REGISTRATION OPENS 7:30am

8:00am

Trade Show Opens • Meet new vendors and re-connect with old! Special thanks to our vendors for your support!

Plant I.D. Challenge for 1 MCH Credit • MCHs will have a rare opportunity to take the Plant I.D. Challenge for one MCH recertification credit from 8:00am to 10:00am ONLY. Hands-on Plant I.D. education with the PROs from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

8:30am–9:30am

Solution Central • Chris Kennedy, MCH, Kennedy Country Gardens and Jim Connolly, MCH, Weston Nurseries • Summer conference exhibitors have the tools, services and products to help you succeed! Explore what’s new, improved and exciting!

Easy Care Shrubs for Multitude of Landscape Needs • Heather Poire, Proven Winners • Wherever you are in your gardening life, a plant that is hard to kill probably sounds pretty good. Learn about rugged plants that can brave a range of elements and neglect.

8:30am, 9:30am, & 10:30am

Battle of the Container Garden Designers • Deborah Trickett, The Captured Garden • Ready, set, plant—the gloves are on! Join MC Deborah for the second annual “Battle of the Container Garden Designers.” In this fun, informative event, contestants will be challenged to create a container garden using provided materials. Deborah will highlight container gardening trends and pick the brains of contestants during the competition. Get a ringside seat—be ready for a few surprises, a few laughs and learn something new! Learn more

10:00am–11:00am

Panel of Pros: Invasive Plant Management—When is it Time to Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater? • Jennifer Forman Orth, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources • Join our expert panelists for a moderated discussion about invasive ornamental plants, the challenges of managing these species, and how to approach the sale of potentially invasive plants in the nursery industry. Panel members include: Julie Richburg, Inland Natural Resources at The Trustees of Reservations; Jess Toro, co-owner, Native Plant Restoration; and Trevor Smith, Regenerative Landscape Designer, Weston Nurseries.

Practical Photo Tips for Even Better Images • Karl Gercens, Longwood Gardens Conservatory Manager • When you work so diligently on a project you want to be able to share how good it is with friends, family and even a wider audience. Your work deserves the spotlight What better way to get it recognized than to take great images that really show off your passion? We’ll look at a few photography tips to adopt with your smartphone or a handheld digital camera. Creative minds will be transformed to immediately think about composition and backgrounds while remembering to capture the moment at varying angles.

10:00am–2:00pm

Equipment Rodeo • Join our equipment vendors and the FUN committee to test out new equipment & your skills in the Rodeo Arena! There will be BIG surprises happening and fun prizes! This event is free for all registered attendees!

11:30am–12:30pm

Hydrangea Happiness, Hydrangea Hysteria: How the Best Plants, Pruning and Planning Cultivates Smiling Customers • C.L. Fornari, The Garden Lady • Learn about the best hydrangea varieties for your clients’ gardens and how to plant and maintain them. Find answers to your customer’s questions about flower color and lack of blooms. Discover new varieties that solve problems and add beauty to the landscape.

Installing Permeable Pavers • T.J. Brown, Ideal Block • Installing a permeable paver system above porous soils allows for rainwater infiltration, reducing runoff and flooding. Learn basic best practices for installation including site excavation, installation of base material, and selection of pavers. Get tips for permeable paver edge restraints, paver infill for eco-filtration and stone vs. resin sand.

1:00pm–2:00pm

Colored Foliage is the Dessert for Today’s Designs • Karl Gercens, Longwood Gardens Conservatory Manager • We love to indulge when it comes to dessert. Why not let your landscapes enjoy the same treatment? Explore the swirls and curls of leaves and limbs with an illuminated outlook! Rich reds, glowing golds and the silver sheen of trees, shrubs and perennials will make your designs irresistible. Become familiar with mouth-watering selections of some of our tried-and-true landscape favorites that’ll have you on the search for specimens this next season. Delight in the designs of creators from around the region and beyond, which will truly stretch our imaginations as to what CAN be in our own backyard.

Management Strategies for Turfgrass Diseases and Fungicide Resistance • Geunhwa Jung, UMass Amherst Extension • Most infectious biotic diseases on turfgrass are caused by a group of plant pathogenic fungi. Accurate and fast diagnosis is the key to managing turfgrass disease as part of an integrated sustainable approach. While millions of dollars are spent annually on fungicides, the proper application results in the most effective management.