March 13, 2008
2008 Perennial Plant Conference

8:00 Registration opens; refreshments served

Session A (Attendees may move freely between both sessions):

9:10 Managing Weeds of Perennials in Landscapes and Production (pesticide credit)
Randall Prostak, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Randy’s presentation will focus on the identification and management of many of the common weeds of perennial plant production and in landscapes. Strategies and products for weed prevention and management, including non-chemical options will be discussed.

10:10 Sustainable Design using Grasses, Sedges and Rushes
Rick Darke, Landscape Ethics, Photography and Contextual Design, Landenberg, PA
Durably dramatic and luminously responsive, grasses and their close relatives the sedges and rushes are playing increasing roles in truly sustainable landscapes that blend fine garden design with conservation ethics. Award-winning author, photographer, and designer Rick Darke will highlight the palette, purpose, and promise of grasses, sedges, and rushes and will discuss their use in New England gardens and shared landscapes.

11:10 - 11:30 Break

11:30 Native Design and the Herbaceous Ground Layer
Larry Weaner, Larry Weaner Landscape Design Associates, Glenside, PA
Before we ask, “What perennials should we plant?” we may want to ask, “Why do we plant perennials?” Traditionally, herbaceous plants have been valued mainly for their color, but in nature they also serve as a vital and functioning part of the larger landscape mosaic. In this session, we will learn how the compositions and ecological patterns of perennials in nature can provide design models for gardens that are more ecologically integrated, self reliant, and reflective of nature’s beauty and intricacy.

12:30 - 1:45 Lunch

1:45 New and Underused Perennials
Stephanie Cohen, Horticultural Consultant, Collegeville, PA   
New doesn't mean better, it simply means new. This very opinionated speaker gives you her perspective on the winners and losers for the upcoming growing season. Never forget I am an equal opportunity Destroyer!

2:45 -3:00 Break

3:00 The State of Green Roofs in the US
Ed Snodgrass, Emory Knoll Farms, Street, MD
Green roofs are all the buzz lately. What are they exactly? Why are they suddenly in the news? How do they relate to the horticultural and design communities? These and other questions will be answered in this session. Green roof terminology will be defined, and projects from the United States and around the world will be highlighted. Ed will also discuss design choices and their implications for plant selection.

Session B (Attendees may move freely between both sessions):

9:10 Epimediums – Not Just Groundcover Anymore
Karen Perkins Probst, Garden Vision, Hubbardston, MA
Known by some as the ultimate groundcover for dry shade, the newly available diversity of this "perfect shade perennial" is just being discovered by most gardeners. Their delicate beauty belies their tough, long-lasting nature. Karen will provide an overview of deciduous types and illustrate some of the exciting new evergreen species from China. She will discuss growth habit, propagation, sources, pests and diseases, and provide highlights of collecting trips that her partner, Darrell Probst, has made to China. Karen operates Garden Vision, a mail order nursery offering 180 species and varieties of Epimedium.

10:10 Updating Your Garden Center – Small Spends, Big Wins 
Ian Baldwin, Nursery Business Consultant, Elk Grove, CA
Ian gives a run down on the small scale investments a typical retailer can carry out each year, such as lighting, flooring, signage, benching, covered shopping, impulse creation, loyalty programs, employee training and so on, with a guide to money required, prioritization and expected returns. His presentation is illustrated with slides of winning examples from retailers around the country.

11:10 - 11:30 Break

11:30 Fallscaping: Extending Your Gardening Season into Autumn
Stephanie Cohen, Horticultural Consultant, Collegeville, PA
Autumn is often neglected as the tail end of the gardening year. The "key players" of "Fallscaping" include the multicolored foliages of trees, grasses and other plants; flashy seedheads and berries; long-blooming and late-blooming perennials; the surprising fall-blooming bulbs and vines as well as trees and shrubs. Learn to turn the fall garden into a dramatic finale.

12:30 - 1:45 Lunch

1:45 Making Money With Tomorrow’s Demographics – the Green and I-Pod Age
Ian Baldwin, Nursery Business Consultant, Elk Grove, CA
Boomers are swapping their Viola for Viagra, gardens are irrelevant to many younger consumers, and the whole industry is going to be eco-challenged very soon. Ian shows how to tap into the new and emerging markets where opportunities are huge, but this will mean challenging your current practices from recycling to ‘plant-miles’. The future calls for changes in almost everything about the way you grow, sell, and operate.

2:45 - 3:00 Break

3:00 Au Naturel in the Garden: Pest Management Gets Greener (pesticide credit)
Daniel Gilrein , Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center, Riverhead, NY
Dan will review new pests to watch for in landscapes, the common pests that bother perennials and what to do about them. Emphasis will be on biological and non-traditional approaches to managing insect and mite problems, as well as some of the more natural pest controls now on the market.