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Speaking

Absolutely moving, inspired, poetic message. This lecture will change the way I garden forever after.
So. Very. Worthwhile.”
-- Northwest Flower & Garden Show reviewer (on the topic A New Garden Ethic)


A New Garden Ethic

Why gardening with native plants is an ethical  imperative in a world of climate change and extinction. This deep dive explores ecology, science, psychology, and philosophy as we ponder how to embrace gardens as places to create empowering social and cultural change. Read a short essay on the topic.

Fundamentals of Garden Layers

Let's learn from natural plant communities to increase ecosystem function and climate resilience at home in our designed gardens. From the fundamentals of plant succession over the years, to using plant reproduction and habit to fill ecological niches, the right native plant communities make all the difference for beautiful gardens both wildlife and people crave.

Designing for Winter Beauty & Wildlife

The season doesn't end in August! In fact, the garden is just beginning to show its deeper side. We'll look at native plants that add pizzazz in fall, from herbaceous perennials with fantastic autumn color and ornamental seed heads, to structural perennials, shrubs, and grasses that look outstanding amid blizzards. The benefit of a pretty winter garden for us? More ecosystem function and less work.

Busting Garden Management Myths

Amending for a perfect soil. Fertilizing. Mulching. Cleaning up in fall. Gardening by USDA hardiness zone. In this lively talk we rethink 10 common garden practices that go against the grain of sustainable, natural landscapes for wildlife.

Prairie Up! Starting Your Native Plant Garden

For new gardeners and those refreshing older beds, all audiences will learn the A to Z on researching, procuring, and designing with native plants. We'll cover regional resources, how to use plant communities for ecological resilience, strategies for less maintenance, and then create a sample plan that you can tweak.

Sowing the Prairie Garden Bed

While it may be more economical to garden from seed, sometimes the design and ecosystem services suffer. In this talk we'll go over site analysis, selecting the best plants for the site, learn how to calculate seed percentage by plant group for the mix, as well as prep, sowing, and management. From a new area to incorporating seed into established beds, this talk will delve into the nitty gritty of successful design by using seeds.

When Weed Control Comes

How do you create a highly-visible landscape that's full of "wild" native plants? What design strategies can you use to make it visually appealing to neighbors, yet low maintenance and ecologically thriving? Learn from my experience getting notices from weed control and speaking with inspectors.


Sustainable Design for Wildlife & Home

We'll explore the many benefits plants have for carbon sequestration, water filtration, cleaning soil, and reducing a home's energy use -- with design strategies to help wildlife in every season.

Workshops

For a more immersive and hands-on experience, we can combine elements of the above topics to create a morning or all-day workshop. Class members will delve into exploring ecological management, using resilient native plant communities amid climate change, and designing a space that welcomes both wildlife and people.

Webinar

Benjamin is also available to do online presentations and workshops with your group on any of the above or suggested new topics.

Contact

Perhaps the most important thing a keynote speaker can do is challenge your assumptions and enable you to think in different ways, especially when talking about moral and ethical imperatives. This is not an easy task and Benjamin successfully navigated this through his heartfelt words, humor, easy speaking style, and his deep and wide-ranging knowledge of ecology, psychology, and history. Our membership embraced his keynote address as his talk changed the trajectory of conversation for the rest of the day. "
-- Drew Lathin, Board of Directors, Wildflower Association of Michigan
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Click to download the one sheet
Vogt did an outstanding job bridging practical gardening with the philosophy behind why we need native plants in our landscapes. He had great photos, statistics, and personal stories. He was knowledgeable, honest, unafraid of conflict, and used a very conversational tone."
-- Millersville Native Plants in the Landscape Conference attendee
An honest, authentic, and stirring call to action. I don't want to say that Benjamin and A New Garden Ethic are ahead of their time because their time is right this second. Every person with a relationship to the land -- in any capacity -- will benefit from considering these ideas and reevaluating their established paradigms. Change can be difficult, but never have I heard change presented so eloquently and beautifully, with moments of humor interjected throughout. It caused our audience to want to change for the better, and helped us launch our own 'bluestem roots' movement in Madison. Benjamin is a highly captivating speaker and I would recommend him to any audience."
-- Benjamin Futa, Director, Allen Centennial Garden

2021 Schedule

2/26 -- Siouxland Garden Show -- online

5/12 -- Wild Ones Twin Cities -- online

5/13 -- Pottawattamie County Conservation

6/12 -- Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Conference, MN Landscape Arboretum -- A New Garden Ethic -- Chaska, MN

7/10 -- Brookside Gardens, Montgomery Parks -- A New Garden Ethic -- Wheaton, MD

2020 Schedule

1/17 -- Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park -- A New Garden Ethic -- Peninsula, OH

2/8 -- Nebraska Builders Home & Garden Show -- From Lawn to Prairie Pollinator Garden, A How To -- Lincoln, NE

2/12 -- Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Winter Symposium -- A New Garden Ethic -- Richmond, VA

2/21 -- Midwestern State University -- A New Garden Ethic -- Wichita Falls, TX

2/22 -- Arts Alive Home and Garden Festival -- Busting Gardening Myths -- Wichita Falls, TX

3/3 -- Memphis Horticultural Society, Memphis Botanic Gardens -- A New Garden Ethic -- Memphis, TN

3/13 -- Tennessee Valley Wild Ones Plant Natives Symposium -- workshop TBD -- Chattanooga, TN

3/14 -- Tennessee Valley Wild Ones Plant Natives Symposium -- A New Garden Ethic (keynote) -- Chattanooga, TN

3/14 -- Tennessee Valley Wild Ones Plant Natives Symposium -- Busting Gardening Myths -- Chattanooga, TN

6/13 -- Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Conference, MN Landscape Arboretum -- A New Garden Ethic -- Chaska, MN

2019 Schedule

2/9 -- Nebraska Builders Home & Garden Show -- Low-Care Native Plants for Pollinators -- Lincoln, NE -- 4:30pm

2/16 -- Wild Ones West Cook, Naturally Beautiful Garden Conference -- A New Garden Ethic -- Chicago, IL (River Grove)

2/28 & 3/1 -- Land & Water Summit -- A New Garden Ethic (keynote) -- Albuquerque, NM

3/23 -- Resilient Landscapes Symposium, Allen Centennial Garden, University of Wisconsin-Madison (keynote) -- A New Garden Ethic -- Madison, WI

4/18 -- Gardeners Gathering, Master Gardeners of Kansas City -- A New Garden Ethic -- Kansas City, MO

5/2 -- Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists -- A New Garden Ethic -- Rogers, AR

5/4 -- Arkansas Audubon Society -- Sustainable Design for Garden & Home; A New Garden Ethic (keynote) -- Morrilton, AR

5/9 -- Doane College / NE Conservation Educational Fund -- Native Plants & Social Justice For All Species -- Crete, NE

6/5 -- AdkAction Pollinator Summit -- A New Garden Ethic (keynote); Sustainable Design for Wildlife & Climate Change -- North Creek, NY

8/28 -- Okies for Monarchs Summit -- A New Garden Ethic -- Oklahoma City, OK

9/14 -- Pollinator Fest, Central Community College -- Making a Pollinator Garden From Lawn (keynote) -- Grand Island, NE

9/19 -- Plan It Native -- Rethinking Landscape Management Practices -- Kansas City, MO

10/26 -- Myriad Botanical Gardens -- Reprairie Suburbia -- Oklahoma City, OK

11/3 -- North Carolina Botanical Garden -- A New Garden Ethic -- Chapel Hill, NC

11/14 -- Conservation Nebraska -- A New Garden Ethic -- Lincoln, NE (The Foundry, 6pm)

2018 Schedule

1/10 -- Tampa Garden Club -- A New Garden Ethic -- Tampa, FL

2/8  & 2/10 -- Northwest Flower & Garden Show -- Sustainable Design for Wildlife & Home; Cultivating a New Garden Ethic -- Seattle, WA

2/9 -- GardenPRO Conference (Northwest Flower & Garden Show) -- A New Garden Ethic -- Seattle, WA

2/17 -- Hitchcock Nature Center -- How to Choose the Right Native Plants for Your Landscape -- Honey Creek, IA

3/17 -- Hitchcock Nature Center -- Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Bugs, Spring Through Fall -- Honey Creek, IA

4/7 -- APLD Los Angeles Chapter -- A New Garden Ethic -- Los Angeles, CA

4/27 -- Red Cloud Opera House -- A New Garden Ethic -- 4pm  at the Willa Cather Foundation -- Red Cloud, NE

5/6 -- Hitchcock Nature Center -- Designing for Winter Wildlife Habitat and Seasonal Beauty -- Honey Creek, IA

6/18 -- Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center -- Starting & Planning A Native Plant Pollinator Garden -- Denton, NE

7/25 --  Western Nursery & Landscape Association (WNLA) -- Designing a Neighborhood-Friendly "Wild" Landscape -- 12pm -- webinar

2017 Schedule

2/4 -- ICEC Winter Workshop -- Gardening for Pollinators With Native Plants -- Guthrie Center, IA -- All you need to know about pollinators, native plants, and how to create a landscape that benefits their life processes.  Geared toward educators.

3/6 -- Michigan Wildflower Conference -- A New Garden Ethic -- East Lansing, MI -- Keynote address

4/4 -- Spring Creek Prairie -- Bringing Birds to Your Backyard -- Denton, NE -- 6:30pm


4/29 -- Garden & Landscape Education Expo -- Keynote, Designing Urban Prairie Gardens; Native Plants for Native Pollinators -- Gillette, WY

7/8 -- Hitchcock Nature Center -- A New Garden Ethic -- Honey Creek, IA (just northeast of Omaha)  -- 4pm

9/17 -- University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, Native Gardening Conference -- A New Garden Ethic -- Madison, WI -- Keynote address

10/17 -- Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, Impact Conference -- A New Garden Ethic-- Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL

​11/2 -- Sustainability Leadership Presentation Series -- A New Garden Ethic -- Lincoln , NE and streaming online -- 3:30pm 

2016 Schedule

2/20 -- Design With Nature Conference (Twin Cities Wild Ones) -- St. Paul, MN -- Designing for ecological and gorgeous winter gardens.

3/18 -- Denver Parks & Rec -- private event for staff.


3/19 -- Western Landscape Symposium (Colorado State University) -- Pueblo, CO -- Keynote address on garden ethics, climate change, and native plants (2 talks).

7/9 -- Midwest Native Plant Society -- Dayton, OH -- Keynote on native plant gardening for winter interest and wildlife habitat. Our gardens can be as lush, dynamic, and gorgeous in winter as high summer.

10/15 -- Hendricks County Master Gardeners "Adventures in Gardening" Symposium -- Danville, IN -- Keynote presentation on garden ethics, second talk on winter garden design with native plants.

12/8 -- Sustainable Landscape Workshop, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum -- Lincoln, NE -- 1-4 and 5-7, workshop explores how and why to garden for the environment and wildlife, featuring a panel of experts with their visions and projects. More here.


2015 Schedule

11/14 -- Creating Harmony with Native Landscaping (Lake to Prairie Wild Ones) -- Grayslake, IL -- The ethics of native plant gardening in a time of climate change and extinction.

10/28 -- Living Activism, Art & Social Justice Week -- Sheldon Museum of Art -- Lincoln, NE -- Equality and justice for all species through smarter-designed gardens and landscapes.

9/18/-9/21 -- 67th Annual Garden Writers Association Symposium -- Pasadena, CA -- speaking on 9/20 about making social media work for your personal brand.

7/17 -- Reading / discussion from The Tallgrass Prairie Reader -- 1-3pm -- 2015 Iowa Prairie Conference, Cedar Falls, IA. Join anthology editor John Price -- and contributors Lisa Knopp, Mary Swander, Elizabeth Dodd, and myself -- as we read our own writing and the writing of prairie authors we admire, while discussing how to speak for the nearly-vanished tallgrass prairie.

6/26 -- Prairie Gardening for Pollinators -- Platte River Prairies Field Day -- 9am-3pm -- The Nature Conservancy's Derr House in Wood River, NE -- I'll be presenting twice at 9:15 and again at 2:15, and there will be tons going on the entire day.

4/23 -- Celebrate Spring Gardening -- Central Community College, Columbus, NE -- two talks: Gardening with Native Plants for Beneficial Pollinators; Making a Low Maintenance Prairie Garden From Lawn

2/15 -- Carefree Butterfly Gardening With Prairie Plants -- 2-3pm -- Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, Sioux City, IA.

1/8 -- Native Plants, Climate Change, Extinction, and a New Garden Ethic -- Union College, Lincoln -- 7-8:30pm -- Wachiska Audubon Society

2014 Schedule (selected)

11/8 -- 10am (cst) -- The Master Gardener Hour with Kate Copsey on America's Web Radio -- An hour discussing fall gardening, winter interest, native plants, wildlife gardening in the "off" season, what to do and what not to do in autumn, and a few good stories. 

10/26 -- 10am hour -- The Mike Nowak Show on WCPT Chicago, discussing climate change, species loss, native plants, and gardening ethics.

2/15 -- 3pm -- Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society conference, Kearney, NE -- Native prairie plant choices for beneficial insects as a way to increase small and large farm crop yields. 

4/5 -- 1pm -- Bluebirds Across Nebraska conference, Beatrice, NE -- Learn about gardening with native plants for birds.

4/26 -- Noon-1pm -- Nebraska Book Festival, UNO, Omaha, NE -- Reading from my prairie poetry collection Afterimage.

5/15 -- Noon -- Fremont Kiwanis Club, Fremont Golf Club, Fremont, NE -- Butterfly gardening with native plants.

5/30 -- 6:15pm -- Loess Hills Prairie Seminar, Onawa, IA -- How prairie plants connect us to place making a better world, and some of my top tallgrass native wildflower choices for wildlife.

6/5-6/7 -- 6/6 9:15-10:30am & 6/7 10:15-11:15am -- Millersville Native Plants in the Landscape conference, Millersville, PA -- I'll be speaking on the moral / ethical imperative of using native plants, as well as on monarch butterfly gardening. The event will be streamed live online.
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M O N A R C H   G A R D E N S   LLC

prairie inspired  design

Lincoln & Omaha, Nebraska

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