Upcoming Presentations
2025
1/13 - Northfielders Garden Club
1/28 - 29 - InVigorateU - Big, Bold Perennials
2/5 - Country Gardeners of Northfield
2/11 - Geneva Public Library
2/13 - Hilltop Gardeners of Oswego
2/15 - Chicago Botanic Garden - Natural History of the Tulip: Online
2/26 - 28 - iLandscape
3/7 - The Morton Arboretum - Sustainable Garden Design
3/11 - Glenview Public Library
3/12 - Oak Park Garden Club
4/8 - Twig n Bloom Garden Club
4/10 - Park Ridge Garden Club
4/19 - Chicago Botanic Garden - Ephemeral Spring Wildflowers
5/17 - Chicago Botanic Garden - Exploring Unsung Pollinators
Current Presentation Topics
Big, Bold Perennials Discover how to add height and drama into your garden with big, bold, bodacious perennials. Tall plants are cool plants! The secret to a stunning garden design is a variety of plant layers that draw the eye up, yet many gardeners shy away from plants that grow to more than three feet tall. We’ll review some favorite tall perennials that will create layers of color and texture in your garden.
By the Light of the Moon: An Evening Garden Many of us only can enjoy our garden spaces in the evening after a busy day. Why not create a special garden to enjoy when the sun goes down and the moon rises? We’ll discuss garden design and delve into the many types of plants that add color and texture to dusk and beyond.
Container Gardening: Planting for Flowers, Foliage, and Food Gather inspiration for fresh container designs from traditional to contemporary. We’ll also cover container growing basics including watering, drainage, composition, winter care, scale, and more.
Fantastic Fall Flowers Yes, you can have flowers from the garden on your Thanksgiving table! We’ll explore which perennials bloom in autumn and add color to our late season gardens, be it sunny or shady. Fall flowers also play an important role in feeding our pollinators before hibernation or migration.
Hydrangeas 101 Heavenly hydrangeas! One of our favorite long-blooming shrubs for the home landscape, hydrangea varieties have become one of the hottest must-have plants for your yard. We’ll discuss the siting, care, and pruning requirements of each of the five shrub species and two vines commonly planted in the Chicago area.
Native Plants for the Formal Garden How do we incorporate native plants into more formal landscapes? Explore structural well-behaved native plants for sun and shade that offer interesting architecture, distinctive flowers, and host a bevy of beneficial insects.
Native Plants for Small Gardens Explore a curated list of native plants that can enliven the home garden without growing out of bounds. We will examine plants for all types of sites from shady to sunny; wet to dry. Discover how to layer in natives to attract pollinators and birds, plus give you seasons of color and pleasure.
A Natural History of Oaks, Elms, Beeches, or Maples (pick one) From pre-settlement to today, discover the many ways humans, birds, animals and insects have used and treasured these magnificent trees. We will examine where these trees are typically found in nature, their myriad uses over the centuries, folklore and stories, plus faunal partnerships.
Rain Gardens 101 Discover the benefits to rain gardens! As more municipalities start encouraging residents to manage stormwater on their own properties, rain gardens are becoming an easy way to manage water and add a lively garden feature. We’ll walk through the basics of engineering, the different types of rain gardens, and explore an extensive plant list.
Romance of Roses Roses dazzle, delight, and romance us in many ways. Fall in love with roses as we dive into the commonly available varieties as well as explore hardy heirlooms, species, and climbers. Learn basic culture and care, plus what rose to match with your space and expectations.
Shady Characters: Nifty Plants for Shady Sites We love the cooling shade of trees, but what can we plant to bring color and life in the shade? Explore the colors and textures of shade loving plants as we take a look at varieties and species for dry shade, moist shade, part shade, and dense shade.
Spring Ephemerals We love our early wildflowers as treasured signs of spring. Dive into what makes these fleeting flowers so special, from feeding newly woken pollinators to unique seed strategies to a myriad of human uses. We’ll explore some of our Midwestern favorites including where to experience them locally.
Woody Plants for Butterflies Did you know an oak tree is the larval host for more than 500 species of butterflies and moths? Discover the many trees, evergreens, shrubs, and vines that are home to a wide array of Lepidoptera. We’ll explore the host plants and life cycles of common favorites and rare beauties in this information-packed session.