A Garden of Well-Being; Creating Your Gardentopia
With Jan Johnsen – Landscape Designer, Author and Speaker
Join in on a live webinar presentation on
Thursday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Click to tell us what you thought of Jan’s presentation.
Click here for Jan’s Plant list.
Note: this lecture is made possible due to generous funding from the Lois and Herb Isaacson Speaker endowment. Donations directed to the Speaker Fund helps CT Hort maintain high standards with regard to the caliber of guests we are able to experience.
Garden lovers revel in being in an outdoor space where the feeling of well-being descends upon you. So how can you transform your backyard into a place where this happens? What changes can you make to create your âgardentopia?â Jan Johnsenâs beautiful images and lively discussion will offer intriguing design ideas based on the tips offered in her latest book, Gardentopia – Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces (Countryman Press, 2019). Learn âthe Principle of Three Depths,â âThe Power of the Portal,â âHide and Revealâ among many others. A handout featuring the plants shown in the presentation will be available.
Jan has spent over four decades creating inspiring residential landscapes. In 2019 she was the recipient of the prestigious âAward of Distinctionâ from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. She is a popular speaker and writes the blog, Serenity in the Garden. Jan encourages everyone to see the possibilities in their backyard and emphasizes the benefit that the green world offers us. Her books include Heaven is a Garden, The Spirit of Stone and the new Gardentopia.
Jan studied landscape architecture at the University of Hawaii. She has worked in Japan, Kenya, Hawaii and throughout the U.S. She was awarded âInstructor of the Yearâ by the New York Botanical Garden. Her design firm, Johnsen Landscapes & Pools, has been in business since 1986.
Important Reminder: Emanuel Synagogue requires that we institute formal sign-in procedures for added safety and security at their facility. Please bear this in mind, and we appreciate your patience as we carry out their request. Thank you.
Upcoming Speakers for the 2020-2021 Season:
- October 15, 2020 – Karen Bussolini – Jazzing Up the Garden with Color, Contrast and Movement – https://www.karenbussolini.com/
- November 12, 2020 – Ellen Ecker Ogden – Kitchen Garden Design – https://www.ellenogden.com/
- January 21, 2021 – Joseph Tychonievich – Confessions of a Plant Nerd – https://www.josephgardens.com/
- February 18, 2021 – Rodger Phillips, Sub Edge Farm – Farming the Land: Seven Years Growing on a Diversified Farm – https://www.subedgefarm.com/
- March 18, 2021 – Karen Perkins – Epimediums: Jewels of the Shade – https://www.epimediums.com/
- April 15, 2021 – Leslie Duthie – Fronds with Benefits: Ferns from the Wild to the Garden – https://www.norcrosswildlife.org/
- May 20, 2021 – Tom Christopher – Nature into Art: The Gardening Lessons of Wave Hill – https://www.gardenrant.com/author/thomas-christopher
- June 17, 2021 – Gordon Hayward – The Inevitable Garden – https://www.haywardgardens.com/
Past Speakers from the 2019-2020 Season:
Thursday, May 21, 2020 The Art of Growing Food, Ellen Ecker Ogden – writer, gardener, cook:
Through gorgeous color photos of kitchen gardens, you will learn the six steps to successfully create a European-styled potager garden that is both productive and beautiful, turning âordinaryâ into âextraordinary.â Based on classic design techniques that anyone can follow, Ellenâs lecture will introduce you to heirloom vegetables with the best flavor and most fragrant flowers. She will inspire you to plant a kitchen garden with an eye towards beauty, easy care and pleasure.
Click here to download a free PDF of Ellenâs Six Steps to Successful Design.
Click here to provide feedback on Ellen’s presentation.
Thursday, April 23, 2020 Ticks: Itâs Not Just Lyme Disease Anymore, Dr. Kirby Stafford, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station:
Tick-associated diseases are increasing. The CDC estimates there are more than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. each year. In Connecticut, we have around 3,000 cases of Lyme disease reported annually and blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) carry several other pathogens that cause human disease. New ticks and their associated diseases are becoming important. Dr. Stafford will review the epidemiology of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, basic tick biology, tick bite prevention, and highlight his research on various practical and experimental methods of tick management.
Please click here to tell us what you thought of Dr. Stafford’s virtual presentation.
Thursday, March 19, 2020 Fronds with Benefits: Ferns from the Wild into the Garden, Leslie Duthie, Horticulturist:
A life-long gardener, Leslie Duthieâs devotion to ferns began the first time she grew a fern from spore. She has dedicated her career to learning about, gardening with, and propagating native plants. Learn how ferns grow from fiddlehead to frond and how to incorporate these plants into your landscape. Ferns can be used anywhere from specimens to mass plantings and in locations from the rock garden to the deep shade of the woodlands.
Unfortunately due to the coronavirus, Leslie’s presentation had to be cancelled.
Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 Cannabis on Campus: Not What you Think!, Peter Apicella, University of Connecticut:
Peter successfully obtained the first medical marijuana research license for plant science research in the state of Connecticut. In the process, he authored standard operating procedures by which he and his collaborators abide. Peter has presented his research at national and international forums, and is an advocate for hemp production. In fact, he even testified before the Connecticut State Legislature on behalf of the University of Connecticut in support of the CT hemp pilot program.
Please click here to let us know what you thought of Peter’s presentation.
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 The New Zen Garden: Japanese Design Styles for Home Gardens, Christopher Tuccio, Professor of Horticulture, Naugatuck Valley Community College:
Prof. Tuccioâs talk will focus on the key elements of creating a Japanese Zen Garden for the residential landscape. Chris will review the history, cultural significance and design elements of traditional Japanese Zen gardens and provide practical ways in which garden enthusiasts can adapt these strategies in their yards.
Please click here to give feedback on Chris’s presentation.
Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019 Saving the Bees: The Sweet Life of a Beekeeping Entrepreneur, C. Marina Marchese:
C. Marina Marchese is changing the way people taste and think about honey. This designer turned beekeeper is the visionary behind the iconic brand Red Bee Honey. During a former career as an international designer, Marina unexpectedly visited a neighborâs apiary where her first taste of fresh honey from the beehive would change the course of her life. She quit her job, built a beehive and acquired some Italian honeybees to become a beekeeper.
Please click here to tell us what you thought of Marina’s presentation.
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019 My Life with Daffodils, Eric Breed, Dutch International Photographer and bulb expert:
Eric was born in the Netherlands, quite literally into a world filled with flower bulbs. He is the son of Kees and the late Fia Breed, who owned what may be the largest collection of narcissi, tulip and colchicums in the world. Famed bulb expert Wim Lemmers is his uncle. And his grandfatherâs former growing fields, Zandvliet, are now part of the world-renowned Keukenhof Gardens in South Holland that attracts over one million visitors annually. We were delighted to have Eric enlighten us on his travels into the wild, his familyâs legendary bulb collection, and the criteria used by the Dutch when seeking new flower bulb varieties for the industry.
Please click here to let us know what you thought of Eric’s presentation.
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019 The Photo-Graphic Garden: Mastering the Art of Digital Garden Photography, Matthew Benson, Award-Winning Photographer:
Matthew’s presentation on the fundamentals of creating beautiful, compelling photography in the garden includes working with light and composition, developing a personal style, post production and image editing techniques, the best basic equipmentâ from cameras and filters to iPhones and Instagram.
Click here to let us know what you thought about Matthew’s presentation.