Gardening Green Expo 2023

Join Us for Gardening Green Expo 2023!

CLIMATE-WISE GARDENING
After the heat and drought of recent years, gardeners are looking for ways to reevaluate their plant choices for future climate extremes. Reducing lawn and incorporating native plants can save water, reduce flooding, and they don’t require fertilizer or pesticides. Native plants and trees require less water once established, and also provide food for pollinators, birds, and animals.

Register for the FREE Live Zoom Presentations here.

LIVE ZOOM PRESENTATIONS – Monday, March 13 through Friday, March 17
LIVE EVENT – Saturday, March 18 from 10am-2pm at Kennedy’s Country Gardens

Our featured presenter is renowned author Doug Tallamy. With Bringing Nature Home, Tallamy changed the conversation about gardening in America. His second book, the New York Times bestseller Nature’s Best Hope, urged homeowners to take conservation into their own hands. Now, he turns his advocacy to one of the most important species of the plant kingdom—the mighty oak tree. Oaks sustain a complex and fascinating web of wildlife. The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area. The Nature of Oaks will inspire you to treasure these trees and to act to nurture and protect them.

Register for the FREE Live Zoom Presentations here.

ZOOM PRESENTATIONS

Date	Time	Presentation/Speaker
Monday, March 13	7:00pm	The Drought Resistant Yard: Creating Beautiful Spaces Using Native and Non-native Plants with Less Water – Susan Leigh Anthony, Doveflower Cottage Garden Designs – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Tuesday, March 14	7:00pm	The Ecosystem Native Plants Support – Blake Dinius, Plymouth County Entomologist – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Wednesday, March 15	7:00pm	Composting and Mulching for Climate-Wise Gardening – Ann McGovern,  Compost Specialist, Mass Dept. of Environmental Protection (Retired) – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Thursday, March 16	7:00pm	The Nature of Oaks – Doug Tallamy, Renowned author and Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware – SEE VIDEO BELOW
Friday, March 17	7:00pm	Climate Conscious Gardening: Building Sustainable Landscapes – Kristen Nicholson, Blue Stem Natives

LIVE EVENT – Saturday, March 18 from 10am-2pm at Kennedy’s Country Gardens

At Gardening Green Expo you can stroll through the greenhouses at Kennedy’s Country Gardens and visit with vendors of products and services that will help you get the best out of your garden and lawn. There will also be talks by local experts and environmental organizations. In conjunction with the expo, NSRWA will be taking orders for rain barrels and composters again this year.

The “Ask a Master Gardener” team will be onsite to answer horticultural questions and their “Soil Team” will also be onsite to test soil. Click here for soil testing instructions.

We will also have the Bobby Mac’s Mobile Tool Sharpening Truck onsite. Service is first come first serve, and the prices are on their website.

Bungalow Kitchen + Catering will be on hand with food for purchase.

Time	Presentation	Speaker
10:00am	Biochar – For Healthy Plants and a Healthy Planet	Debbie Cook, Biochar Afficionado
11:00am	Attract More Butterflies to Your Garden!	Lisey Good, Founder, Wild Cohasset
12:00noon	Protecting Our Waters Through Gardening	Brian Taylor, NSRWA
1:00pm	Building Good Healthy Regenerative Soil in a Changing Climate	Jon Belber, Holly Hill Farm

Register to win these PRIZES!

• A signed copy of Doug Tallamy’s book ” The Nature of Oaks”
• A rain barrel and small diverter from the WaterSmart program
• A 10×10 garden plot ($40 value) at Scituate Community Garden for 2023
• A gift basket from Edible Southeastern Massachusetts
• $100 gift card from Blue Stem Natives
• 5 – 1 lb. bags of Biochar
• Seeds from Holly Hill Farm
• $50 Kennedy’s Country Gardens gift card

Click here to register for the prize giveaway.

Downloads, Give-aways, and More

• $35 Special NSRWA NEW Member Deal with $25 Kennedy’s Gift Card and $10 Explore South Shore Guide Map can be ordered online (For NEW NSRWA members only)
• Order your rain barrels and composters online
• Free native tree saplings from Bartlett Tree Experts
• Download our 16-page Greenscapes Guide  – With tips on how to create a beautiful healthy yard the natural way. (After filling out the online form you will be redirected to the guide.)
• Watch past Gardening Green Expo videos below
• Get your FREE Help Save Water lawn sign

Plant Resources
From Kennedy’s Country Gardens, UMass, and CZM

• Native Perennials for Sun
• Native Perennials for Shade
• Perennials for Pollinators and Birds
• Annuals for Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds and Songbirds
• Native Plants for Native Pollinators
• Deer Resistant Natives
• Plants to Support At-risk Insects by Dr. Robert Gegear
• Coastal Landscaping in Massachusetts Plant List

Plant and Garden Resources
From Blue Stem Natives, Doveflower Cottage, Blake Dinius, Doug Tallamy, and National Wildlife Federation, Wild Ones, Mass DEP, and the Buy Nothing Project

• Roadside Plants
• Edible Plants
• Shoreline Plants
• The Battle Between Native and Invasive Plants
• The Magic of Butterflies Resource List
• Native Plant Finder
• Homegrown National Park
• Kid-Friendly Gardens – Books
• Kid-Friendly Gardens – Plants
• Little Bee Big World Resource List
• Plant and Garden Resources from Wild Ones
• The Buy Nothing Project Can Help You Garden Green
• Composting – The Heart of Climate-Wise and Organic Gardening
• Composting is Easy
• Food Web of the Compost Pile
• Home Composting & Green Landscaping
• The Climate Conscious Garden

Want to see more programs like this? Please make a gift to the NSRWA to protect local waters.

 

 

 

This FREE expo is sponsored by the WaterSmart program, North and South Rivers Watershed Association, and Kennedy’s Country Gardens. WaterSmart is a nonprofit partnership between the NSRWA and 12 towns on the South Shore: Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Rockland, Scituate and Weymouth. Our programs are based on the belief that education is key. Since its creation, WaterSmart has educated thousands of local school-age children, adults, and businesses on water conservation, stormwater pollution, where their water comes from, and how to care for it. 

See recorded presentations below!

The Nature of Oaks – Doug Tallamy, Renowned author and Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware

Composting and Mulching for Climate-Wise Gardening – Ann McGovern,  Compost Specialist, Mass Dept. of Environmental Protection (Retired)

The Ecosystem Native Plants Support – Blake Dinius, Plymouth County Entomologist

The Drought Resistant Yard: Creating Beautiful Spaces Using Native and Non-native Plants with Less Water – Susan Leigh Anthony, Doveflower Cottage Garden Designs

Pollinators and Their Host Plants – Blue Stem Natives 

Building an Insect Hotel/Supporting Biodiversity at Home – Angie Daugirda, Organic Plant Magic

Kid-Friendly Gardens – Susan Leigh Anthony, Doveflower Cottage Garden Designs

Garden for Wildlife: Remove Invasives & Plant Natives to Help Birds, Butterflies and Other Wild Creatures
By Lisey Good, Founder, Wild Cohasset – The Lisey Good Zoom presentation video had a conversion error, however, you can download the presentation and listen to the audio with the links below:
Download Lisey Good’s Presentation here.
Listen to Lisey Good’s Presentation here 

The Importance of Insects and Gardening for Native Bees – Blake Dinius, Entomologist Educator at County of Plymouth

Audubon Plants for Birds Presentation by Don Eaton, Bower & Branch

Growing Tasty Edible Greens and Snacks – Jon Belber, Holly Hill Farm

Building a Rain Garden – Samantha Woods, NSRWA

Composting for Zero Waste – Ann McGovern, Retired MassDEP Compost Specialist

Backyard Birding – Doug Lowry, Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries