their practices to improve their soil health.

This importance of having healthy soil to feed our plants—and ourselves—is becoming more and more clear. This seminar guides you through four easy pieces to growing an organic garden, with recipes and projects for building soil, composting, natural fertilizers, and managing insects/pests. Experienced and beginner gardeners who want to have more control over their garden’s care will love the practical DIY recipes using herbs, plants, and common household materials. 

What’s for Dinner? Dealing with Unwanted Critters in the Garden

Susan Mulvihill - Author, The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook and Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, Spokesman Review garden columnist

Edible gardening is more popular than ever and continues to evolve. Gardeners are thinking outside the box, experimenting with layering and succession planting, and discovering new strategies to deal with pesky wildlife. Here are three edible gardening authors and experts to help you get the most from your edible gardens. Susan Mulvihill will help you discover methods for determining which critter is causing you problems, how you can take action, and share an array of creative and practical strategies you can implement to make your garden less appealing to them. Kelly Smith Trimble unboxes the edible garden, helping you break out of boxy and boring gardens to discover more creativity, connection, and joy in the practice of growing food. And Meg McAndrews Cowden will inspire you with practical planting schedules and tips to push the envelope of your growing season, bringing diversity within and across your growing seasons to extend your garden’s bounty beyond what you thought possible.

Edible gardening is more popular than ever and continues to evolve. Gardeners are thinking outside the box, experimenting with layering and succession planting, and discovering new strategies to deal with pesky wildlife. Here are three edible gardening authors and experts to help you get the most from your edible gardens. Susan Mulvihill will help you discover methods for determining which critter is causing you problems, how you can take action, and share an array of creative and practical strategies you can implement to make your garden less appealing to them. Kelly Smith Trimble unboxes the edible garden, helping you break out of boxy and boring gardens to discover more creativity, connection, and joy in the practice of growing food. And Meg McAndrews Cowden will inspire you with practical planting schedules and tips to push the envelope of your growing season, bringing diversity within and across your growing seasons to extend your garden’s bounty beyond what you thought possible

Edible gardening is more popular than ever and continues to evolve. Gardeners are thinking outside the box, experimenting with layering and succession planting, and discovering new strategies to deal with pesky wildlife. Here are three edible gardening authors and experts to help you get the most from your edible gardens. Susan Mulvihill will help you discover methods for determining which critter is causing you problems, how you can take action, and share an array of creative and practical strategies you can implement to make your garden less appealing to them. Kelly Smith Trimble unboxes the edible garden, helping you break out of boxy and boring gardens to discover more creativity, connection, and joy in the practice of growing food. And Meg McAndrews Cowden will inspire you with practical planting schedules and tips to push the envelope of your growing season, bringing diversity within and across your growing seasons to extend your garden’s bounty beyond what you thought possible.

With so many spectacular plants to choose from, why go with mediocre, the ugly, or the @#$%&!?! troublesome plants? Some of Ciscoe’s past mistakes still haunt him to this day. Discover Ciscoe’s must-have plants as well as those that you should avoid—at all costs!

What if we could save nature one neighborhood, one project, one yard at a time? We can, even if our yards are under street trees, in a community garden, or in the rough of a golf course. Discover how native wildflowers, trees, and shrubs are perfectly adapted to our local climate, and how they provide the best habitats for wildlife, including native bee species. All of us can help save nature. It’s easy, fun, and educational for the whole family as well as a huge benefit to Mother Nature.

Perennials are perfect for adding beauty to gardens and containers. But are there some perennials that work better together than others? Are there some pairings that, like the power couples of Hollywood and industry, just naturally cause heads to turn? Join Deborah Trickett, owner of The Captured Garden, as she shares some of her favorite Power Couples—perennial combinations that will get your gardens and containers noticed. This is a fast-paced, visually inspiring, and sometimes humorous PowerPoint presentation that will show the audience how to be a better “matchmaker” when combining perennials for their gardens and containers.

Foraging is hot! Blame it on the pandemic, or on the fact that it’s good, clean, delicious fun…either way, it’s a great way to learn your plants and local eco-system. We’ll focus on easy-to-identify edible plants that have NO poisonous look-alikes. I’ll explain relevant habitats, how to harvest sustainably, and what you can do with your wild edibles. Once the fear factor is gone, you’ll revel in the unbuyable flavors foraging has to offer.

One of the most important elements of a beautiful and dynamic garden is layering. Learn how to layer a garden by staggering foreground, middle-ground, and background to create an alluring and satisfying landscape. Principals involved include repetition, scale, flow, depth, contrast, and focal points. Laura’s easy speaking style and great photos will help you learn how bring layering principals into your garden.

Dan Lambe wants to talk trees—how they oxygenate the planet, purify water and air, lower city temperatures, provide habitat, nurture the soul, and provide essential food sources. He will leave you with simple and straightforward tips about how to become a tree lover and, more importantly, a tree planter. He will deliver a simple, powerful, and POSITIVE message: trees are the number one nature-based solution for reversing the negative effects of a changing climate. Each of us can make an impact by planting the world’s most valuable resource.

Do you want to start or renovate your flower garden but need design and plant choice ideas and inspiration? Join Jenny Rose as she shows a range of beautiful, varied and themed flower gardens—cutting gardens, fragrance gardens, pollinator gardens and more. Get lots of positive ideas, and top ten plant lists for your own flower garden this coming season.

Rather than pining for the “greener grass” on the other side of the proverbial fence, learn to make the most of what you have while conserving both water and your time. This seminar will discuss how to maximize your garden’s potential by assessing the site conditions, determining key design criteria, then combining suitable plants with similar needs for a professional look that balances beauty and efficiency with good stewardship.

Composting is one of the best ways to build better soil, solve pest problems, and grow more vibrant plants year after year. Learn the difference between hot and cold composting, how to do both, and why composting makes a difference for both people and planet. Find out what you can really put in that bin, how to use the finished product, and how to get over the “ick” factor in the process.

One of the joys of gardening is creating a beautiful, natural space that you and the local birds, butterflies and other backyard wildlife can enjoy. National Wildlife Federation naturalist and TV host David Mizejewski will show you how to create a thriving wildlife habitat garden that provides the four components of habitat using native plants and sustainable gardening practices. He’ll also tell you how to get your garden recognized as an official “Certified Wildlife Habitat.”

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.

This demonstration covers developing a backyard sanctuary for our invaluable native pollinators—Orchard Mason bees. Jim will cover all the Mason bee's needs, including proper housing, housing location, and plants to assist in the success of bringing Mason bees into one’s yard. He’ll also review the life cycle of the Mason bee, and the maintenance requirements of your colony during the pollination process, and how to harvest, clean the cocoons and store them.

Many gardeners would love more of their favorite plants, but shy away from the expense. You can save money and still have those plants by propagating them yourself. In this hands-on demonstration, Charlie Nardozzi will show the best ways to propagate popular trees, shrubs, houseplants and flowers. Learn plant division, taking and rooting leaf, stem and hardwood cuttings and air layering, along with rooting hormone powders, the best soils, and the watering and light conditions to be successful. It’s fun and easy to get more of your favorite plants when you learn to propagate! Sponsored by Gardeners Supply Company & Velcro USA.

Are you new to the houseplant obsession? This seminar is for you! Susan will begin with the basics of light, selection, watering and fertilizing. She’ll help you decipher ambiguous light labels, and really understand and measure your light, so you can best decide where your houseplants should go. She’ll also help you match your plants to your personality and lifestyle—nurturer or neglector— to better choose your plant family. Finally, you’ll gain an understanding how to care for your plants, which is critical to your success.