A Note on Future Appearances
Benjamin is actively working to reduce his carbon footprint while providing more inclusivity with his presentations. To that end, he will be taking on fewer engagements that require long-distance travel and prioritizing online lectures and workshops, which he has had great success with. Benjamin is confident in the value of online interaction as well as the ability it affords to reach more people while being environmentally sensitive (not to mention more affordable for the host organization). He is excited to discuss with you any potential event, online or in person, as we work to unlawn America and rethink gardening in a time of climate disruption. Select from the following topics or any of the online classes for your next event.
Workshops
For a more immersive and hands-on experience, we can combine elements of the above topics to create a half 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.
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. "
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." 2024 Schedule
1/18/24 -- Jenkins Arboretum and Gardens -- online
1/20/24 -- Into to Plant Sociability -- online 1/25/24 -- Growing a Natural Garden Design Business Seminar -- online 2/1/24 to 2/28/24 -- Online Design Workshop Series 2/7/24 -- Hardy Plant Society -- online 2/14/24 -- Franklin County Ohio Master Gardeners -- online 2/20/24 -- Growing a Natural Garden Design Business Seminar -- online 2/21/24 -- The Nature Foundation of Will county -- online 3/5/24 -- Barrie Garden Club -- online 3/16/24 -- Iowa State University Polk County Extension -- in person 4/10/24 -- The Nature Foundation of Will county -- online 8/7/24 -- The Nature Foundation of Will county -- online 10/19/24 -- Wild Ones Rock River Valley -- online 10/24/24 -- Wild Ones -- online 2023 Schedule
1/24 -- PRAIRIE UP Book Launch -- online 1/28 -- North Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners -- online 2/17 -- GreenScapes Symposium, Brookside Gardens -- online 2/19 -- Georgia Native Plant Society -- online 3/15 -- The Nature Foundation of Will County -- online 3/18 -- Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County -- online 4/1 -- Penn State Extension Master Gardeners -- online 4/19 -- Wild About Saskatoon -- online 4/19 -- Bostion Scientific 4/20 -- Boston Scientific 5/3 -- Sag Moraine Native Plant Community -- online 6/14 -- The Nature Foundation of Will county -- online 6/20 -- International Master Gardener Conference, KC -- design workshop and lecture 8/8 -- City of Kearney, NE -- online 8/10 -- City of Laurel, MD -- online 9/30 -- Plant Native Oklahoma -- recorded / online 11/7 -- University of Maryland Extension -- online 12/7-- The Nature Foundation of Will county -- online 12/18 -- Western Pennsylvania Wild Ones -- online 2022 Schedule
1/27 -- Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens -- online 1/27 -- Tallgrass Prairie Center -- online 2/13 -- Project Green of Iowa City -- online 2/15 -- Metro Hort Group -- online 2/24 -- Ecological Landscape Alliance -- online 2/24 -- Greater Kane County Wild Ones -- online 3/7 -- Pan's Garden, Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach -- online 3/17 -- Garden Masterclass, Thursday Chat -- online 4/13 -- Grow Native Massachusetts -- online 4/24 -- David Suzuki Foundation -- online 6/16 -- Johnson County Kansas Extension Master Gardeners -- online 7/13 -- Plant it Wild -- online 10/11 -- Horticulture Society of Maryland -- online 6/20/23 -- International Master Gardener Conference, KC -- design workshop and lecture 2021 Schedule
2/26 -- Siouxland Garden Show -- online 3/19 -- Tennessee Valley Wild Ones -- online 5/12 -- Wild Ones Twin Cities -- online 5/13 -- Pottawattamie County Conservation -- online 6/16 -- Ecological Landscape Alliance -- online 6/24 -- University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum -- online 7/10 -- Brookside Gardens, Montgomery Parks -- online 10/2 -- Westmoreland County Master Gardener Conference -- online 11/4 -- Ladew Gardens -- online 11/15 -- Georgia Perennial Plant Association -- online 12/1 -- Annapolis Horticulture Society -- online 12/4 -- APLD International Landscape Design Conference -- online 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 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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Monarch Gardens is a prairie-inspired design firm. We specialize in lawn to meadow conversions as well as urban shade gardens.
Employing 95% native plants, our designs are climate resilient, adaptable, and provide numerous ecological benefits while artistically reflecting wilder landscapes. |
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