Lectures and presentations are interactive, hour-long programs with allotted time for Q&A. These energetic and engaging virtual or in-person experiences are great for a wide array of audiences. Wish for something more hands-on? Any and all topics can include a make and take or craft if done in-person.
From garden clubs and libraries to Scout Troops, day camps, and senior centers, simply mention your age group while booking your program and the presenter will deliver accordingly.
Program costs are $150 for a reserved group virtual and $175 for in-person (plus mileage).
New lecture topics are always being developed, but reach out if you have something in mind that is not listed below. Custom programs can be developed at additional cost.
You pick the theme, I do the research, develop the program, and deliver!
2024-2025 Program Offerings
Yard & Garden Topics
Growing a Healing Garden
Join me as I joyously discuss several fabulous herbs to grow for medicine (and food) in our own Zone 5. Topics include a brief history of home herb gardens, a brief discussion of soil, water, seeds and sun, some propagation, cultivation, preservation, and storage techniques, and a handful of medicinal plants to highlight all of the above. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your kitchen cabinets can be converted into a home apothecary!
Container Gardening for Color & Cuisine***
Container gardens are delightful solutions for those wishing to cultivate color and cuisine without committing to a permanent garden site. In this lecture we will discuss how to design and maintain a container garden from choosing appropriate plants, developing an ideal substrate, designing with style and function in mind, plus proper care and management for season-long success.
***Note that this program changes seasonally and will highlight the best tips, tricks, and designs for whichever season is most relevant to the program’s scheduled delivery date.
So You Want to be a Garden Guru? Tips & Tricks for the Budding Grower
You know you want to install a garden, but you’re stuck on the logistics. Where, what, how got you locked in planter’s paralysis? What’s the deal with dirt!? Do I have enough sun!? I forgot about water… where is the hose?! Take a breath- you can do this. In this presentation we will discuss a multitude of tips and tricks for settling on a site and prepping it for success while discussing (and avoiding) common setbacks. You’ll be hoeing and sowing before you know it and gleaning the myriad benefits of your own homegrown garden.
Foodscaping 101
There’s no rule saying you can’t grow your carrots next to your cosmos, so why is it that we feel the need to separate our flowers from our food? Join me as we discuss the variety of ways you can incorporate edible crops amongst your pre-existing or future gardens. From peppers tucked amongst the peonies, to kiwis winding along the front porch, there are so many ways to make your yard appealing to both eyes as well as tummies.
Foodscaping is revolutionizing yards across the country. Let’s figure out if this new trend can catch on in your neighborhood!
Companion Planting: Play Nice, Parsley!
Remember Mom saying that hanging out with so-and-so brought out the best (or the worst) in us as a kid? Turns out, she wasn’t wrong! Plants, like humans, can be impacted by their proximity to others, too. Learn which species help or hinder one another in this home garden lecture. Topics covered include common herbs and vegetables that grow better when grown together, crop rotation, and successional planting. Thinking like our united momma (Earth, folks, I’m referring to Earth) we’ll uncover the hidden teenage social circle of some common garden cultivars and set them up for success by encouraging healthy relationships!
Thinking Outside the Box
In this exciting visual lecture, we’ll cover the basics of botany before diving into various garden designs that break the boundaries of limited space and time restraints. Examples to include terraced, vertical, and hydroponic gardens as well as miniature water, up-cycled container, counter-top, and no-yard gardens. No space? No problem. As long as we remember to think outside the box.
Cardinals & Coneflowers: Garden Design with Birds in Mind
If you find joy in watching our local birds flit and flutter about the yard, consider planting some specific botanicals to meet the basic needs of our feathered friends. In this lecture we’ll not only discuss a variety of plants guaranteed to attract a diverse crowd of avian gems, but some additional actions you can take to entice them to linger longer and choose your yard and garden as their habitat home.
Nature & Wildlife Topics
The Brilliant Beaver
The American beaver is a fascinating mammal with a reputation as large as they are (did you know they can max out around 100 pounds!?). Referred to as pests by some and keystone species by others, this program introduces North America’s largest rodent with facts and stats and lets you be the judge! Recognized in fables and unrivaled in their engineering abilities, let’s discuss these unique aquatic critters from perfume to pelts and everything in between. An activity wraps up this interactive program that is suitable for kids and adults alike.
Tods, Vixens, Pups & Kits: Fun Facts about the Fabulous Fox
Did you know that there are four different species of foxes found here in North America? How about their various vocalizations or that they come in more colors than rusty red and snow white? In this exciting program we’ll explore the curiously cat-like member of the dog family before learning how to mimic a few of their fascinating features. You might be walking, barking, or diving like a fox before the presentation is through!
Maple Mania: From Sap to Syrup & the Magic in Between (February-April delivery only)
From learning to identify a sugar maple to actually tapping a tree, this engaging and interactive presentation will take you through the process of sap to syrup and the process in between while wrapping up, naturally, with a taste sampling from a local sugarbush. All materials referenced in this program are included, so fret not if your site does not include access to a live maple…we’ll have a limb to practice on and a drop sheet to catch the mess!
The Language of Leaves: The Not-So-Secret Science Behind Fall Foliage
(September-November delivery only)
Few can argue that there’s anywhere more beautiful than New England in Autumn. With air as crisp as a freshly picked apple and scents of wood smoke accompanying a crimson, orange, and gold horizon… Really, how lucky are we to experience such idyllic fall feels? But why is that the maples, oaks, and aspens (to name just a few) put on this stunning show? What is the purpose behind the carnival of leaves destined to drop? Let’s discover the not-so-secret science behind fall foliage as we tap into a bit of basic botany before experimenting with pigments as we learn about, and try to replicate, the colorful language of leaves.
Corvids, Corvids Everywhere (back in 2025!)
What would a magpie’s apprentice be if not an advocate for these brilliant, beautiful birds!? Magpies are related to crows and ravens, nutcrackers and jays. United as members of the Corvidae family, these crafty, clever, jovial creatures have some amazing tactics for survival as well as a notable love of play and a memory that rivals those of primates! Attendees will learn about our onyx hued Corvid crew as we explore what makes magpies, crows, and ravens not only unique from other bird species, but truly awe-inspiring as well.