Keynote Speaker
Four Star Nativars
Richard Hawke, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Director of Ornamental Plant Research, the Chicago Botanic Garden
Pollinators are a popular topic among gardeners and selecting the best plants to attract and feed them is paramount. Some would say it’s simple—grow natives. Gardeners want to do their part and still have the best garden plants. This is where nativars come in. Nativar (native + cultivar) was coined by Allan Armitage to designate a cultivar of a native plant. Sounds good, but the most often asked question remains “Are nativars equal to the species where pollinators are concerned?” Richard Hawke will present a variety of perennial nativars that have performed well in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s evaluation trials and draw in pollinators of all stripes.
Richard Hawke is the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Director of Ornamental Plant Research at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where he oversees the plant evaluation, plant breeding, and plant introduction (Chicagoland Grows®) programs. He has managed the plant evaluation program since 1986. Richard has a horticulture degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is an author and contributing editor for Fine Gardening magazine and is currently president of the Perennial Plant Association. In 2023, Richard received the Scott Medal and Award, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding national contributions to the science and art of gardening.
Additional Speakers
Documenting and Tracking Ohio’s Flora: Challenges and Rewards of Conserving Ohio’s Rarest Plant Species
Dr. Rick Gardner, Chief Botanist, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
Mr. Gardner will present on the Ohio Natural Heritage Program’s efforts to conserve Ohio’s rarest plants, providing background on the program and its mission and the rare plants being tracked. He will highlight some of the rarest species including the dragon’s breath orchid, northern pitcher-plant, and others. The session will finish with a discussion of the challenges and rewards of the program since its establishment, and how Ohioans can assist in rare plant conservation.
Rick Gardner is currently the chief botanist for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. Rick has been studying Ohio’s flora and natural areas for over 30 years. He has spent most of his career in the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves but has worked for the Division of Wildlife and The Nature Conservancy of Ohio. Rick leads the Ohio Natural Heritage Section with the Division which tracks Ohio’s rare flora and plant communities. He also assists in land protection projects within the Division. He has conducted vegetation inventory studies at Camp Garfield Joint Military Training Center, McConnelsville Training Center, Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge, as well as other sites across the state. He is also a visiting scholar at the Ohio State University Herbarium, conducting research on Ohio’s flora including invasive plant species, the sedge family, running buffalo clover, xeric limestone prairies and oak barrens. Rick has authored or co-authored peer-reviewed articles on Ohio’s flora. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Botany from Miami University.
New, Now, Next: The Present and Future of Flowering Shrubs and Evergreens
Stacey Hirvela, Marketing Manager, Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs
Based in western Michigan but available around the world, Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs are created by innovative plant breeders from near and far. They seek out woody plants that truly outperform what’s already on the market and trial and test them for at least eight years to ensure they live up to their promise. Discover some of Proven Winner’s most interesting new introductions and the stories of how they came to be, as well as what’s coming down the pipeline and to a garden center near you in the future.
After earning her degree in linguistics from the University of Michigan, Stacey Hirvela realized her true calling was in the garden. She attended the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture, followed by stints as a rooftop gardener in Manhattan, the horticulturist for Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park, and as a garden editor and radio host for Martha Stewart Living. She currently serves as marketing manager for Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs and co-hosts the radio show, podcast, and YouTube show, Gardening Simplified On Air.
Conifers for Today’s Gardens
Bob Iiames, Director, Central Region of the American Conifer Society
Conifers that change color? Conifers that require no pruning? Conifers for shady areas and difficult locations? Get ready to explore the versatile world of conifers. Join Bob Iiames for an informative session where he’ll reveal the surprising variety of conifers that not only thrive in challenging spaces but also offer striking seasonal color changes and require minimal maintenance. You’ll discover exciting options for every corner of your landscape. Bob will share classic favorites and unusual new varieties, how to integrate them into your own gardens, and where to purchase them.
Bob Iiames is a groundskeeper at the 173-acre Lange Estate in Ludlow Falls, Ohio. He is the director of the Central Region of the American Conifer Society, past president of the Miami Valley Hosta Society, and a member of the Ohio Valley North American Rock Garden Society. As you might imagine, his favorite pastime is gardening. His passion is dwarf and unusual conifers and currently he has more than 400 in his collection. His gardens showcase more than 400 hostas, 250 daylilies, rock garden plants, and many other rare and unusual perennials. Bob has been a featured speaker at Master Gardener groups in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, as well as green industry professional groups, garden clubs, and plant societies. He lives in Englewood, Ohio, with his wife, Karen.
The Miniature World of Mosses and Lichens
Dr. Robert Klips, manager of bryophyte and lichen specimen collections in the herbarium of the Ohio State University’s Museum of Biological Diversity
Mosses and lichens are small organisms with an amazing capacity to grow in places too nutrient-poor or dry to support higher plants. They are small, but when viewed up close show remarkable intricacy in the structures they use to attach to substrates, capture sunlight, and reproduce. We will see close-up photographs showing the life cycle and ecology of these charming but often overlooked members of our flora, and learn how to recognize several of the most common ones.
Dr. Klips manages the bryophyte and lichen specimen collections in the herbarium at OSU’s Museum of Biological Diversity. Skilled in botanical macrophotography, Klips served as the photographer for the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s 2017 Common Lichens of Ohio Field Guide and is the author of the book Common Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens of Ohio: A Visual Guide (2022, Ohio University Press). He frequently conducts field work and educates nature study groups about the identification, ecology, and distribution of Ohio plants and lichens.
Beyond Wood: An Exploration of Non-Timber Product Opportunities in Ohio Forests
Jake Nicholson, Non-Timber Forest Products State Extension Specialist, the Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources
Join Jake Nicholson for a look at a some of the products from our forests.
Jake Nicholson is the non-timber forest products state extension specialist with the Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources. He has a statewide appointment providing support to Ohio’s Maple Syrup and Christmas tree industries, and to all landowners interested in exploring the cultivation of non-timber forest products through sustainable forest management techniques.
Growing Your Own Medicinal Herbal Teas
Caroline Perruci, Owner, Little Muskingum Kettle Farm
There is evidence of humans utilizing medicinal herbs as far back as 50,000 years ago. This session will explore different types of herbal teas you can grow in your Ohio garden, their medicinal properties, and how to dry them at home.
In 2020 Marietta native, Caroline Perruci, returned home to realize her childhood dream and start Little Muskingum Kettle Farm—an herbal tea farm where she grows, harvests, and packages all of her products onsite. The road to that realized dream led through her education at the U.S. Naval Academy where she earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and her commission into the Navy. Post-Navy Caroline did volunteer work on Israeli farms, led teens on labor outings for the Montana Conservation Corps, and worked on farms in Vermont. A recurring theme during her various work activities was Caroline’s interest in plants, in farming, and particularly in herbal teas, and she has come full circle to her Marietta farm, where Little Muskingum Kettle Farm is a valued member of her tight-knit, eco-friendly community.
The Ecology and Impacts of Jumping Worms in the Great Lakes Region
Dr. Kayla I. Perry, Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Entomology at the Ohio State University in Wooster
Jumping worms are all the buzz in garden magazines and podcasts. How serious is the threat, and what’s to be done? Learn the latest about this soil invader and what the impact is and will be in Ohio.
Dr. Kayla I. Perry is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at the Ohio State University and is based at the Wooster campus. Her research program aims to understand how disturbances influence the structure and function of insect communities in natural and urban forests. Ongoing research projects are focused on disturbances caused by invasive forest insects (emerald ash borer, elongate hemlock scale, elm zigzag sawfly), windstorms, forest management practices, and urbanization. Kayla’s extension program focuses on the biology, ecology, and management of invasive forest insects in Ohio. In this capacity, she serves diverse groups of forest health professionals, including resource and land managers, state and private foresters, arborists and landscapers, regulatory officials, and the public. Kayla’s taxonomic expertise includes ground- and soil-dwelling arthropod communities, particularly ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae).
Identifying Plant Stresses – Biotic vs. Abiotic
Dr. Francesca Rotondo, Director, C. Wayne Ellett Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic in the Department of Plant Pathology at the Ohio State University CFAES in Wooster
Learn how to distinguish between biotic and abiotic stressors in plants and how to define biotic stressors, like pests and diseases, and abiotic stressors, such as weather and nutrient deficiencies. Dr. Rotondo will present guidelines on how to identify these problems in gardens and landscapes and discuss ways to manage environmental stresses to keep plants healthy.
Dr. Francesca Rotondo currently serves as Director of the C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic in the Department of Plant Pathology at the OSU College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences in Wooster. She serves many stakeholders (growers, green industry, extension educators, and master gardeners) and conducts research in emerging diseases. Prior to her current position, Dr. Rotondo worked in the Vegetable Pathology laboratory coordinating the diagnostic program and carrying out research projects focused on management of bacterial and fungal diseases of vegetable crops. She received her B.Sc. in Biology, M.S. in Environmental Ecology, and Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Bologna, Italy.
Secrest Select Plants – Noteworthy Performers
Paul Snyder, Operations Manager, Secrest Arboretum
Learn about the carefully curated collection of plants that Secrest Arboretum gives the designation Secrest Select. These plants must be easy to grow, have multi-season interest, be available in the trade, and have grown at Secrest for years. (There are specific time requirements for each type of plant.) What a great tool when selecting plants for your home landscape!
Paul Snyder is Operations Manager at Secrest Arboretum, where he oversees garden maintenance, plant production, education, plant records, and the volunteer program which includes the Secrest Master Gardeners. He’s been with OSU at Secrest since 2010, having initially shared a position between the arboretum and the Department of Entomology. Paul holds a Bachelor of Horticulture degree from Kent State University and Master of Theology degree from Malone University. He is a husband and father of four, sourdough baker, and pastor/church planter.
Selecting Resilient Trees for Ohio Landscapes
Lizzie Sords, Project Manager, Davey Tree Resource Group
Selecting trees for Ohio landscapes is a matter of evaluating characteristics and matching the tree to its site preferences, but becomes all the more challenging when pests, diseases, and a changing environment come into play. Beech Leaf Disease, Oak Wilt—what else is coming down the pike? Lizzie will walk us through current tree issues that preclude their selection and offer alternatives for consideration.
Lizzie Sords is an ISA-certified municipal arborist and project manager for the Davey Tree Resource Group. After graduating from Allegheny College with a degree in environmental science, she moved to Portland, Oregon, where she inventoried trees and organized volunteer tree planting. Lizzie moved back to Ohio and immersed herself in community and urban forestry as a volunteer for Heights Tree People and the Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. At Davey, Lizzie works with clients on tree risk assessments, tree inventories, large-scale tree plantings, and permitting compliance. When she has free time Lizzie enjoys expanding her native plant garden.
An Intercontinental Connection: Exploring the Trees and Shrubs of Japan
Jason Veil, Curator, Secrest Arboretum
Thanks to our shared latitude, similar climates and eons of plant migration and evolution, the floras of Japan and eastern North America are strikingly similar in many regards. Informed by a fascinating trip to Japan in the fall of 2024, this talk will cover a selection of trees and shrubs native to Japan and their relationship to familiar North American species. We will also discuss several unique, notable (or notorious) Japanese plants with an interesting connection to American gardens and landscapes.
Jason received a B.S. in Urban and Community Forestry from Penn State University in 2001. After 12 years in wholesale nursery production and sales, he earned an M.S. in Plant Curation from the University of Delaware in 2015. Before coming to Ohio, he served as Director of Horticulture at The Trustees–a non-profit organization in Massachusetts dedicated to preserving historic properties, gardens, and natural areas. As Curator of Secrest Arboretum, he is responsible for managing a diverse collection of horticulturally-relevant plants to maximize the Arboretum’s value to students, researchers, the Green Industry, and the public.
Low Input Lawns – Where We Are
Dr. Ed Nangle, Associate Professor in Turfgrass Science and Physiology at the Ohio State University/ATI in Wooster
Join Dr. Nangle for a discussion of possible options for low input lawns, and recent research on topics that have made the popular news feed, such as no mow May and lawncare inputs.
Dr. Ed Nangle holds a doctorate in Horticulture and Crop Science with interest in turfgrass physiology. Ed has worked in the turfgrass industry around the world all his life with career stops in places such as Ireland, South Carolina, Australia, Florida and Chicago. As an Associate Professor in Turfgrass Science and Physiology at The Ohio State University/ATI in Wooster, OH, he teaches introductory turfgrass management classes as well as introductory plant physiology classes, pesticide handling, turf and ornamental diseases and turfgrass cultural practices to students interested in golf course, sportsfield management and lawncare careers. He has a specific interest in light and the impact it has on turfgrasses in a range of situations—whether shaded or exposed to excess light levels. He supports the turfgrass industry in Ohio as the Director of Education Ohio Lawncare Association and consults with superintendents and lawncare operators on pest related issues as well as carrying out research trials evaluating a range of products. Dr. Nangle is also involved with the Irish Sportsturf Institute where he serves as director of research. He has published works include: work on turfgrass pigments and UV light responses, shade management strategies and nozzle selection for crabgrass control.