Speaker Meetings

Connecticut Horticultural Society and New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill are thrilled to be co-sponsoring David Culp, who will present “A Bountiful Year: Six Seasons of Beauty from Brandywine Cottage,” on September 15.

Stone artisan Andrew Pighills will explore the myriad ways in which stone plays a part in the garden, how it defines garden areas, or paths, walkways and patios, and more, and which material is most suitable to creating contrast or harmony. Born in Yorkshire, England, Andrew Pighills is an accomplished gardener, horticulturist and builder of dry stone […]

Shrubs are the new garden accessory! Lorraine Ballato, horticulturist, garden writer, and speaker, will discuss how shrubs now come in small sizes, just right to take the place of perennials in your borders and gardens, with little maintenance. Shrubs now come in sizes from 12" to 24", just the right size to take the place of […]

James Dillon, landscape designer and horticulturalist, views landscape design as the integration of science, nature and art. He will show us how to meld all of that together with native plants to create a beautiful garden. James Dillon, PCH is a Certified Horticulturist with over 20 years of experience working in the green industry. With […]

“New Perennials:  A Love Story” is a personal introduction to the design principles of the New Perennialists, who gave rise to the hottest gardening trend in the world today—naturalistic landscaping.  In the US, their influence can be seen in New York’s High Line, Chicago’s Lurie Garden, the Oudolf Meadow at Delaware Botanic Gardens, and Oudolf […]

From 17th century Renaissance parterres to a garden of cosmic speculation, gardener and author Nancy Stevens will fill us in on gardens from the likes of General Eisenhower and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and size up your garden wall status. You’ll learn about everything, from a 17th century Renaissance parterres to a garden of cosmic speculation; from […]

There’s an increasing interest among homeowners, property managers and others to utilize more native species in their landscaping, thanks to books like Doug Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home, which extol the virtues of native plants over exotic ornamentals for attracting and sustaining beneficial insects. Yet, for some people, this alone may insufficient motivation to “go native.” The fact […]

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 any plants—from hardy CT natives to delicate tropical houseplants—live their best lives. Nick is the director of UConn's Plant Diagnostic Laboratory. He moved to Connecticut […]

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. Our obsession with tidy, "clean" landscapes is proving to be harmful to the things and the ones we love. […]