Seminars
2023 Vermont Flower Show Seminar Schedule
Rooms Located on Top Level
Friday, March 3, 2023
Sponsor: VT Agency of Agriculture, Foods & Markets
ROOM A
10:30 – 11:30 AM
Annuals: The Perfect Accessory to Any Garden Space. Vermont gardens can range from USDA Hardiness Zone 3b to 5B plus micro-climates. And Heather Poire, of Proven Winners, knows annuals to any of the Green Mountain State’s conditions. She’ll introduce what she calls the “25 must-have annuals for sun and shade” — the newest, most popular and tried and true cultivars from the PW line. She’ll suggest color combinations and foliage plants for any garden style or size. Heather knows her ‘Supertunias’ from her ‘Superbenas’. www.provenwinners.com/plants/annuals
ROOM B
10:30 – 11:30 AM
Growing a Beautiful, Medicinal Perennial Garden. Staying healthy starts right in the perennial garden. Many beautiful and hardy herbs can be used to address common health complaints while doing double-duty as ornamentals, cut flowers, and pollinator attractants. Red Wagon Plants nursery herbalist Sophie Cassel will introduce some lesser known perennial medicinal plants and give tips on selecting, growing and harvesting for both garden function and therapeutic use. www.redwagonplants.com
ROOM A
NOON – 1:00 PM
Reblooming Perennials and Flowering Shrubs. Gardeners dream of magnificent flower gardens that provide nonstop color, attract pollinators and require much less maintenance. Kerry Ann Mendez, of Perennially Yours in Kennebunk, Maine, will show that one simple way to make this a reality is by incorporating reblooming perennials and flowering shrubs. These could be plants that bloom six or more weeks with no deadheading or those that serve up a second round of flowers later in the season. “And I’m not talking a measly display. Many of these dynamos are natives,” she says. Featured plants will be for sun to shade. https://pyours.com
ROOM B
NOON – 1:00 PM
Reimagining Forests: Not Just Trees, Crops & Pretty Landscapes. “You’ve got to get excited about messiness,” says Ethan Tapper, who can get anyone to see a walk in the woods a whole new way. Guaranteed. Tapper, the Chittenden County Forester for the VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation can scan forestland and tell the past, present and future of Vermont’s forests. He’ll explain what healthy forests are actually like, how they work and how they affect people’s lives and quality of life – whether a property has three pines or is a 100-acre woods. He’ll describe the legacies that modern forests face and challenges they will confront. Finally, Ethan will detail how forest stewardship is an important part of protecting our forests, our biodiversity and ourselves, and critical to building vibrant local and global communities and ecosystems. Since 2020, Ethan has been winning forestry’s top awards, not only for what he says, but also for his prolific and popular communication style across all platforms. His YouTube channel has 500 subscribers and 100 videos – some with 2K hits. https://linktr.ee/ChittendenCountyForester
ROOM A
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Waking Up Your Spring Gardens: Not Too Fast, Not Too Slow. Marijke Niles will teach what nature’s signs are for when the time is right to begin spring gardening. She will share reasons why not to start too early for both the gardens and the ecosystems that share those beds. Her tips for how to get Vermont’s short season rolling (even at her nursery at elevation 1,500 feet) will save gardeners time and work. Sure, so doing some of that work in fall would’ve helped! But it is not the work most gardeners would expect! Make this the best season ever. Be inspired! Marijke is owner of Marijke’s Perennial Gardens Plus Nursery and nearly 40 display gardens on 8 acres in Starksboro. www.perennialgardensplus.com
ROOM B
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
No-Dig Gardening & Raised Beds. Charlie Nardozzi will explain how to convert beds to no-dig gardens, build no-dig beds on weedy sites, maintain no dig-gardens and protect plants from animals and pests with raised beds, just as he does in his own North Ferrisburgh gardens. By mimicking nature in creating a healthy ecosystem under the soil, billions of microbes are able to create a fertile environment where water, air and nutrients flow; pests are kept in check and plants can grow strong. He’ll talk about related techniques, such as straw bale gardening, hugelkultur, keyhole beds and polyculture. And he’ll cover the benefits and drawbacks of different raised bed materials. Charlie is a well known radio and television personality, author and speaker on all things gardening, so we’re lucky to have him here on his home soil. www.gardeningwithcharlie.com
ROOM A
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
This Year Get the Upper Hand: Pests and Diseases to Expect in 2023. Ann Hazelrigg has seen it all. Close up. Under a microscope. Vermont gardeners’ weed samples, garden diseases and insect infestations. It’s all part of her work as director of the University of Vermont Plant Diagnostic Clinic and her experience in the field and in her Williston home gardens. In this seminar she’ll tell what she saw in 2022, what is coming, what to do about them, and to give gardeners hope. Ann will include updates on spongy moth, beech leaf disease, jumping worms, leek moth and spotted lantern fly, among other invaders! www.uvm.edu/extension/pdc
ROOM B
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Landscape Lighting Welcomes You Home. Award winning landscape designer, David Burton of Ginkgo Design in Underhill, makes a convincing case for the right lighting in the right places in home gardens and landscape is not only an easy improvement to curb appeal, but also highlights specimen trees and stone walls. Landscape lighting accents home’s and garden’s best features, improves outdoor gatherings and provides property safety and security. Learn some simple design and installation tips and tricks as well as mistakes to avoid. www.ginkgodesignvt.com
ROOM A
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere Around Your Yard. Author of the book by the same name, American Meadows co-owner Mike Lizotte will show how to create a thriving miniature meadow. Step by step, he’ll explain how to choose seeds, prepare soil, sow evenly and water well. With a bit of care anyone can reap the rewards of successive blooms through the seasons, year after year. His talk includes raffle for a signed copy of the book and a .25 lb. of Mini Meadow Mix. Mike is the author of Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere Around Your Yard, (Storey Publishing, 2019). He lives and gardens in Essex Junction. www.americanmeadows.com.
ROOM B
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Houseplants Tips and Trends. Gardener’s Supply greenhouse and interiorscapes manager Ellen Bortner will share emerging trends and top tips for success with indoor plants. 90 minutes. www.gardeners.com
Saturday, March 4, 2023
Sponsor: Marijke’s Perennial Gardens Plus
ROOM A
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
The Art of Shade Gardening: Seeing Your Way Out of the Dark. Shade gardening need not be frustrating. Kerry Ann Mendez, of Perennially Yours in Kennebunk, Maine, will introduce enchanting perennials, flowering shrubs and annuals for spring, summer and fall color. These low maintenance plants will also include those for dry or moist conditions. https://pyours.com
ROOM B
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Abundant? Extinct? Or Something Else? The State of Vermont’s Bees. ‘State of Vermont’s Wild Bees,‘ just released in November 2022, represents a major milestone in everyone’s understanding the 352 species of wild bees known from Vermont. Spencer Hardy, a biologist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) in Norwich, led that four-year research whose dramatic discoveries were built on historic collections, fieldwork and valuable iNaturalist contributions of more than 1,500 community members – adding up to some 60,000 records. Spencer’s overview of the diverse natural histories of these bees will lead to tips and tricks for enjoying and documenting backyard bees of all kinds. Much of his seminar is dedicated to ways that all Vermonters can improve their local bee habitats and avoid possible threats, with a special emphasis on planting a diversity of native flowers, shrubs and trees. Spencer started identifying bees while he was in high school – as a technician for the Vermont Bumble Bee Atlas also for VCE. He is also co-owner of The Farm Upstream in Plainfield, a fledgling fruit and vegetable farm with plans to add a native plant nursery. www.val.vtecostudies.org/projects/vtbees
KEYNOTE
ROOMS A & B
NOON – 1:00 PM
New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden. In this era of purposeful and thoughtful gardening, planting is a powerful verb. Planting gardens inspired by nature promotes authentic connections with land, environment and humanity. Why not make a garden that works and looks good doing it? Landscapes at home and in the public realm can be beautiful and ecologically functional if we deepen our understanding of plants and places. In this lecture especially tailored to garden enthusiasts with examples from around the world, plantsman, designer and author Kelly D. Norris challenges audiences to plant the world a more beautiful, functional place. He’s considered one of the leading horticulturists of his generation. He lives and works in his Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. www.kellydnorris.com
ROOM A
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Waking Up Your Spring Gardens: Not Too Fast, Not Too Slow. Marijke Niles will teach what nature’s signs are for when the time is right to begin spring gardening. She will share reasons why not to start too early for both the gardens and the ecosystems that share those beds. Her tips for how to get Vermont’s short season rolling (even at her nursery at elevation 1,500 feet) will save gardeners time and work. Sure, so doing some of that work in fall would’ve helped! But it is not the work most gardeners would expect! Make this the best season ever. Be inspired! Marijke is owner of Marijke’s Perennial Gardens Plus Nursery and nearly 40 display gardens on 8 acres in Starksboro. www.perennialgardensplus.com
ROOM B
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
‘Close to Nature’ Landscape Design: Beautiful, Energy Wise & Multifunctional. “Keep your indoor cleanliness inside. Outside is a different environment,” declares Silvia Jope. ‘Just one of the take-home messages that environmentally minded gardeners are relieved and inspired to hear. This award winning landscape designer will teach the basic steps behind landscape planning, while approaching it through the lens of ecology and sustainability. Silvia aims to inspire gardeners to create landscapes that are havens for people and wildlife alike. Topics include: the pillars behind “Close to Nature” landscapes; overview of landscape design, analysis and site plans; and a step-by-step landscape planning sample. http://oldworldgardendesign.net
ROOM A
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Water-Wise Perennials & Gardening Practices. Summers in the Northeast are becoming drier and hotter – more like California and less the temperate rainforests familiar through the ages. Often, when it rains, quick intense storms cause damaging runoff. Gardens suffer. Gardeners are used to letting Mother Nature do the watering. It’s time to rethink our gardening practices. Sarah Salatino’s water-wise tips, watering practices, cultivation tricks and perennial choices will help gardeners keep their gardens gorgeous and productive in an increasingly unpredictable climate. Owner and head grower at Full Circle Gardens in Essex, she produces over 500 varieties of sustainably grown hardy perennials, focusing on native and pollinator plants. Display gardens educate and promote pollinator conservation. https://fullcirclegardens.com
ROOM B
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
No-Dig Gardening & Raised Beds. Charlie Nardozzi will explain how to convert beds to no-dig gardens, build no-dig beds on weedy sites, maintain no dig-gardens and protect plants from animals and pests with raised beds, just as he does in his own North Ferrisburgh gardens. By mimicking nature in creating a healthy ecosystem under the soil, billions of microbes are able to create a fertile environment where water, air and nutrients flow; pests are kept in check and plants can grow strong. He’ll talk about related techniques, such as straw bale gardening, hugelkultur, keyhole beds and polyculture. And he’ll cover the benefits and drawbacks of different raised bed materials. Charlie is a well known radio and television personality, author and speaker on all things gardening, so we’re lucky to have him here on his home soil. www.gardeningwithcharlie.com
ROOM A
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Stone in the Garden: “Miracles Happen in the Common Place,” said American painter, Andrew Wyeth. Gardeners know this to be true. In fact, an adept garden design works miracles in its own quiet way – with thoughtful use of stone and informed horticulture. Jamie Masefield of Masefield Dry Stone Masonry LLC in Monkton, will illustrate how spaces can be transformed into just such passionate expressions of craftsmanship and creativity. He’ll share case studies from his travels throughout Great Britain and his own projects in Vermont. www.jamiemasefield.com
ROOM B
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Helping Backyard Trees & Local Forests Thrive. One Hundred-Acre Wood thrives without a care as home to the bears, bees and legacy trees. It’s a fictional place. But Vermont’s backyard woodlands and street trees need best practices for planting and year-round care to withstand their changing settings. Burlington City arborist V.J. Comai will help landowners see what sites, species, planting options and care trees need to avoid common deadly mistakes, he’ll tell surprising stories of neighborhood trees and the unexpected things his shovel discovers. VJ’s Q&As are not to be missed. https://enjoyburlington.com/team/comai-vj
Sunday, March 5, 2023
Sponsor: McElwain Equipment Rental
ROOM A
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Growing Fruits & Nuts Successfully on Vermont’s Coldest Hillsides with the Least Effort. Find out the best and easiest ways to grow and harvest fruits and nuts without tilling, sprays or worries. David Fried, owner of Elmore Roots Fruit Tree Nursery in Wolcott, has spent 43 years honing the best techniques, including growing incredibly quickly well-rooted trees in gravel beds. David was a pioneer myth buster of what are coldest-hardy species and cultivars here. But home growers in warmer than USDA Hardiness Zone 3b will rejoice in meeting the nearly 70 fruits and berries and 7 nut varieties he offers. https://elmoreroots.com
ROOM B
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
What’s With Compost? The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Compost – the gold standard of soil – has changed mightily in Vermont since 2019. Natasha Duarte is on the forefront of sorting out those changes and making the most of both homemade and purchased compost. As director of the Composting Association of Vermont in Hinesburg, she’ll explain the pros and cons of both, offer tips on choosing the right blends and amounts for various gardens, and review an easy, fail-proof way to compost at home. Natasha encourages questions about compost ingredients, ways to use finished compost and details of Vermont’s “compost law”. She even has the answer for what non-compost-makers should do with food scraps. www.compostingvermont.org
KEYNOTE
ROOMS A & B
NOON – 1:00 PM
Plants with Style: A Plantsman’s Choices for a Vibrant, 21st-Century Garden. Gardeners need chic, sustainable, thriving plants for modern lifestyles. Why settle for lackluster gardens filled with dull, ho-hum plants? Plants after all are the very essence of fashionable gardening. In this spirited, provocative lecture, plantsman, designer and author of the book by the same name and many others, Kelly D. Norris calls for a garden revolution: out with boring plants and in with stylish alternatives that captivate and enthrall. A passionate horticulturist and lifelong gardener, Norris shines a spotlight on the A-list plants in every category — plants that will thrive, not merely survive. Along the way, he shows how to forge a personal style in harmony with each garden’s setting and local environment. As Kelly puts it, “A garden is the best way to savor life on earth.” Let Plants with Style be the guide to the plants that will provide a richer, more fulfilling connection between each gardener and their own patch of soil. He’s considered one of the leading horticulturists of his generation. Kelly lives and works in his Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines, Iowa. www.kellydnorris.com
ROOM A
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Growing and Using Culinary Herbs. This deep dive into the world of growing and using herbs will reveal tips used by professional herb growers that will enable home gardeners a successful harvest and inspire fresh ways to use aromatic plants to brighten foods and drinks — from cocktails to desserts. Julie Rubaud, owner of Red Wagon Plants, the popular retail and wholesale organic nursery in Hinesburg, has grown organic herbs for home gardeners, stores, restaurants and food producers. redwagonplants.com
ROOM B
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Start Where You Are: From Half the Garden to Half of the State. ‘Real-life stories of Vermonters who changed mightily when they realized that their best garden feature is Nature itself. And the benefits of change to nature and humanity, landscape by landscape, are earth shattering – in a life-affirming way. Join the conversation with award-winning Vermont certified landscape designer and VNLA past President and current board member Ashley Robinson, who will show an example of how to integrate Vermont homes into their natural surroundings. And hear from contributors to Our Better Nature: Hopeful Excursions in Saving Biodiversity, George Schenk, founder of American Flatbread and Lareau Farm and Forest, and Curt Lindberg, co-founder of the Vermont Alliance for Half Earth focusing on Vermonters who, on their own land, meet the global challenge of biodiversity loss and species extinction. 90 minutes. https://arobinsonlandscapes.com and www.lareaufarm.com/farm also www.vermontallianceforhalfearth.org
ROOM A
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Seeds of Hope – What Large-Scale Pollinator Habitats May Teach Home Landscapes. By 2023, everyone has heard that pollinators are critical to the biodiversity of nearly all life. And many home gardeners hope to do their part one potted plant or patio at a time. But Mike Kiernan thinks bigger. Much bigger. Vermont has been at the forefront in creating pollinator habitat for nearly a decade, and Bee the Change, the Vermont based nonprofit, he co-founded in Weybridge in 2015, has created habitat equivalent to each Vermont household growing a 10×10-foot pollinator garden. “That’s only a start,” he says. He’ll tell the stories of stiff challenges, hard-won lessons, and unexpected changes in thinking that inform not just the solar fields and schoolyards that are his palette, but also the backyards of anyone who has ever let milkweed grow to attract monarch butterflies. Mike encourages audience members’ perspectives and experiences. https://beethechange.earth
