There are lots of interesting conferences and seminars scheduled in our region this year:
This week the New Directions in the American Landscape Series will have its 20th annual symposium on Native Landscape Design at Arboretum Villanova, January 13 and 14. It might be too late to register for that one but here's another sponsored by Morris Arboretum: Claire Sawyers (director of Scott Arboretum) will lecture on February 22 on "The Authentic Garden: Five Principles for Celebrating a Sense of Place." This is based on her recent book by the same name.
Earlier in the month is the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture's 18th Annual Farming for the Future Conference February 5 - 7. One of the keynote speakers, Bernard W. Sweeney, Director of the Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, also conducts his research at Natural Lands Trust's Stroud Preserve in West Chester. This conference, held at Penn State, is filled with farming techniques, good health, and good eating.
At the same time Longwood Garden's Professional Gardener Training Program is holding its 19th annual Today's Horticulture conference. It covers topics from landscape design to native plants to what it is like to be a professional gardener, and includes speakers Dan Benarcik from Chanticleer, landscape architect Rodney Robinson, and Dr. Doug Tallamy, author of "Bringing Nature Home" (reviewed at the same link as Claire Sawyer's book above).
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve is holding its 9th annual Land Ethics Symposium: Creative Approaches for Ecological Landscaping on February 19. Topics will include natural design of stormwater retention facilities, native perennials, and protecting trees during construction.
Chester County is holding its Certified Master Composter Classes at three locations this March: "Do the 'rot' thing."
And save the date for the Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville University June 4 - 6.
I am struck by the longevity of these conference series; these are topics of importance and the organizers put together a good program. Over the years cumulatively I have managed to attend most of these seminars at least once and always learned something and returned to the preserve energized.
Also don't forget to check our Natural Lands Trust calendar of events periodically: notable on there now is the February 7 Cumberland County Winter Eagle Festival, including a walk led by our New Jersey Regional Director Steve Eisenhauer.
