Join us for our biggest education event of the year! We have an incredible lineup of speakers to pack this day with Iowa gardening goodness, from tree care to garden design. Pre-registration is required. Open to the public… all are welcome!
Talk Descriptions:
Eric Foley: The Land Down Under
We take a closer look at the soil beneath our feet and examine importance of healthy soil to create a fertile growing environment for plant roots.
Lois Girton: Not Your Grandmother’s Peonies, So Where Did They Come From?
Those of us of a certain age likely remember the pink, white, and purplish red full double peonies gracing our grandparents’ or parents’ gardens. They were likely varieties of the Chinese peony Paeonia lactiflora and perhaps their faces were even lying on the ground. Fast forward to today and we have many more choices of colors, sizes, and forms of peonies with thousands of named cultivars readily available. We owe this firstly to the plant explorers who introduced nurserymen to other Asian and European species and then to the men (yes, mostly men) who undertook crosses between different species, or even between different sections of peonies in the case of the Itoh hybrids. Peonies from Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Caucasus when combined with P. lactiflora gave earlier blooming herbaceous peonies in true red and yellow tones. Crossing woody peonies of the Delavayanae subsection with those of the Suffruticosa group gave us the “lutea hybrid” peonies in a wild assortment of colors. Foremost among these hybridizers was Professor A. P. Saunders of Clinton, NY, working from the early 1900’s through the 1940’s. He is considered the “father of the modern peony” and almost all peonies being introduced today trace back to one or more of his cultivars.
Fatima Najar: An introduction and update to the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens Perennial and Shrub Trial Program
We’ll kill it so you don’t have to! Introducing the new Perennial and Shrub Trial Program at the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens. Learn about how plants are put to the test in Iowa’s climate as well as evaluated for their landscape merits. Hundreds of varieties are scrutinized over several years to help inform the public about what plants are the best for success in their gardens. Find out about many of our favorite plants so far and hear about how you can get involved to share your opinions, your tastes, and help inform the industry about what you’d like to see more of in the future!
Your Natural Garden: Caring for an Ecologically Vibrant Garden
In this engaging lecture, renowned plantsman and designer Kelly Norris offers essential guidance on stewarding the beauty and ecological richness of naturalistic landscapes. As gardens designed to mimic nature grow in popularity, many wonder how to care for these vibrant, biodiverse spaces properly. How does a gardener’s relationship with place change when plants take the lead? Norris reveals how tending to a natural garden differs from traditional methods by emphasizing a connection to the broader environment and embracing dynamic processes. With stunning examples and practical advice, this lecture will inspire and equip gardeners to embrace natural rhythms and processes while celebrating natural abundance and complexity in the places we live and work.
About the speakers:
Kelly Norris
Kelly D. Norris is one of the leading horticulturists of his generation. In his practice, he explores the narrative of place through site-specific plantings and landscape interventions. An award-winning author and plantsman, Kelly’s work in gardens has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His forthcoming book Your Natural Garden from Cool Springs Press launches in late 2024.
Kelly’s interdisciplinary studio works in public and private places across North America. He’s the founder and curator of The Public Horticulture Company, an emerging ecological landscape startup based in Des Moines, Iowa. The studio annually produces the New Naturalism Academy, a virtual school for enthusiastic designers, as a commitment to continuing education and lifelong learning.
He is the former director of horticulture and education at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, where for eight years, he directed efforts in design, curation, programming, garden, and facility management after serving as the owner’s representative to nearly $20 million in capital projects.
Lois Girton
Lois is originally from Alberta, Canada and obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in Genetics at the University of Alberta before earning her PhD at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in the Department of Plant Pathology. After a career in various research, teaching, and academic advising roles, she retired from Iowa State University in 2020.
Lois is the founding President of the Russ O’Harra Hosta Society and also served on the Board of the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens for 15 years. Lois has been a Director of the American Peony Society (APS) for several years and is currently its President. APS is the international registration authority for the genus Paeonia.
The Iowa Arboretum has been part of her peony journey as it is where she first encountered woody (tree) peonies. Since 1995 Lois has been growing all types of peonies (woody, herbaceous, Itoh) with a special emphasis on species peonies and those bred by A.P. Saunders who is considered the “father of the modern peony”. In 2020 she started a website devoted to Saunders peonies (saunderspeonies.com) and is currently writing a book on the topic.
Eric Foley
Eric has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2014 and a Board Certified Master Arborist since 2023. Eric has been working in the tree industry since 2009 in Ohio, Minnesota, and now Iowa. He holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Cedarville University, and holds a high value on constant, lifelong learning. He has held the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) through the International Society of Arboriculture and is a member of the Tree Care Industry Association. His goal is to help everyone enjoy and value their trees, and to help people, urban development, and trees all live together and be mutually beneficial. He started Freedom Tree Care in 2022 with the goal of helping people grow their love for the outdoors through expert care for trees and landscape.
Eric is originally from Minnesota, but moved to Iowa in 2021. He and his wife have 4 children, 2 mini Australian Shepherds, and enjoy all kinds of sports and outdoor activities. You can find Eric coaching his kids’ baseball and basketball teams, doing CrossFit, or out mountain biking in his spare time (which is very limited!).
Fatima Najar
Fatima Najar has been with the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens Trial Program for two years, and was
invaluable in helping start the program. Fatima grew up in Sioux City, Iowa later going to Iowa State
to pursue her bachelor’s degree in Forestry. Before joining the arboretum, she worked as a field technician
collecting data on native prairie plants, pollinators, and a special project with Botrychium (moonwort).
Recently promoted to Assistant Curator, Fatima is a liaison between the public and horticulture industry
while also collecting evaluation data on every perennial and shrub variety every two weeks. She does
amazing work balancing those responsibilities with care of the garden and managing outreach. Fatima is
passionate about conservation and sustainability, and loves to communicate those interests to diverse audiences.
