Spring Gardening Symposium
A Premier gardening event Brought to you by UNH Extension Master Gardeners
The Spring Garden Symposium is prefect for anyone who enjoys gardening and learning ways to do it better. Watch for announcements for the next symposium in 2024 or sign up to our Granite State Gardening newsletter.
The Spring Gardening Symposium is an important fundraiser for the NH Master Gardener Alumni Association, with proceeds supporting Extension Master Gardener projects across New Hampshire such as educational, community, food pantry and therapy gardens at schools, youth centers, historic museums, nature centers and libraries.
2023 Presenters
Lindsay Wyatt will discuss the development of hybrid squash varieties, from initial breeding work to trialing to release. She’ll present the story of the recently released ‘Starry Night’ as an example case study, as well as giving an overview of the squash and pumpkin breeding program at Johnny’s Seeds.
About the Presenter
Lindsay Wyatt is a squash and pumpkin breeder at Johnny’s Selected Seeds, working towards their mission of helping families, friends, and communities feed one another. Her interest in vegetable breeding stems from her work as a young adult at her family’s retail greenhouse and garden center in Ohio. Lindsay obtained her Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics at Cornell University, studying winter squash fruit quality and Phytophthora capsici resistance in bell pepper. At Johnny’s, Lindsay breeds winter squash, summer squash, and pumpkins that taste great, are adapted to organic conditions, and are easy to grow.
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Bill Noble
How does an individual garden relate to the larger landscape? How does it connect to the natural and cultural environment? Does it evoke a sense of place? Spirit of Place author, Bill Noble will help gardeners answer these questions by sharing how they influenced the creation of his garden in Vermont. He reveals that a garden is never created in a vacuum but is rather the outcome of an individual’s personal vision combined with historical and cultural forces of place. His presentation will inspire you to create a garden rich in context, personal vision, and spirit.
About the Presenter
For thirty years Bill Noble has worked as a garden designer and professional in garden preservation. As Director of Preservation for the Garden Conservancy, he was instrumental in the preservation and restoration of dozens of gardens throughout the United States. As a garden designer, Bill works with clients to create compelling new gardens or to restore and revitalize existing ones. His garden featured in his book "Spirit of Place: The Making of a New England Garden", is included in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archive of American Gardens and has been featured in Martha Stewart Living, House & Garden, The New York Times, Washington Post and the Garden Conservancy’s Outstanding American Gardens.
Our landscapes have been altered by humans on a grand scale via land use, climate change, habitat fragmentation and introduced species. Gardens are intimately connected with natural plant communities making our decisions in designed spaces a crucial element of overall ecosystem health. This talk will explore the thought process involved in choosing the right plant for the right place to benefit the environment and sustain birds, pollinators and other wildlife. Uli's new book lays out easy ways to welcome more natives into your garden while supporting existing relationships with natural spaces.
About the Presenter
UIi Lorimer is the Director of Horticulture for Native Plant Trust. He oversees the facilities and operations at Garden in the Woods and at Nasami Farm. Uli brings 20 years of experience working with native plants in public gardens with previous positions at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Wave Hill Garden and the US National Arboretum. He is a tireless advocate for the use of native plants in designed spaces through his public speaking, writing, lectures and media appearances. Uli feels most grounded with his hands in the soil.
Christine will present a general overview of fungi and discuss their importance in the ecosystem, how they are essential in health to all living organisms and their critical role shaping our planet in almost unimaginable ways.
About the Presenter
Christine’s first exposure to foraging mushrooms was as a child in Quebec, but it was a bears head tooth she found on a hike in 2018 that ignited her obsession with mushrooms. With the help of field guides and experts, Christine learned to identify mushrooms and teach others. One of only two foragers to earn a Tier 3 certification in wild mushroom identification through the state of Rhode Island, Christine conducts regular seasonal educational mushroom walks and speaks at the Georgia Mushroom Festival and the Fantastic Forage Festival in Meredith, New Hampshire. She is a founding member of Guided Mushroom Walks of North America and co-founder of Myco-Weekend NH, a weekend mushroom retreat. She has been featured on NHPR, NPR’s Here and Now, Diary of a Nation: E23, and most recently NH Chronicle.
