Registration

Registration Deadline: March 7th 2025

Registration Fee:

• Early Bird (before 2/16): $50 per person
• Regular Registration: $60 per person

Registration Forms:

• Online Registration: Eventbrite Payment Site (Processing Fee: $5.20 per ticket)
• Mail-In Registration: Fill out the Spring into Gardening Conference 2025 Registration Form and mail-in the check (details in the brochure)

Conference Agenda

Date: March 15th, 2025	Time	Agenda	Presentation Topic, Descriptions & Handout
	8.30 A.M. – 9.30 A.M.	Registration, Raffle, Book Table, Refreshments (Lobby)
	9.30 A.M. – 10.30 A.M.	Keynote: Janet Macunovich (Hearing Room)	Simplify to Keep on Growing:  A gardener’s life, priorities and physical condition can change at any time, yet the gardener in us does not let us give up the garden. So it’s good there are tactics for simplifying design and modifying maintenance practices to suit new situations. Gardener-designer Janet Macunovich has gathered and tested many of them in her 40 year career, and finds that implementation is the sticking point in even the best plan. Don’t be sidelined in simplifying your garden or the gardens of people you care about. Take some insight and encouragement from this presentation’s real-time example of how to keep on growing as the gardener’s abilities change.
Break (Raffle, Book Table, Refreshments – Lobby)
	11.00 A.M. – 12.00 P.M.	Breakout Session 1: Janet Macunovich	Cutting Back the Rambunctious Garden:  Some gardeners don’t know, others are collectors who don’t care about the ultimate size of the shrubs and trees they plant. However, all gardeners face reality at some point, and spring is one of the best times to address and reduce the overgrowth. This presentation is a detailed, illustrated how-to for checking the growth or cutting out the excess on dozens of woody plants, just in time to take up your tools and take charge.
		Breakout Session 2: Mackenzie Manicki	Invasive Plants – Impact and Control:  Invasive plants seem to be everywhere you turn nowadays, so how can we as gardeners and stewards of the land make a difference? Join Mackenzie Manicki, Invasive Plant Specialist with the WDNR, to talk about what makes certain plants invasive, what species you’re likely to encounter, and how we can all make an impact.
Break ( Lunch, Raffle Prizes, Book Table – Lobby)
	1.00 P.M. – 2.00 P.M.	Keynote: Jeff Epping	Alternatives to Lawns :  In these challenging times of climate change, environmentally conscious gardeners are seeking more sustainable alternatives to water-guzzling, energy-consumptive lawns. Creating climate-resilient gardens made up of well-adapted plants that thrive with less, helping heal the planet while supporting the wildlife that depends on them are more important than ever. Jeff Epping will show you ways to reduce or even eliminate your traditional lawn and replace it with beautiful, life-supporting gardens.
Break (Refreshments – Lobby)
	2.15 P.M. – 3.15 P.M.	Breakout Session 1: Bridgett Mason and Vijai Pandian	Climate Change & Impact on Landscape and Gardening:  Hear from the Wisconsin Assistant State Climatologist, Bridgette Mason, and Horticulture Extension Educator Vijai Pandian about past weather and climate conditions affecting home gardeners and how conditions might change in the future.
		Breakout Session 2: Samara Eisner	Container Gardening for Patios and Balconies:  Loved by small and large space gardeners alike, containers are a fabulous way to dress up your landscape.  In this presentation you will learn how to design your containers with overflowing beauty.  Whether your goal is to push your plant pallet or merely avoid the frustration of another fizzled attempt at a cohesive container design, you’ve found the right class. Samara will walk you through the steps of solid container design, share professional tips, and help elevate your techniques to help you design your containers specifically to meet your site and situation.

Speaker Bios

1. Janet Macunovich is an author, educator and garden designer known for plans that are simple, enduring, creative and individually pleasing. She develops “how-to” presentations to extend to others her experience designing and tending gardens for 40 years. That’s resulted in nine books and hundreds of articles, placed her as host of radio and internet forums dealing with questions on all aspects of landscaping, and created an audience of thousands of gardeners both amateur and professional throughout the U.S., Canada and England.

2. Jeff Epping of Epping Design & Consulting recently retired from Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin, after nearly 30 years as Director of Horticulture. His garden designs put plants at the forefront, creating landscapes that are both beautiful and ecologically sound. His work highlights regional landscapes, supports nature, engages the senses, and fosters a deep connection with the natural world.

A native of southern Wisconsin and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Epping holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Ornamental Horticulture. He regularly lectures and teaches across the country, with his garden designs recently featured in publications like the New York Times, Washington Post, Martha Stewart, and Fine Gardening. Epping has received national awards for his lifelong contributions from the American Public Gardens and Perennial Plant Associations. His home garden was recently featured in the award-winning book American Roots, and he is currently working on a book of his own with Timber Press about eco-friendly gravel gardening.

3. Samara Eisner has worked as a Horticulturist at Olbrichsince 2002. Prior to Olbrich, Samara worked as anarborist for the City of Gainesville, FL. Her work passionsinclude container gardening, pruning and gardeningsustainably.

4. Vijai Pandian is the horticulture educator for Kenosha andRacine Counties. His outreach program focuses on urban horticulture and Green Industry education andconducts horticulture research trial at Kenosha County.

5. Mackenzie Manicki is an invasive plant specialist in theBureau of Natural Heritage Conservation within the WIDNR. She helps coordinate efforts to control terrestrialinvasive plants and provides outreach education relatedto invasive.

6. Bridgett Mason serves as an assistant state climatologistby providing the WI State Climatology Office’s three pillars of climate services: Information, Interpretation, andInvestigation. 

Sponsors

Thank You To Our Sponsors!

Potpourri Garden Club, Mt. Pleasant, WI

Paielli’s Bakery, Kenosha, WI

Wisconsin Master Gardeners Association