March Into Spring 2023 - A Symposium for Gardeners

"Gardening Guided by Science - The Science of Gardening and Its Practical Applications"

The 2023 March Into Spring will be a Hybrid Event - In-Person and Virtual Options. We are so excited to have an In-Person option for our Symposium this year. The Online Auction will remain online. Members and non-members welcome.

The In-Person option will be at a New Location: West Chester University in West Chester, PA.
Please note that this is not a West Chester University-affiliated event.

Our Online Auction has been very popular. We need your help to again make this a successful event. Offering unique and one-of-a-kind items and experiences can help us all plan for the new gardening season and make the auction more fun for all. If you have something special you would like to donate, or suggestions of new donors to contact, please send an email to [email protected]

Speakers & Lectures, so far ... More Speakers & Lectures and Symposium Details to Follow!

"If You Build It, They Will Come: Understanding and Improving Garden Soils" with Bryce Lane, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Emeritus, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University

As gardeners, we spend most of our time thinking "above ground." We ruminate about plants, combinations, color, texture, and about light exposure, water, temperature, and climate. Gardening success is equally dependent on what is going on below ground. A scientific understanding of soil chemistry, biology, physics, and fertility makes a good gardener a "master" gardener! This talk will help us understand basic soil principles, and how we can use that understanding to improve our garden soils, properly prepare garden beds, reduce fertilizer inputs, compost, and maximize success in our gardens!

Speaker Bio:

Bryce Lane discovered his passion for plants and telling others about them, while working at a small Massachusetts garden center throughout high school and college. After earning his BS and MS in Horticulture, he came to the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University as an Instructor and Undergraduate Coordinator. He spent 34 years teaching and advising over 20,000 students. Bryce retired in 2014, but still teaches part-time in the department. For 11 seasons, from 2003 to 2014 he hosted and produced a three-time, Emmy winning, UNC TV public television show called “In the Garden With Bryce Lane”.
He now spends his time giving horticulture talks, doing leadership, and communication training, teaching part-time at NC State, and at the JC Raulston Arboretum. He has also worked for the past 6 years helping to train Extension professionals in video production.
An avid gardener, Bryce has gardened on the same one quarter acre plot for 39 years. He and his wife of 45 years also spend plenty of time with their 6 grandchildren!

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“Smart Planting Management” with Claudia West

Please note: All pictures in this section courtesy of Rob Cardillo Photography.

Gardeners love nurturing their plantings but get frustrated when maintenance needs become overwhelming. Join Claudia for an eye-opening deep dive into the root causes of high maintenance gardens. We will discuss recent discoveries in plant community science and link them to some of the biggest challenges gardeners face. You will leave with practical thinking models and tools to help you balance your garden’s needs with your busy lifestyle and budget. Nurturing an inspiring, ecologically rich garden should not be a burden!

Speaker Bio:
Claudia West is a leading voice in the emerging field of ecological planting design. Known for her passionate advocacy of plant-driven design, Claudia is a widely sought out speaker and consultant who applies the technologies of plant systems to bring essential natural functions back into our cities and towns. She has worked on all sides of the green industry—as a designer, a grower, installer, and land manager—grounding her innovative work in pragmatic solutions that address the realities of our urbanizing world. She is the co-author of the critically acclaimed book, Planting in a Post-Wild World (Timber Press, 2015).
Having grown up on a family-owned nursery, florist business, and design/build firm in eastern Germany, Claudia was propagating plants before she could walk. Her love of American native plants brought her to the U.S. where she worked at Blue Mount Nurseries in Maryland and immersed herself in the study of American flora and mid-Atlantic ecosystems. Claudia holds a Master’s Degree of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Her intense studies of plant habitats and the science of of plant community-based design strategies at the renowned school for horticulture in 

 Weihenstephan, Germany built a solid foundation for her current work. Before co-founding Phyto Studio, Claudia was ecological sales manager at North Creek Nurseries, a wholesale perennial grower in Landenberg, PA. Her work was focused on bridging the gap between growers, designers, and land managers as well as introducing more functional and beautiful ecological plants into the nursery trade.

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