The energy at the Marriot in Cromwell was palpable as everyone expressed joy to be gathering in person again for a conference; in this case, the Connecticut Horticultural Society’s biennial symposium on Oct. 24th.
Vendor and non-profit booths lined the hall upon entering. Behind that, an open courtyard offered natural sunlight and a chance to enjoy the beautiful day. Inside the conference room, tables were adorned with beautiful floral centerpieces featuring flowers grown in Connecticut gardens. A big shout out to Jillian Shea and the CT Flower Cooperative for their generous donation of flowers, along with volunteer flower arrangers Pat Lavery, Jessie Mangs, and Nancy DuBrule-Clemente. Nancy supplied flowers from her gardens and offered a greenhouse at Natureworks to arrange them.
The first speaker was Christine Darnell, whose talk “Approaching the Garden” offered an in-depth presentation about design through various ages and stages of our gardening lives. It was beautifully illustrated with pictures of her gardens, designs she has done, and gardens that she has visited and studied in. Christine’s talk was sponsored by B. Yaeger, LLC.
The keynote speaker was Rebecca McMackin, and she deeply inspired and moved the audience with her presentation, “Adventures in Ecological Horticulture.” Rebecca, a CT resident and member of CT Hort, shared her experience as the former director of horticulture for the Brooklyn Bridge Park and other public garden spaces. Throughout her talk, she taught us about important ecological practices such as “Leave the Leaves,” “Soft Landings,” and the interconnectedness of all life in our yards, parks, and public lands. Her keynote talk was sponsored by Hollandia Nurseries.
Christine Darnell kicked off the day with her presentation. Rebecca McMackin was the keynote speaker for the symposium.
Jennifer McGuiness had a lot to share with the audience. The panel of professionals, representing gardening at every age, spoke about their experiences and was a great way to wrap up the symposium.
Attendees enjoyed a delicious array of pastries with our coffee and tea, generously sponsored by Cricket Hill Garden.
Following lunch, Jennifer McGuinness spoke to us about “Designing for Birds: Lessons from an Evolving Garden.”
In her delightful, charming style, she shared tips about gardening for the birds and showcased her incredible photography and bird videos. Jennifer McGuinness was sponsored by Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter.
The final event of the day was a panel discussion, “Gardening for Every Age.” Panelist tables were adorned with grapevines, floral centerpieces, and gourds. Jim Sirch was our moderator. Jillian Shea, Jennifer McGuinness, Eric Mason, Dan Furman, Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, and Karen Bussolini offered fascinating insights into the challenges, joys, and inner workings of creating and caring for gardens at various ages and stages of our gardening lives.
As we wrapped up, we picked the winners of the door prizes given by more generous donors: a Spearhead Spade and a signed copy of Jennifer McGuiness’s book, Bird-Friendly Gardening. Centerpieces were given to the person at each table who had gardened the longest. A big thank you goes out to Prides Corner Farms, our overall sponsor. They had a large American Beauties Native Plants display in the vendor market and offered lots of free educational material.
We also want to thank Broken Arrow Nursery for being a support sponsor.
One of the best parts of an in-person conference is to network, learn, and shop with vendors and non-profit organizations. Lorraine Ballato was signing and selling her new book, Pruning Hydrangeas. Connecticut Gardener was there with the latest issue and bundles of back issues. Natureworks had a double booth stuffed with plants, bulbs, books, and tools. Cricket Hill Nursery overflowed their booth with peonies, paw paws, figs, and other interesting shrubs. Margie Sherman Design featured her beautiful botanical textiles. The Living Collection featured large mobile planters on wheels. Cool Vu offered installation of bird proofing for glass windows. Barbara Yaeger showcased her design work. The Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter gave out information and answered questions.
A conference of this scope was made possible by CT Hort staffers Mary Anna Martell and Tracey Weiss, our CT Hort President Jim Sirch, Conference Chairwoman Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, along with an incredible group of volunteers, including Debra Climan, Diane Erling, Maura Esposito, Kasha Furman, Margaret Haldeman, Pat Lavery, Beth Ann Loveland-Sennet, Jesse Mangs, Cheryl Marino, and Barbara Yaeger.
Thanks to the staff at Courtyard Marriott Hartford Cromwell for their wonderful and gracious service.
