A collaboration of gardeners, educators, designers and business leaders, the Nantucket Garden Festival highlights the unique and beautiful garden ecosystems on Nantucket and focuses on the importance of sustainability, conservation and gardening ethics for the long-term health of the island. 2022 marks the 13th anniversary of the Festival! Join us for a celebration of gardening through a host of educational workshops, exquisite garden tours, family activities and parties. View the schedule of events here: www.NantucketGardenFestival.org.
The Keynote Presenter will be Kelly Norris, one of the leading horticulturists of his generation. An award winning author and plantsman, Kelly’s work in gardens has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design and in numerous television, radio and digital media appearances. His passion for planting at the intersections of horticulture and ecology has culminated in a new book New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden from Cool Springs Press. Kelly also presents plants for Cottage Farms Direct on QVC and lectures widely to consumer and industry audiences. He is the former director of horticulture and education at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, where for 8 years he directed efforts in design, curation, programming, garden and facility management after serving as the owner’s representative to nearly $20 million in capital projects.
Other presenters include Meredith Hanson, a watercolor and acrylic artist, Hafsa Lewis, owner/founder of Hafsa and Co., a local floral design studio that “uses flowers to help businesses stand out”, Austin Eischeid, and independent garden design consultant based in Chicago, Chris Roddick, Head Arborist and Foreman of Grounds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Rebecca McMackin, Director of Horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
The Festival raises operating and scholarship funds for Nantucket Lighthouse School, and supports its horticulture curriculum. Nantucket Lighthouse School’s educational garden and greenhouse provides students with a living laboratory and a deeper connection to the natural world. With weekly horticulture classes, a program advised by long-time friend and Festival supporter, Russell Morash, students spend time in the garden and greenhouse planting, weeding, watering, observing and tending to their plants and beds.
