The 15th Annual Native Plants in the Landscape Conference will be held June 2, 3 and 4 at Millersville University in Lancaster County. The conference includes expert speakers, field trips, workshops, chat rooms and educational exhibits. Native plants and related books and merchandise will be offered for sale.

The conference provides a fertile environment for a varied audience to expand their knowledge of regionally appropriate native plants and sustainable landscapes. Attendees include home and professional gardeners, teachers, students, as well as landscape, nursery, botanical garden and environmental professionals.

This year’s featured speakers include Julie Moir-Messervy, landscape designer and author of The Inward Garden. Ms. Messervy is highly acclaimed for her design of the Toronto Music Garden in collaboration with the eminent cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Other prominent speakers are Scott Weidensaul, naturalist and author of more than two dozen books on natural history, including the Pulitzer-Prize-nominated Living on the Wind and Mountains of the Heart; Rich Pais, certified wildlife biologist and pioneer in the therapeutic integration of wildlife habitats with senior living projects; and David Robertson, Executive Director of the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust and an expert in native forest restoration and natural land stewardship.

Pre-conference workshops offered include a field trip to Shenk’s Ferry Wildflower Preserve or to the Milton Hershey School restoration projects, an ecology walk and a workshop on container bog gardening.

Evening programs inspire, inform and entertain. New this year is a potpourri evening, where attendees can choose from dried flower arranging, watercolor painting or a “green” film-fest. Also at the conference for the first time, Jim Beers and the Lenape Nations Drummers will offer a high-energy performance. “We Walk the Walk” will showcase home gardens of conference staff and long-time attendees.

The native plant sale at the conference is open to the public during selected hours for those who want to purchase native plants but will not attend the conference. Hours for the public plant sale are: Friday June 3, 3:30 - 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 4, 8 a.m. - noon.

The Native Plants in the Landscape Conference is co-sponsored by the following organizations: Millersville University’s Department of Biology and Department of Professional Training and Education, Bartram’s Gardens, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, Mt. Cuba Center and Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust.

For more information visit the Native Plants Conference webpage, phone717-872-3030 or send email to npilc@yahoo.com.

5/20/2005