From exploring diverse ecosystems to the beauty found in connecting the past and current landscapes that inspire the next generation of horticulturists, the Today’s Horticulture Symposium is a day of interesting insights and information.
This daylong symposium is hosted by Longwood Gardens, Chanticleer Foundation, The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, Star Roses and Plants, and Pleasant Run Nursery.
2025 Schedule
8:00–8:45 am
Registration, Visitor Center
Continental breakfast provided in the Music Room.
8:00 am–4:45 pm
Plant Sale, Patio of Oranges
Shop an eclectic offering of houseplants, perennials, woodies and more. Proceeds from the sale benefit educational travel for students of the Longwood Gardens Professional Horticulture Program.
8:50 am
Welcome, Fountain Room
9:00 am
Shrouded in Light: Naturalistic Planting Inspired by Wild Shrublands
Michael Guidi & Kevin Phillip Williams
Shrublands exist all around us, thriving in almost any environmental condition, from the desiccating sunshine of the endless sagebrush steppe to the deep, private shade of moist forests. These diverse and inspiring ecosystems serve as perfect models for our own gardens. Beyond their inherent beauty, they provide nurturing habitats for surrounding organisms and demonstrate resiliency in the face of a changing climate. In this presentation, naturalistic gardener Kevin Phillip Williams and ecologist and horticulture researcher Michael Guidi will explore a glorious spectrum of wild shrublands, as well as the philosophies and design strategies behind translating these magnificent plant communities into home gardens.
9:45–10:15 am
Morning Break
Refreshments provided in the Music Room.
10:15 am
Appalachian Ethnobotany and the Potential of New Horticultural Crops
Eric Burkhart
The Appalachian region of the eastern United States, which includes most of Pennsylvania, is a rich repository of temperate plant biodiversity. In this presentation, botanist, ethnobotanist, and agroforester Dr. Eric Burkhart shares examples of his work with culinary and medicinal crop development using native Appalachian forest species - discusses some of the conservation, restoration, and economic opportunities associated with these efforts.
11:00 am
Fungi and Their Relationships with Plants
Dr. Kristen Wickert
Dr. Kristen Wickert, an online educator dedicated to sharing the fascinating wonders of the natural world via social media explores three different kinds of relationships that plants have with fungi: ‘the good, the bad, and the ugly” … also known as symbiotic, decomposer and pathogenic relationships.
11:45 am
Lunch
Buffett lunch will be provided in the Music Room.
1:00 pm
Welcome Back and Scholarship Announcement
Kaylene Argot
1:05 pm
Professional Horticulture Program Alumni Spotlight
Sandra Lopez
Gardening can help immigrants root themselves into new places while maintaining a connection to their homeland. Join Mexican horticulturist and gardener at The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College Sandra Lopez Cortez for a presentation about her work as she shares her journey of moving from a rural town in Mexico to America’s Garden Capital. Lopez Cortez highlights plants from Mexico that can grow in the mid-Atlantic and some of the best ornamental plants in Delaware Valley that she helps maintain at The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College.
2:00 pm
Afternoon Break
Refreshments provided.
2:30 pm
People, Plants, and Pests: Archaebotany at Bartram’s Garden
Alexandria Mitchem
Join historical archaeologist and archaeobotanist Alexandria Mitchem for a deep dive into Philadelphia’s Bartram's Garden, the oldest botanic garden in North America. Mitchem discusses a cache of desiccated plant material that has been found in the family home’s attic at Bartram’s Garden, how it got there, and what it might tell us about the history of the garden—bringing together archaeobotanical and archival research to offer a new perspective on Bartram’s Garden.
3:15 pm
Horticulture, Gardens, and Identity: Landscapes as a Political Gesture
David Rubin
Gardens and landscapes reflect human culture – representing their creators, their personal identity, or the people they were designed for. As such, they are extensions of a global community from front porch gardens to civic parks and plazas. Join David A. Rubin, founding principal of the landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio DAVID RUBIN Land Collective, for an exploration of how landscape designs have the prospect of positively informing all of us about the world around us.