If 2024 is the year for making your garden more “flowerful” this session is for you… whether you’re creating new or expanded beds or want some tricks for feeling more positive about “difficult soil”, Janice Groves shares her tips, techniques and passion for sheet mulching and how to easily, and inexpensively, create space for all the flowers you love. And, as a bonus, she’ll be sharing her own favorite flowers, why she enjoys them in her own garden and how she’s come to love her red clay soil.

Employing the latest conservation science, naturalist and media personality David Mizejewski will share how to create a beautiful garden space that fits into the local ecosystem and supports birds, butterflies, bees and a whole host of other wonderful wildlife neighbors. David will cover why native plants are critical, the four essential components of habitat, and the best scientifically based sustainable gardening practices. He’ll also share how you can achieve the National Wildlife Federation’s “Certified Wildlife Habitat” recognition for your garden space.

Native bulbs? YES! Native bulbs are a fun way to not only increase plant diversity in your garden but also attract native pollinators. In this session, learn about the benefits of native bulbs, examples of bulbs natural to various areas of the U.S. and the pollinators they attract… plus practical uses in your landscape with plenty of design inspiration to help remove complexity so you can incorporate these hard working, pollinator friendly plants this season… and every season!

Like an intoxicating perfume, chemicals in certain plants, once consumed, make butterflies more attractive. New clinical data suggest these chemicals act like a “pharmacy”, which ensure the health of butterflies during mating season, and enable some butterfly eggs to be unpalatable to predators. Learn which herbs and plants to incorporate into your pollinator habitat so you can help butterflies’ health.

Join us for “Our Relationship with Insects and the Plants they Pollinate,” a webinar that delves into the Anishinaabe perspective, which honors insects as respected teachers and vital components of nature, contrasting sharply with Western views of them as nuisances. Through an exploration of the Anishinaabe relationship with these beings and the plants they pollinate, led by Brad, we aim to shift our understanding and foster a deeper, more respectful connection with nature, emphasizing the importance of perspective for positive environmental engagement.

A seed slips beyond a garden wall. A tree is planted on a shifting border. A shrub is uprooted from its culture and its land. What happens when these plants leave their original homes and put down roots elsewhere? In her new book, Jessica explores plants that are somehow perceived as being “out of place”- whether weeds, samples collected through imperial science, or crops introduced and transformed by our hand. And meditates on the question of how both plants and people come to belong – or not – as they border cross, and reveals how all our futures are more entwined than we might imagine.

Berries are an irresistible treat for birds, particularly in winter when food is scarce. Many plants that bear berries (or fruits that resemble them) serve up a cold-weather feast—and a visual treat for you. The fruits produced by these trees and shrubs provide calories and crucial nutrients that your favorite songbirds need. In this session, learn Bird & Bloom’s picks – and plan now the best way to incorporate trees and shrubs with berries for the birds.

Do you want to bring more butterflies, birds, and bees into your garden? Learn the fundamentals of “keystone species” and find out which plants will give you the most bang for your buck and ways to incorporate them into any garden. Bring a list of your favorites to the nursery this spring and create the ultimate pollinator-friendly garden.

Professional landscape designer, Paige Payne, knows a lot about collaborating with home owners to craft gardens that span various sizes, budgets, locations and challenges. Join her to learn fundamentals of water-wise gardening that can apply to your garden no matter where you live. Save money, save time and help your garden make the best of the water you have available – either from the sky or via your soon-to-be-smarter irrigation system. And if you’re interested in tearing up that lawn, she’s got some do’s and don’t’s to consider before you break out the shovel!

Wild for rewilding? Whether you want to start with a small corner or go for it and tear up that lawn, Mike Lizotte – author of Mini Meadows – and Megan Foster have the guidance you need before you embark on your project. From tips for lawn alternatives or plants for mini-meadows to the do’s (and don’ts) of lawn removal, this session will set you on a positive path toward your vibrant, pollinator and earth friendly transformation.