8:30 a.m. Registration (coffee and light refreshments will be available)

9:00 a.m. Welcome: Margaret Larson, County Director

 

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. BREAKOUT SESSION 1: Galls Gone Wild! by Tricia Bethke, Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator, The Morton Arboretum
Discover the fascinating and often hidden world of galls. These unique plant growths are caused by insects, mites, fungi, or bacteria. Learn how they form, their ecological roles, and the surprising diversity they bring to our landscapes. Join us for an engaging session that will leave you amazed by the wonders of nature!

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. – BREAKOUT SESSION 1: Growing Home: Bringing the outside in, or the inside out! by Lyndie Toohill, Assistant Conservatory Manager, Nicholas Conservatory.
Lipstick plants growing out of a purse? String of pearls spilling out of a jewelry box? Ice plant in the ice box? Who knew letting plants take over could be so much fun! Learn how Nicholas Conservatory brought the world of houseplants and household items together for their summer 2024 exhibit, Growing Home: The Wild Origins of Domestic Houseplants, and how you can recreate these whimsical creations in your own home.

9:30 to 10:30 a.m. BREAKOUT SESSION 1: Edible Gardens by Grant McCarty, Local Foods and Small Farms Educator, Illinois Extension
Looking at your ornamental beds, both perennials and annuals, you might be thinking it's time to shake things up for the 2025 garden season. Perhaps this is the year you add edible crops into the mix. Though not new, edible landscaping with vegetables and fruit could be an approach that benefits your ornamentals, provides color throughout the season, and allow you to even reduce your growing area. In this course, we'll discuss strategies for doing this, varieties-types that would grow well, issues that you might encounter, and ideas that you can put into place this season. 

10:30 to 11:30 a.m– BREAKOUT SESSION II: Make and Take - Floral Arranging by Winnebago Master Gardeners, Illinois Extension - Cost: $20
This session, led by Winnebago County Master Gardeners, will walk you through the steps to make small floral arrangements in vessels from the produce aisle. You will make your own arrangement to take home. 
 

10:30 to 11:30 a.m. – BREAKOUT SESSION II: Backyard Cover Crops by Grant McCarty, Local Foods and Small Farms Educator, Illinois Extension
One of the "newer" tools for the home gardener to address soil issues has been around for quite some time. Cover crops, a crop commonly grown between the end and start of your season, can be used to provide nutrients for your plants, break up compaction, manage weeds, and enhance pollination. While this sounds like a perfect crop, there are many decisions you need to make when it comes to determining what cover crops are right for you- and if they are right for you! This presentation will provide an introduction, overview of management, spotlight certain cover crops, and get into general practices you can take this upcoming season.

10:30 to 11:30 a.m. BREAKOUT SESSION II: Looking Forward to a Livelier Landscape: Indigenous Plant-based Landscapes, The Best is Yet to Come by Alan Branhagen, Executive Director, Natural Land Institute

We are gardeners because we need to play in Nature to enrich our lives. This program provides some current ideas on how one can capture the spirit of our place and bring more nature into our landscapes. Insects run the world after plants: learn some keystone plants to nurture more insects and create a more sustainable landscape. Know maintenance that embraces Nature to create a flourishing ecosystem: what does it take to have a diversity of birds, butterflies & moths at one’s home?  Lastly, have faith in a seed, understand that plants migrate and know if you plant it, they (nature!) will come.  Let’s have fun and bloom where we are planted!

11:30 to 12:30 FEATURED SPEAKER: Incorporating Annuals into the Landscape by Mark Dwyer, Landscape Prescriptions by MD

Seasonal plantings, when thoughtfully utilized and maintained, can add amazing texture and color throughout our landscapes. Whether we're inserting annuals into containers, beds, borders or as accents throughout our spaces, the wide range of available options seems limitless!  We'll discuss some of the most impactful annuals, for sun and shade, to consider in your gardens and will also discuss their most advantageous design use, combination potential and proper care.