PA Horticultural Society Hosts Woody Plants For The Mid-Atlantic Conference July 19 At Swarthmore College

The PA Horticultural Society and other partners will host the Woody Plants for the Mid-Atlantic Conference and How To Use Them In Landscapes on July 19 at Swarthmore College in Delaware County from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This popular day-long conference focuses on great woody plants for the Mid-Atlantic states and how to use them in the landscape. The conference is geared to landscape professionals and avid amateur gardeners.

The speakers will include--

-- Nina Bassuk has been a professor and program leader of the Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University for the past 38 years. She is a member of the New York State Urban Forestry Council and co-author of Trees in the Urban Landscape, a text for landscape architects and horticultural practitioners on establishing trees in disturbed and urban landscapes. In addition, Nina has authored over 100 papers on the physiological problems of plants growing in urban environments. She received the Scott Garden & Horticultural Award in 2008.  Nina will be presenting New Hybrid Oaks and Other Tough Trees for the Urban Environment.

-- Bernd Blossey was born and raised in northern Germany. In 1992, he began work at Cornell University, where he is an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources. Bernd develops and implements biological weed control programs; among his target plants are purple loosestrife, garlic mustard, and Phragmites. An ever-increasing focus of his team is investigating the impacts of multiple stressors on plants, including deer and earthworms.  Bernd will be presenting Worms in the Woods: Effects of Ecosystem Engineers on Native Organisms.

-- Ed Bowen has been a gardener and nurseryman for more than two decades. Until 2018 he was proprietor of Opus Plants, a small nursery in Rhode Island, selecting and growing under-cultivated, garden worthy herbaceous plants. Now, with Taylor Johnston, he is one half of the nursery and design studio, issima. He is a garden writer, lecturer, and has grown thousands of hydrangeas from seed. Ed will be presenting Summer’s Over: Looking to the future of Hydrangea and Hydrangeaceae.

-- Patrick McMillan is director of the South Carolina Botanical Garden and Hilliard Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Clemson University. He is the host, producer and editor of the six-time Emmy-award winning “Expeditions with Patrick McMillan” seen on PBS. Patrick attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received a B.S. in biology, and Clemson University where he received his Ph.D. Patrick will be presenting Planting for Life: Woody Plants that Generate Diversity. 

-- David Rubin, founding principal of DAVID RUBIN Land Collective, devotes himself to crafting landscapes that affect positive social change through empathy-driven design. He is responsible for the design of Canal Park in Washington, D.C., Lenfest Plaza at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the University of Pennsylvania’s new Pennovation Campus, The Commonground at Eskenazi Health Hospital, the Indianapolis Museum of Art Master Plan, and the Cummins DBU Headquarters, all in Indianapolis. His studio’s work includes diverse typologies in locations from Los Angeles to Rome, New York City, Washington, D.C., the Cayman Islands, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Philadelphia. David will be presenting The City is a Landscape: Design Through a Gardener’s Lens.

Continuing education units (CEUs) for landscape architects and International Society of Arboriculture certified arborists will be available.

The Conference is co-sponsored by Morris Arboretum, Chanticleer, Longwood Gardens, the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, and Tyler Arboretum.

To register or for more information, visit the Woody Plants for The Mid-Atlantic Conference website.

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the PA Horticultural Society website, Like PHS on Facebook, Join PHS on Instagram and Follow on Twitter.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from PHS.  Click Here to become a member.

Related Articles:

Penn State Extension Hosts Intensive 5-Day Workshop Series On Managing Mixed Oak Forests Sept. 30 to Oct. 4
Celebrate The Only Prairie Bloom In PA At Jennings Environmental Center July 27 In Butler County