Events

West Hartford Sustainability Fair! ⚡

Come explore practical ways to make our homes, landscapes, and community more sustainable.

This family-friendly event will feature information and demonstrations on:

• Electric vehicles, e-bikes, and scooters
• Electric lawn care equipment
• Solar power, heat pumps, batteries, and charging
• Waste reduction and composting
• Trees, native plants, pollinator gardens, and other nature-based solutions
• Local nonprofit environmental and sustainability organizations, including our Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter Table
• Activities for children

The fair is co-hosted by Sierra Club Connecticut, the Sustainable West Hartford Commission, and PACE.

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.

CT Horticultural Society has rescheduled Uli's webinar that had originally been planned for last June.

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This CT Horticultural Society Speaker Event was made possible through the generosity of the Lois and Herb Isaacson Endowed Lecture fund and the Mountain Laurel Chapter of Wild Ones.

What is Ecological Horticulture? What distinguishes it from mainstream horticulture? Why is genetic diversity important?  Ecological Horticulture takes a different approach from traditional gardening by focusing on nature-friendly principles. This talk will dive into key ideas and challenge common gardening practices. For example: Why is genetic diversity essential? Can I use cultivated versions of native plants? How should climate change influence my gardening choices? These questions and more will guide a discussion on creating and caring for gardens in harmony with the environment.

Uli Lorimer serves as the Director of Horticulture for the Native Plant Trust, a leading non-profit dedicated to preserving the native flora of the Northeastern United States. In this role, he oversees the acclaimed Garden in the Woods in Framingham and Nasami Farm in Western Massachusetts, which focuses on native plant propagation and research. Uli’s impressive career includes positions at the National Arboretum, Wave Hill, and as the Curator of Native Plants at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. A lifelong enthusiast of plants and biodiversity, Uli continues to study the region’s ecosystems, collect seeds from the wild, and introduce new plants to collections.

He is also a prolific author and speaker, well-known to audiences across the horticultural community. His publications include Tough Natives for Tough Places and A Native Plant Reader. His latest work, The Northeast Native Plant Primer, reflects his deep commitment to native plants and their ecological value. With a science-based approach and a passion for biodiversity, Uli offers invaluable insights into selecting plants that maximize the ecological impact of our gardens while celebrating the beauty of native flora.

This event is free for CT Horticultural Society and Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter members, $10 for non-members.  CT Hort members and the general public should register at  CT Hort Events:  Digging Deeper.  Mountain Laurel Chapter members will receive the Zoom link for free a few days ahead of the meeting.   DO NOT REGISTER at the CT Hort website or you will have to pay the non-member fee!

Come along on a guided walk, led by Lydia Pan, through areas that are being planted and managed to augment wild populations of native species.  Learn how native plants disperse their seeds, how to know when seeds are ripe, how to gather them sustainably without harming wild populations and prepare them for storage or sowing.  You will leave with several different types of seeds to try sowing at home.  Bring garden snips, empty envelopes or small paper bags to hold each type of seed, a pen or pencil for labeling envelopes and a shopping bag to carry everything with you.   (We will have some extra envelopes and bags.)

This program is co-hosted by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and Wild Ones.  Open to the public, but preregistration is required since space is limited.

DPNC Members: $8.50, Non-members: $10

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

The Connecticut Horticultural Society’s biennial symposium is a daylong event  featuring presentations by garden experts Rebecca McMackin, Christine Darnell, and Jennifer McGuinness, followed by “Gardening at Every Age,” a panel discussion and Q&A moderated by Jim Sirch. Panelists include gardening experts at various stages of life and career: Karen Bussolini, Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, Dan Furman, Eric Mason, Jennifer McGuinness, and Jillian Shea.  Wild Ones is one of the sponsors of this event.

– The keynote speaker is Rebecca McMackin, whose talk is “Adventures in Ecological Horticulture."

– Christine Darnell’s will present “Approaching the Garden.”

– Jennifer McGuinness will discuss “Designing for Birds: Lessons from an Evolving Garden.”

Admission, which is the same as it was in 2020, includes coffee and buffet lunch. Parking is free.

This biennial symposium is held by the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG)

**Attend in person or purchase the recording** 
The symposium will be recorded and made available after the event. 

Choose one of the following registration options: 
Attend in person on October 28 and receive the full symposium recording after the event. 
Recording only, not attending in person on Oct. 28. 

Registration, agenda and more information at link below.

Join us to chat informally about seasonal issues and other questions you have about growing native plants, habitat gardening, and any problems you have encountered.   All native gardeners – novice or veteran - are welcome.  While not required, questions or topics of interest may be submitted in advance via email to [email protected] to give us time to research the answers.   Q&A will be moderated by one or more chapter leaders, focusing on seasonally relevant topics, but any native gardening question is fair game.  We will do our best to answer  your questions – and if we can’t, perhaps another attendee can!  

This program is for members only.   Register to receive the zoom link.  

Living on the Edge: Designing the Transition from Landscape to Forest

The transition zone between a cultivated landscape and a natural forested area provides unique opportunities (and challenges!) in a home landscape. The strategic use of native understory trees and shrubs can provide screening and other important landscape functions as well as expanding your seasonal interest and support for native pollinators/wildlife.

Full-day conference includes morning coffee/continental breakfast, three presentations, lunch, panel discussion and an optional tour after the conference.

– Edgy Ecology for the Formal Forest Fringe — Lea Johnson, PhD, Director of Conservation, The Native Plant Trust

– Designing the Edge — Kate Cholakis, Professor of Landscape Planning & Design, The Conway School of Landscape Design

– Shrubs for the Forest Edge — Bryan Connolly, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology, Eastern Connecticut State University

Seating is limited. Registration required.
Registration is $75 or $60  for members of Wild Ones or Connecticut College Arboretum.

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.

Zoe Evans, rewilding coach and VP of Partnerships & Programs at Wildr shares a practical, science-informed framework for evaluating a home landscape, identifying its greatest habitat opportunities, and choosing actions that support more plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Registration link coming soon.

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.

No yard required. Learn how native plants can turn patios, balconies, containers, and other small spaces into meaningful habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. This practical panel will cover plant selection, container design, seasonal care, and realistic ways to support biodiversity in limited spaces.

Registration link coming soon.

Birds depend on healthy, connected habitats for food, shelter, nesting, and migration support. Join experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to explore how native plants and thoughtful landscape choices can support birdlife at home. Learn how gardens, yards, and community spaces can provide the insects, seeds, berries, cover, and habitat structure birds need throughout the year.

Registration link coming soon. 

Monarch butterflies depend on a network of habitats stretching across North America, and home landscapes can play an important role in their survival. Join experts from Monarch Joint Venture to explore the science behind monarch conservation, including the importance of milkweed, nectar resources, and regionally appropriate habitat. Learn practical ways to support monarchs through native landscaping and help sustain one of the world's most remarkable migrations.
 

Registration link coming soon.