GardenWise 2013

This year's GardenWise has something for everyone.  Wesley Greene, Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Trades Gardener, starts the day with "Gardening Under Cover".  Wesley is the author of Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way: 18th Century Gardening Techniques for Today's Organic Gardeners. Wesley also joins us for a breakout session titled Under the Knife, A History of Pruning.

We are also joined by Jim McCormac, author, naturalist and education specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, and Gregg Tepper, director of horticulture at Mt. Cuba Center. 

Click here to download the 2013 GardenWise brochure.

GardenWise Agenda

8:45  Gardening Under Cover – Wesley Greene
This talk features an EXPLANATION of the most approved uses for bell glass, hotbeds, paper frames and other such devices for the production of vegetables all the year round as well as a concise history of their development.  With INSTRUCTIONS from the most accomplished English gardeners and botanists of the 18th century for the management of the kitchen garden as currently practiced in the town of Williamsburg, Virginia.  These TECHNIQUES are further explained in Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way, 18th century methods for today’s organic gardeners (Rodale Press).

10:00  Growing Caterpillars:  A Tale of Birds, Plants, and Conservation  - Jim McCormac
There are 3,000 or more species of moths in Pennsylvania, and nearly 140 butterfly species.  The conspicuous winged adults are the often short-lived finale of a four stage life cycle: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult.  It’s caterpillars that make much of the natural world go around, and countless billions become food for other organisms.  Without vegetation-eating caterpillars, most songbirds would go extinct, plant diversity would plummet, and our forests would fall silent.  The world of caterpillars is beautifully ornate, full of trickery and chemical warfare, and both jaw-droppingly amazing and gruesomely stunning.

Breakout sessions    11:15   Choose 1
1. Under the Knife, a history of pruning – Wesley Greene
Join Wesley for a detailed examination of the development of the formal garden from Egyptian precedents, through early Renaissance Italy to its perfection in the gardens of Louis XIV and how it influences English gardens of the 18th century.  Including a practical guide to the formation of topicary, parteeres, arbors and hedges as well as an illustration of basic tree care and pruning techniques to produce the best quality fruit.

2. Landscaping with Natives  - Denise Greene
Denise discusses  methods and benefits of incorporating native plants into the landscape with information on specific plants native to the mid-Atlantic region.

3.  Herbs through the Seasons – Debbie Hartman
As vegetables have a season, so do the edible herbs we grow in our gardens.  You will learn which herbs grow best in each season, from early spring, through summer into fall and finally winter.  We will include some timely kitchen tips and feature a recipe for each season.

4.  Residential Tree Care 101 – Eric Vorodi
Learn how to make the right tree care decisions to ensure the health,
safety and longevity of your landscape trees. We’ll discuss species selection, installation & aftercare, pruning, fertilization and pest management from both the do-it-yourselfer and contracted services perspectives.

Breakout Sessions 1:30   Choose 1
1. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds:  Feathered Helicopters – Jim McCormac
Hummingbirds are perhaps the most amazing flying machines on Planet Earth.  There are about 340 species, and they occur only in the Americas.  The combination of incredible powers of flight, often outrageously show plumage and fantastic nectar-seeking habits make hummers true marvels of nature.
This program will mostly focus on Pennsylvania’s only breeding hummingbird: the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  Feathered dynamos, ruby-throats are a joy to observe and live far more complex lives than most observers realize.  Their life cycle involves tree bark, lichens, spiders, myriad flowering plants, and tropical winters in places very different from Pennsylvania.

2. Native Perennials in the Landscape – Denise Greene
Join Denise for a closer look at native perennials from the mid-Atlantic region and how best to use them in the landscape.

3. Herbs through the Seasons  - Debbie Hartman                                       As vegetables have a season, so do the edible herbs we grow in our gardens.  You will learn which herbs grow best in each season, from early spring, through summer into fall and finally winter.  We will include some timely kitchen tips and feature a recipe for each season.

4. What Went Wrong? The Unintended Consequences of Pesticide Misapplication – Eric Vorodi
10 brief casestudies that show how pesticide applications can go awry, and the consequences associated with the mistakes. These real life stories illustrate both humorous and tragic outcomes.

2:45  The Sensory Appeal of Native Plants – Gregg Tepper
Join Gregg Tepper, Director of Horticulture at Mt Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware, for a fascinating, informative, and entertaining lecture on the Sensory Appeal of Native Plants.  Gregg will discuss the unique ways in which Native Plants appeal to each of our senses, Sight, Smell, Touch, Taste and even Sound.  Learn little-known facts, hear entertaining true stories and see outstanding photographs of the wildflowers we love of the forest and field.