Fall Conference 2026
November 7 @ 8:50 am – 12:40 pm
Myths, Mistakes, and Lessons Learned
ONLINE AND FREE VIA ZOOM
Register on Zoom
The 2026 NPSNJ Fall Conference will take place online on Saturday, November 7. This year’s theme is “Myths, Mistakes, and Lessons Learned.” All three speakers are Society board members, and they will examine gardening myths: things that everyone knows that are nonetheless wrong.
What gardening or native plant “truth” have you heard repeated so often that nobody seems to question it? Which rule has failed in your own garden? What claim about insects, trees, plant selection, propagation, or maintenance would you like our speakers to investigate? Send your myths, misconceptions, and questions to myths@npsnj.org. We will share them with the speakers to include in their presentations.
Program
8:50 AM
President’s Welcome
Kazys Varnelis, NPSNJ President
9:00 AM
Practical Horticulture: What Works and What Doesn’t
Presented by Jesse Connor
Jesse will draw on decades of experience to discuss practical horticulture: what works, what does not, and how better information can save gardeners time, money, and aggravation.
Biography: Jesse is co-leader of NPSNJ’s Southeast Chapter, a garden designer, and an educator who has spent more than thirty years transforming her property into one of southern New Jersey’s finest woodland native landscapes. Its canopy and understory trees, shrubs, woodland wildflowers, grasses, sedges, ferns, pond, and meadow reflect decades of knowledge, observation, and stewardship. She is also one of Pat Sutton’s wildlife gardening mentors.
10:00–10:15 AM — Break
10:15 AM
Plants and Insects: Myths and Misconceptions
Presented by Randi Eckel, Ph.D.
Randi will examine common misconceptions about plants and insects.
Biography: Randi is NPSNJ’s entomologist, Vice President for Membership, a past president of the Society, and the founder of Toadshade Wildflower Farm. She established Toadshade in 1996 to sustainably propagate native plants and reliable knowledge about them, and has since given hundreds of lectures on ecology, insect identification, native plants, and garden design.
11:15–11:30 AM — Break
11:30 AM
Tree Myths and Mistakes
Presented by Jean Epiphan
Jean will address myths and mistakes involving trees.
Biography: Jean is NPSNJ’s arborist and an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent with Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County. Her background spans forestry, ecology, landscape restoration, garden design, and land stewardship. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and a New Jersey Licensed Tree Expert whose work connects tree care with the long-term ecological health of our landscapes.
12:30 PM
Concluding Remarks
The conference concludes at 12:40 PM.