Presenting our 2022 – 2023 speaker season!
Our new hybrid model includes broadcasting Winter events on Zoom at 7pm (January, February and March meetings), the rest are held in person at Emanuel Synagogue Auditorium, 160 Mohegan Drive, West Hartford. Members don’t pay admission for our speakers; Non-member suggested donation is $10. Free to full-time students with valid ID. Social time begins at 7pm, followed by the speaker program at approximately at 7:30pm. Save money and become a member today!
Speakers include:
September 15, 2022 – A Bountiful Year: Six Seasons of Beauty from Brandywine Cottage Brandywine Gardens creator and garden designer David Culp gives us a peek inside his celebrated garden with a focus on recipes, a garden to-do list, flower arrangements, practical information, and more.
Register here.
October 20, 2022 – Stone in the Garden
Stone Artisan Andrew Pighills will explore the myriad ways in which stone plays a part in the garden, how it defines garden areas, paths, walkways and patios, and more, and which material is most suitable to creating contrast or harmony.
November 17, 2022 – Shrubs, the New Perennial
Shrubs are the new garden accessory! Lorraine Ballato, horticulturist, garden writer, and speaker, will discuss how shrubs come in small sizes—just right to take the place of perennials in your gardens, with little maintenance.
January 19, 2023 • Virtual Only – Designing with Native Plants
James Dillon, landscape designer and horticulturist, views landscape design as the integration of science, nature and art. He will show us how to meld all of that together to create a beautiful garden.
February 16, 2023 • Virtual Only– New Perennials: A Love Story
Deborah Chud’s discussion of the work of the New Perennialists is part memoir, part history, and part design theory–and she throws in some practical “dos and don’ts” for gardeners at every level.
March 16, 2023 • Virtual Only – Poppies, Peacocks and Parterres—Gardens of Scotland
Gardener and author Nancy Stevens shares gardens ranging from 17th century parterres to a modern garden of cosmic speculation—and where did Arthur Conan Doyle learn so much about poisonous plants?
April 20, 2023 – Nibbling on Natives in Your Back Yard and Beyond
Join Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, for a presentation featuring dozens of species of native edible wild plants suitable for adding to your landscape, or nibbling on as you encounter them.
May 18, 2023 – Healthy Plants, Indoor and Out
Dr. Nick Goltz, the director of UConn’s Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, will introduce fundamental techniques of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the home gardener as well as tips and tricks on how to help your plants live their best lives
June 15, 2023 – The Eye of the Beholder: Is It Messy, or an Acquired Taste?
The rewards of gardening with nature, not against it, are a fabulous mix of process and perception. Landscape designer Edwina von Gal discusses why we need to change the way we garden and how to make it happen.