Speaking of Gardening Symposium

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Speaking of Gardening Symposium

A Symposium for Horticultural Professionals and Garden Enthusiasts This two-day symposium includes book signings, plant auctions, sponsor displays and lunch.

Join us for our 22nd year of inspiring lectures by renowned plantsmen on creative design, innovative horticulture and great plants. Network with professionals & enthusiasts, earn CEU’s, purchase plants and products from our sponsors. Register soon for this annual sell-out event!

06/17/2026

SOG Speaker Spotlight: We are thrilled to welcome Ethan Kaufmann to the 2026 Speaking of Gardening Symposium in Asheville, NC.

Ethan Kauffman is the first director of Stoneleigh: a natural garden, where he has led the transition from a private estate to a public garden over the last 8 years. He developed his love of the natural world, exploring the Susquehanna River hills in southeastern PA. He cultivated his horticultural perspective over two decades of gardening in the South, including as director of Moore Farms Botanical Garden, where he also led the transition from a private pleasure garden to a public botanical garden. Drawing on influences from both regions, he enjoys creating a garden experience at Stoneleigh that inspires others to garden for beauty, biodiversity, and the health of our planet.

Lessons From Stoneleigh: Reimagining Traditional Landscapes with Native Plants

With a 150-year history as a private estate, Stoneleigh: a natural garden, became one of the newest public gardens in the Philadelphia region in 2018. Informed by the growing understanding of the connectedness of all living things, a vision arose during the transition: to reimagine a historical landscape as an ecologically vibrant wonderland of native plants. Relying on both tried-and-true gardening techniques and intrepid experimentation, the emerging garden is an exuberant exploration of cultivating native plants in the modern landscape. Join Stoneleigh Director Ethan Kauffman as he reveals the unexpected plants, expressive design philosophy, and unconventional practices that are driving Stoneleigh’s exciting transformation.

Climbers and Creepers: Native Vines Unraveled

Perhaps more than any other type of plant, vines make a garden feel complete. Their unique forms and growth habits add complexity and visual interest and are essential elements of a romantic garden. They also provide vital food, shelter, and nesting opportunities for wildlife. Learn how these special plants can become a rich source of aesthetic and ecological beauty in the garden.

06/02/2026

SOG Speaker Spotlight: We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Annabel Renwick to the 2026 Speaking of Gardening Symposium in Asheville, NC.

Dr. Annabel Renwick is the curator of the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, North Carolina. Annabel has worked in the Blomquist Garden since 2012, initially as a horticulturalist, and became its curator in 2018. Annabel is British and has a BSc and a PhD in botany and worked in agricultural research prior to changing career direction in 2004. She followed her passion for gardening and obtained a Garden Design Diploma from the English Garden School at Chelsea Physical Garden in London, and then worked as a garden designer in the UK prior to moving to North Carolina in 2008.

From Prairies to Parking Lots
Annabel reflects on ten years of managing Duke Gardens’ one-acre Piedmont Prairie, established with more than 100 locally sourced native grassland species. She will discuss the ecological goals, unexpected challenges, wildlife interactions, and ongoing management practices needed to maintain plant diversity while balancing public expectations of native landscapes.

The Benefits and Challenges of Gardening with Native Plants in the Southeastern US
Drawing on years of evaluating native plants in a backyard wildlife garden, Annabel discusses which species thrive in the Southeast despite heat, humidity, deer, and rabbits. She will highlight reliable performers and recommend a practical native plant palette for gardeners seeking beautiful, wildlife-friendly landscapes.

Join us August 14–15, 2026 at the Speaking of Gardening Symposium. Tickets are available at our website speakingofgardening.org

05/27/2026

Speaking of Gardening Plant Sale Spotlight: Spring is the perfect time to refresh the garden and support local growers. Check out the North Carolina Arboretum's annual Spring Garden Sale & Market in Asheville, NC this weekend.

Head to the North Carolina Arboretum this Friday and Saturday, May 29-30, for their annual Spring Plant Sale and Market. The Market features unique plants grown in The North Carolina Arboretum’s Production Greenhouse and includes over 30 local growers and businesses. Shop an outstanding collection of annuals, perennials, and crafts to the sounds of live music. On Saturday, May 30th, children can participate in crafts at the Kids Corner. Rain or shine. The Arboretum’s standard parking fee applies for all non-members.

This year’s Spring Plant Sale & Market is packed with more than just plants — come for the knowledge, live music, and hands-on fun too!

Free Soil Class — Drop into our Adult Education Class, Soil Amendments & Natural Fertilizers, both days from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in the Education Center Classroom. No registration needed!

Live Music & Shopping — Browse Arboretum-grown plants and 30+ local vendors to the sounds of live music, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. both days.

Ask A Gardener — The NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Buncombe County will be on hand to answer your toughest plant care questions at their dedicated booth.

Family Activities (Saturday, May 30, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.) — Bring the kids! Enjoy the Kid’s Corner Crafts Tent, Eco-Explorer activities at Willow Pond, and plant crafts in the Education Center Auditorium.

Learn more at - www.ncarboretum.org/event/spring-plant-sale-and-market-2

05/20/2026

Native Plant Spotlight: Trillium

Trillium is one of the most recognizable native woodland wildflowers of Western North Carolina. Found naturally in rich forest soils and shaded mountain slopes, these spring ephemerals emerge early in the season before the tree canopy fully leafs out. Depending on the species, flowers may appear in shades of white, red, pink, or deep maroon.

Trilliums grow slowly and can take several years to reach flowering size, making established populations especially valuable and important to protect. They thrive in moist, well-drained woodland soils with partial to full shade and pair beautifully with ferns, native sedges, and other spring woodland plants.

While subtle in appearance compared to summer-blooming perennials, trilliums play an important role in supporting healthy forest ecosystems. Their early blooms provide resources for native pollinators emerging in spring, and their seeds are dispersed by ants through a natural process known as myrmecochory.

Trillium is a timeless choice for woodland gardens and naturalized shade plantings, bringing quiet seasonal beauty and a strong connection to Southern Appalachian forests.

05/12/2026

SOG Speaker Spotlight: We are thrilled to welcome Heather Holm to the 2026 Speaking of Gardening Symposium in Asheville, NC.

Heather is a nationally recognized pollinator conservationist, author, and educator whose work explores the critical relationships between native plants and the insects that depend on them. Through careful observation and research, she helps gardeners and landscape professionals better understand how planting design can directly support biodiversity.

At the symposium, Heather will present two insightful talks focused on creating healthier ecosystems through thoughtful planting design.

In Building Soft Landings with Keystone Plants for Pollinators, Heather will explore how layered plantings beneath native trees can support pollinators throughout their life cycles. Attendees will learn practical strategies for creating resilient “Soft Landing” habitats using keystone plants, sedges, cool-season grasses, and flowering species that provide essential ecological function.

In Native Predatory Wasps: Their Role as Pollinators and Beneficial Insects, Heather will uncover the fascinating world of native wasps and their important role in pest control and pollination. This talk highlights the shared evolutionary history of bees and wasps, their habitat needs, prey relationships, and the importance of flower-rich landscapes in supporting both groups.

Check out Heather Holm

Join us August 14–15, 2026 at the Speaking of Gardening Symposium. Tickets are available at our website speakingofgardening.org

04/27/2026

Native Plant Spotlight: Wild Bergamot/Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)

Wild Bergamot is a dependable native that handles several roles in the garden with ease. It grows in full to partial sun with average moisture, reaching about three to five feet tall. Its soft pink to lavender flowers appear in mid to late summer, typically from July through August.

This plant has a long history of use by people for teas, flavoring, and traditional remedies. Its aromatic foliage also makes it unappealing to deer and rabbits, which helps reduce browsing pressure in the garden.

At the same time, it is highly attractive to pollinators. Bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds are all drawn to its nectar-rich blooms. When many gardens slow down in the heat of summer, Wild Bergamot is often at its peak, bringing steady activity and movement.

It is a resilient, low-maintenance choice that fits well in pollinator gardens, meadows, and naturalized plantings.

04/20/2026

SOG Speaker Spotlight: We’re excited to welcome Uli Lorimer as part of our 2026 program
Uli is the Director of Horticulture at the Native Plant Trust, where he oversees both Garden in the Woods in Framingham and Nasami Farm in Western Massachusetts—two leading centers for native plant propagation and research.
With an impressive career that includes roles at the U.S. National Arboretum, Wave Hill, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Uli brings a deep well of knowledge and experience to his work. A lifelong advocate for biodiversity, he continues to study regional ecosystems, collect seeds from the wild, and introduce resilient native plants into cultivated spaces.
An award-winning leader in the field, Uli is a recipient of the 2026 Garden Club of America Distinguished Service Medal, recognizing his dedication to conserving native plant diversity and restoring plant communities.
He is also a respected author and speaker. His books include Tough Natives for Tough Places, A Native Plant Reader, and his latest, The Northeast Native Plant Primer. He also writes the Ask the Gardener column for the Boston Globe, sharing practical, science-based guidance with a wide audience.
Uli joins this year’s symposium with two workshops delving into native plants and biodiversity.

04/15/2026

Join us in Asheville

📅 Aug 14th-15th | 9am–4pm
📍 Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park

Learn from:
• Heather Holm
• Ethan Kauffman
• Uli Lorimer
• Jonathan Warner
• Dr. Annabel Renwick
• Shelby Jackson

$155
$185 ( with lunch)

CEUs available
Limited capacity—grab your spot early!

08/14/2025

It. Is. On. Vendors are set up, name tags are stuffed, silent auction plants are labeled. Will we be seeing you tomorrow and Saturday?

07/30/2025

Thanks to for sponsoring ! Check them out in Hendersonville! We love our sponsors!

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Asheville, NC

Telephone

+18282751751

Website

http://Www.speakingofgardening.org/

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