The Northeast Region Perennial Plant Association Symposium is presented by Massachusetts Horticultural Society & the Perennial Plant Association. This year’s symposium includes four presentations led by some of the perennial industry’s best: CL Fornari, Nancy Lawson, Bobbie Schwartz, and Deb Trickett. Pre-registration required. Early Bird: $99; After August 12: $125. The event will take place Tuesday, August 21 from 9 – 3 at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Register by calling 617-933-4973, or visit www.masshort.org.
C.L. Fornari is a creative gardening expert (aka plant geek) who transitioned from artist to garden communicator in 1995. She is the author seven books including her latest, The Cocktail Hour Garden, published by St. Lynn’s Press. C.L. is the host GardenLine, heard on WXTK, and co-host of Plantrama, a podcast produced by Zachos and Fornari. She speaks to audiences at horticultural trade shows, garden clubs, botanical gardens, master gardener symposiums, alumni/women’s groups and neighborhood associations. In addition to speaking, radio, and writing, C.L. blogs and runs a consultation service for Hyannis Country Garden, an independent garden center on Cape Cod. In 2017 her book The Cocktail Hour Garden won awards from ASJA and GWA. She also won a GWA award in 2017 for writing on her website. In 2012 C.L. was awarded the Garden Communicator Of The Year from the Perennial Plant Association and in 2013 won three awards from the Garden Writers Association. In 2015 C.L. launched the first annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, a ten-day regional celebration of open gardens. In its third year, 2017, the Hydrangea Festival raised over $43,000.00 for local non-profits.
Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife. In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces.
Bobbie Schwartz is the author of Garden Renovation: Transform Your Yard into the Garden of Your Dreams. Gardens, just like houses, sometimes need makeovers. The changes can be as minor as replacing a shrub or as major as pulling everything up and starting from scratch. No matter the size of your space or the scope of the project, the sage advice in Garden Renovation will help you turn a problem-filled yard into a paradise. Bobbie Schwartz draws on her years of experience as a garden designer to teach gardeners how to evaluate the plants and features present in their yards, determine what to keep and what to remove, choose the right plants and design plans for successful remodels, and how to know when to hire help. A gallery of before-and-after photos provides ideas and inspiration for turning a tired garden into an enlivening retreat.
Deborah Trickett, owner of The Captured Garden, is an award-winning container garden designer whose work has been featured in The Boston Globe, Garden Gate magazine, New England Home magazine and on the TV show New England Dream Home. She is a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist and a frequent lecturer on container gardening at the Boston Flower and Garden Show, as well as the Philadelphia International Flower Show. She also teaches classes and workshops at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.
