Fall Conference | Native Plants : Sustaining & Restoring Life

Nature itself has a way of sustaining life on Earth. Yet nature’s balance has been disturbed by human endeavors. Our 2022 Fall Conference speakers will share the science of nature and ecological function while offering ways each of us can restore natural processes through selection and use of native plants in our gardens and landscapes. 

9:00AM	Welcome Randi Eckel, President, NSPNJ
9:15AM	Essential Partners: The Remarkable Coevolution of Flowers and their Pollinators* William Cullina, F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum
10:30AM	Strategies for Sustainable Landscaping Sue Barton, Professor and Extension Specialist Ornamental Horticulture, University of Delaware
Noon	Wild in the Garden State with Q&A* Film by Sarah Galloway
1:00PM	Dependable Beauty for the Urban Garden Teri Speight is a garden writer, Great Garden Speaker, Garden Visionary and a garden coach at Cottage In the Court
2:15PM	The Humane Gardener: Nurturing Habitat for Wildlife* Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife, a habitat consultant, a columnist for All Animals magazine, and a frequent speaker on garden ecology
3:30PM	Closing Remarks Randi Eckel, President, NSPNJ

*The ONLY way to see this presentation is LIVE, there will be no recordings.
Register on Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9416654297074/WN_oxhT6mJLQ2O4ijFJJE6Svg

Speakers Bios & Presentation Description:

Essential Partners: The Remarkable Coevolution of Flowers and their Pollinators

Flowering plants have literally exploded onto the evolutionary stage about 160 million years ago to quickly become the dominant and most diverse group of plants on earth. Flowering plants owe much of this success to their conjugal partners – the bees, flies, moths, ants, butterflies, birds and mammals that move pollen from one flower to the next. In this engaging and information-filled talk, learn how plants use bribery, deception, and the lure of sex to convince these disparate characters to do their bidding.

William Cullina, F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum

William Cullina (kul-EYE-nuh) is the F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to this he was the President and CEO of Coastal Maine Botanic Garden for eleven years. Cullina holds degrees in plant science and psychology, has been working in public horticulture for 25 years, and has extensive experience in horticultural and forestry research, and commercial nursery production. A well-known author and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures on a variety of subjects to garden and professional groups and writes for popular and technical journals. His books include, Wildflowers, Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, Understanding Orchids, Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses, and Understanding Perennials.

The ONLY way to see this presentation is LIVE, there will be no recordings.

Strategies for Sustainable Landscaping

Make your landscape more ecologically sound by implementing a variety of sustainable gardening and landscaping techniques. Learn how to manage and conserve water using rain gardens, bio-swales, and rain barrels; reduce the demands of lawn care by adding meadow areas; and increase your energy savings with strategically placed layered plantings. Develop your garden as an ecosystem that supports a diverse population of beneficial wildlife and creates healthy, natural habitats

Sue Barton, Professor and Extension Specialist Ornamental Horticulture, University of Delaware
Susan Barton, PhD is an extension specialist and professor in the Plant and Soil Sciences Department at the University of Delaware. She has worked for the past 20+ years with DelDOT to research and implement new roadside vegetation management strategies. She has also worked with partners to develop the Plants for a Livable Delaware Program, designed to provide alternatives to known invasive plants species and to promote sustainable landscaping.

Sue teaches Plants and Human Culture, Landscape Drawing, Landscape Architecture Symposium, Landscape Management and coordinates the Landscape Architecture/Plant Science Internship. She also works closely with the nursery and landscape industry, writing newsletters, organizing short courses, and conducting horticulture industry expos with the Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association. Sue received the Nursery Extension Award in 1995 from the American Nursery and Landscape Association and the Ratledge Award for service from the University of Delaware in 2007. Sue received her SITES AP certification in summer 2017. In 2021, Sue received the George M. Worrilow award from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, given to a college alumnus with exemplary service to agriculture in the state.

Dependable Beauty for the Urban Gardener

We will identify native plants that are multitaskers in the garden. Whether in the ground or a container, using native plants for beauty and food for wildlife is easy. Using natives, nativars and non-native plants offer a diverse palette for today’s gardener.

Teresa Speight is a Native Washingtonian, Author, Former Head Gardener for the City of Fredericksburg, Va., Garden Writer, Podcaster, Visionary, and Garden Coach. A former Region II Director for GardenComm, Teri is a true Steward of the land and shares her passion on her website Cottage In the Court.

The Humane Gardener: Nurturing Habitat for Wildlife

Why do we call some insects “beneficial” while others are “pests”? Why do we welcome some larger animals to our garden while calling others “nuisances”? Why are some plants considered “desirable” while others are “weeds”? In this myth-busting talk, learn how common growing methods divide the natural world into false dichotomies and perpetuate misperceptions about the wild species living among us. Discover practical ways to put humane gardening philosophies into action by protecting nesting and overwintering sites; eliminating unintended hazards; identifying and nurturing plants that provide food and shelter; restoring habitat with minimal disturbance to animals; and humanely resolving conflicts with mammals and other commonly misunderstood creatures.

Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife, a habitat consultant, a columnist for All Animals magazine, and a frequent speaker on garden ecology. Nancy founded Humane Gardener to pioneer creative planting strategies and animal-friendly landscaping methods. Lawson’s presentations at diverse venues—from national wildlife refuges and wildflower preserves to universities and state natural resource agencies—have inspired even seasoned horticulturists and wildlife experts to look at their Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and master naturalist, she partners with nonprofits in the national capital region, including Howard County Bee City and Audubon Society of Central Maryland. Her book and garden have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Oprah magazine and other media outlets.

The ONLY way to see this presentation is LIVE, there will be no recordings.

Wild in the Garden State (Film with Q & A)

“Wild in the Garden State” is the story of connecting to the natural world in suburban New Jersey. Dave and Sarah are city transplants with no gardening experience who want a beautiful, ecological garden. The documentary short (30 minutes) will attract experienced and new gardeners who want to spend less time maintaining a pristine — and unhealthy — lawn and more time enjoying the natural world, right in their own backyard. Filmmaker Sarah Galloway honed her craft producing exhibit media for the American Museum of Natural History. Husband Dave Comins is an architect who is inspired to garden for nature while creating a beautiful, park-like space. Shot over ten years, WILD in the Garden State documents gardening mis-steps, lessons and experiences that go far beyond replacing a rectangle of lawn. It’s a story of connecting to the natural world in suburban New Jersey.

Sarah Galloway is a documentary filmmaker specializing in post-production, translating complex topics into clear and compelling stories.
Sarah began her career as an assistant editor on the seminal film Hoop Dreams. After twenty years of making exhibit media for the American Museum of Natural History she began a freelance career. Sarah’s first independent documentary, BIKE RIDDIM, featured legendary local musician, Ken “Stringbean” Sorenson. BIKE RIDDIM won the Asbury Park Press Award at the 2018 Asbury Park Music + Film Festival. WILD in the Garden State combines Sarah’s passion for ecology and filmmaking. Sarah lives in Ocean Township, New Jersey with her husband, Dave Comins. Connect with Sarah at sarahagalloway.com or on her Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/wild_in_the_garden_state/

The ONLY way to see this film is LIVE, there will be no recordings.

Register on Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9416654297074/WN_oxhT6mJLQ2O4ijFJJE6Svg