Thanks for another great season of speakers, enjoy the summer!
Past Speakers from 2016-2017:
C.L. Fornari, Gardening Expert, Author, Speaker, Radio Host and Blogger will discuss design mistakes and how to improve on them in her presentation, Landscape Design Bloopers. C.L. is the author of several books including “Coffee for Roses” and “The Cocktail Hour Garden.” She gardens at Poison Ivy Acres on Cape Cod, and her initials may or may not stand for “Compost Lover.” View meeting handout. Click here to evaluate C.L.’s presentation.
In his May 18 lecture, garden designer Andrew Keys will show you how to skip over the fussy plant prima donnas. He’ll discuss the problem plants and offer alternatives with similar characteristics that are destined to be the new stars of your garden. Andrew’s presentation is based in his first book, ‘Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?: 255 Extraordinary Alternatives to Everyday Problem Plants’ (Published by Timber Press in 2012) which offers hundreds of all-star alternatives that replace — and often outshine — popular problem plants. His second, ‘Growing the Northeast Garden’, also published by Timber, in partnership with photographer Kerry Michaels, hit the market in 2015. View meeting handout. Click here to evaluate Andrew’s presentation.
Jim Locklear is Director of Conservation at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska. He has worked in the field of public horticulture for 30 years, previously at the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Kansas, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and the Morton Arboretum in Illinois. He is the author Phlox: A Natural History and Gardener’s Guide, (2011) and editor of the revised edition of Claude Barr’s wildflower classic, Jewels of the Plains (2015). Jim received the Edgar T. Wherry Award from the North American Rock Garden Society for “outstanding contribution in the dissemination of botanical and horticultural information about native North American plants.” View meeting handout. Click here to evaluate Jim’s presentation.
Did you know that mayapples are dispersed by box turtles or that Jack in the Pulpit can change sexes? From thorns to poisons to odd survival strategies our native flora is full of strange and noteworthy species. Join Dan Jaffe at the March 16 meeting in West Hartford to learn about these and other species as well as how to use them in the landscape. View handout #1. View handout #2. Click here to evaluate Dan’s presentation.
Biologist, writer and TV personality, Roger Swain, will captivate the CHS membership with his discussion, What are Gardens Good For? Roger is best known as ‘the man with the red suspenders’ and as the host of the television show, “The Victory Garden” on PBS from the mid-80s until 2001. From 2005-06 he was the co-host of the television show “People, Places, and Plants” with Paul Tukey on HGTV. Click here to evaluate Roger’s presentation.
Join us on Thursday, January 19, when Wayne Mezitt will discuss how to Expand the Seasons of Interest in the Garden. Wayne is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and Owner of Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton and Chelmsford Mass. View meeting handout. Click here to evaluate Wayne’s presentation.
At our Thursday, November 17 meeting, Andy Brand will take you on a journey throughout the year to look and learn about some of the plants that wow us with their fruit in his presentation entitled Berried Treasure: Spectacular Fruit for the Garden. View meeting handout. Click here to evaluate Andy’s presentation.
On Thursday, October 20, Karen Bussolini – award-winning garden photographer, writer, lecturer, eco-friendly garden coach and NOFA-Accredited Organic Land Care Professional – will take some of the mystery out of choosing garden bulbs that require no fuss yet will delight with plentiful blooms for years to come. View meeting handout. Click here to evaluate Karen’s presentation.
Did you know that, for decades, UConn has been a force when it comes to new plant development and introductions? Learn more on Thursday, September 15 at the first Program Meeting of our 130th Season where CHS 2016-17 Mehlquist Award Winner and UConn Professor, Dr. Mark Brand, will discuss the work that goes into the introduction of new cultivars. Click here to evaluate Mark’s presentation.