Garden Visions 2023 will be a fully virtual webinar.  Attendees will receive their Zoom viewing link a week prior to the webinar.

Agenda: 

8:15am – 8:20am – Welcome

8:20am – 9:30am – Fundamentals of Garden Layers, Benjamin Vogt, PhD (with Q&A)

9:30am – 9:35am – Break 

9:35am – 10:45am – Are Those Beetles Bugging You?, Patrick (PJ) Liesch, MS (with Q&A)

10:45am – 10:50am – Break 

10:50am – 12:00am  - Orchids - Vanilla on the Edge, Kenneth Cameron, PhD (with Q&A)

12:00pm-12:05pm  - Wrap up

Meet our speakers: 

Fundamentals of Garden Layers presented by Benjamin Vogt, PhD

Natural garden design is about letting plants guide the design and management as we translate wildness into gardening. In this presentation we will learn from natural plant communities to increase ecosystem function and climate resilience in our designed gardens. From the fundamentals of seasonal and yearly plant succession, to using plant reproduction and sociability to fill ecological niches, the right native plant communities make all the difference for beautiful gardens both wildlife and people crave year-round.

Benjamin Vogt is a nationally known author and garden designer, author of Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design, and A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. He owns Monarch Gardens, a prairie garden design firm based in Nebraska and his work is featured in many publications including, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Wall Street Journal and many others.

Are Those Beetles Bugging You? Presented by Patrick (PJ) Liesch, MS

The destructive Japanese beetle, which has wreaked havoc in Wisconsin, was accidentally introduced on the roots of nursery stock from Japan for the 1916 World’s Fair. Lacking any natural enemies, they spread across the Eastern and Midwestern states, becoming a serious plant and agricultural pest. In this presentation we will learn about their life cycle, and the various approaches to controlling of this noxious pest. PJ will also discuss other “popular” bug pests from 2022 season.

Patrick (PJ) Liesch is a statewide entomology specialist and Director of the University of Wisconsin Insect Diagnostic Lab (IDL). Each year he handles over 2,400 insect identification requests from Wisconsin’s gardeners, farmers, private industry and many others. PJ is also an instructor for the Wisconsin Master Gardener program and provides entomology related outreach throughout Wisconsin.

Orchids – Vanilla on the Edge Presented by Kenneth Cameron, PhD

The vanilla bean orchid is a member of the scientific family Orchidaceae, which includes a large variety of orchid species. Its fruit, the vanilla bean is a signature flavor and fragrance and part of a million-dollar industry. In this presentation Dr Cameron will discuss how these orchids are threatened, how scientists are seeking to reinforce its chances of survival and how our changing climate impacts orchids native to Wisconsin.

Ken Cameron is Professor of Botany at University of Wisconsin Madison and Director of the Wisconsin State Herbarium, which has a collection of 1.3 million preserved plant specimens. He is an expert on plant biology, especially Vanilla orchids and the flora of Wisconsin. He is author of "Vanilla Orchids: Natural History and Cultivation" plus numerous peer reviewed scientific papers in the field of plant systematics.

Registration Fee

All attendees $6

Offered in partnership with 

With support from