All events are open to the public and held on the campus of Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY, unless otherwise stated.

3 Easy Ways to Register (Include your e-mail, confirmations and directions will be e-mailed)
Fax: (914) 606-6143
Phone: 914) 606-7870
Mail to: The Native Plant Center at WCC, 75 Grasslands Rd, Valhalla, NY 10595

Slide show of plants listed in the 2008 Pre-Sale list, followed by
consultations with our own “Personal Shoppers.” Native Plant experts on hand to guide you through your selection of natives best suited for your property.

NPC members: your list will arrive in late January. Bring your copy and we can help you fill out the Order Form.

Join as a member to attend.
Click here for Membership Information

Lecture Registration Form

February 29:
Native New Yorkers
Carolyn Summers
Six-Part Series
Certificate issued for participants who attend all 6 lectures
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

February 29 - Why Natives
March 7 - Principles of Safe Sex
March 14 - Wildlife Habitat
March 28 - Native Substitutes
April 4 - Shopping and Design

For design professionals, master gardeners and gardening enthusiasts, this 6-part course provides a comprehensive foundation for garden design using regional native plants. Issues covered include wildlife benefits, harmful invasives and sustainable design. Students will learn to apply basic ecological and design principles in their own and clients’ gardens.

Course participants who attend all six lectures will receive credit towards the Native Plant Center’s Certificate of Merit.

Why Natives The first unit explains the essential roles played by native plants in the food web, roles that cannot be duplicated by exotic plants.
Principles of Safe Sex in the Garden This lecture covers the minimal and safe use of exotics; learn to use plant reproductive strategies to limit spread of exotics, enhance native plant productivity.
The Garden as Wildlife Habitat This unit will cover plantings and design elements for basic wildlife needs, discuss the role of maintenance in nurturing wildlife populations and a brief overview of deer control.
Showy Native Substitutes for Popular Plants This will highlight some of the more obscure natives, in addition to unusual cultivars of well-known natives.
Basic Design Concepts and Styles; Grouping Natives by Habitat Explore the design versatility of native plants as applied to traditional vernacular styles such as Japanese and English, as well as a brief overview of natural habitat design.
Shopping for Native Plants The last unit will briefly cover sources for some of the more obscure natives, as well as a review and Q&A for the previous sessions.

Carolyn Summers worked for New York City’s Department
of Environmental Protection as the Director of Natural Resources for seven years, and implemented a new native plants policy for all agency construction projects. She currently works as a self-employed consultant on a variety of environmental issues
and is the Chair of the NPC’s Wildflower and Native Plant Sale.

Lecture Registration Form

Join as an NPC Member and Save!
Click here for Membership Information

Friday, February 22:
Plant Pre-Sale Order Deadline

All forms available on the website home page.

Join as a member to receive a discount on Pre-Sale Orders.
Click here for Membership Information

Saturday, March 8:
Sow & Grow Natives Workshop
Anne Megaro & Barbara Fischer
Space Limited
By phone (914) 606-7876 or fax (914) 606-6143
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. at WCC

Have you tried to grow your own meadow (or just some impatiens) from seed and failed? Take this course and learn from the mistakes of your teachers! Class covers the basic techniques and pitfalls of seed sowing as well as the more advanced requirements of many native perennials. This hands-on program supplies you with soil, packs, seeds and bags for seeded packs. You will sow and take home packs of Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) and Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed). Proper transplanting and aftercare will also be demonstrated.

Anne Megaro has been teaching planting techniques for 20 years at Wildcliff Greenhouse in New Rochelle. As Field Coordinator for Groundwork Yonkers, Inc., she works on environmental projects.

Barbara Fischer, a Master Gardener, runs the after-school greenhouse program for The Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry. She is the
Co-Chair of the NPC’s Steering Committee.

Lecture Registration Form
Join as an NPC Member and Save!
Click here for Membership Information

Thursday, March 20:
5th Annual Natural Landscape Design Conference
Radical Transformations:
The Process of Natural Landscape Establishment
Co-Sponsored by The NPC and New Directions in the American Landscape
8:30 – 4:00 p.m. at WCC
CEUs Available for Landscape Architects & Designers

Everything is changing in our landscape gardens; why we create them, how we plant them, and how we live in them are all being re-evaluated and revolutionized. Explore with our distinguished presenters how innovation, creativity and ecological understanding can enhance the individual experiences and global impacts that our landscapes provide.
The Big Picture
Backyard Forward: Small Places, Big Decisions - William Shutkin
Zoom in on Google Earth from the stratosphere to a single property and you will see, quite literally, where the big meets the small. From the profound to the practical, Mr. Shutkin will illustrate how local landscape decisions affect not only our own backyards, but the planet as a whole.
The Details
Creating Natural Landscapes for the Real World - Larry Weaner
Are native plant gardens automatically “low maintenance”? Are all natural gardens “wild” in appearance? What actually is a “sustainable” landscape? In this presentation we will move beyond the buzzwords and oversimplifications to examine a practical, step by step process for creating easily managed landscapes that seamlessly combine ecological diversity, cultural expression, and garden art.
The Long Term
Gardening on Earth: A Half-century of Respect for Nature - Richard W. Lighty, Ph.D
Over a 45 year period, Dick Lighty and his wife Sally have designed, installed and maintained, without outside help, a seven and one-half acre property with two and one-half acres of lawn and gardens. These include sunny meadows, woodland wildflower glades, mixed borders, wetland landscapes, and numerous edible and ornamental gardens. Dr. Lighty will illustrate how the use of innovative techniques, many derived directly from natural processes, has allowed them to reduce maintenance on these extensive gardens and natural areas to approximately 8 hours per week. 

Full-Day Conference Fee Includes:
8:30 A.M.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
9 A.M.
Conference Introduction
Brooke Beebe and Larry Weaner
9:15 A.M.
William Shutkin
10:15 A.M.
Q & A
10:30 A.M.
Larry Weaner
11:30 A.M.
Q & A
11:45 A.M.
Lunch
1 P.M.
Richard Lighty, Ph.D.
2:00 P.M.
Q & A
2:15 P.M.
Break
2:45 P.M.
Panel Discussion with William Shutkin, Larry Weaner, Richard

Conference Registration Form

2008 Brochure Sping Conference

Speaker Profiles
William Shutkin is a global leader in sustainability and social entrepreneurship. An attorney, author, educator and non-profit leader, Shutkin’s expertise spans a variety of fields and disciplines, from urban planning to economic development, green design to global warming, public policy to social justice. He has written two books, the award-winning The Land That Could Be: Environmentalism and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century and A Republic of Trees, Fields Notes on People, Place and the Planet. The legendary environmentalist David Brower described Shutkin as “an environmental visionary creating solutions to today’s problems with a passion that would make John Muir and Martin Luther King equally proud.”
Larry Weaner is recognized nationally for his work in integrating the ecological sciences with the fine art of garden design. He has been president of Larry Weaner Landscape Design Associates since 1982 and has designed gardens throughout the Eastern U.S. Larry’s projects have been featured in national and international publications and he is a past board member and environmental committee chair of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. He also developed the New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL) educational series in 1990.
Richard W. Lighty is a pioneer in the introduction of native plants for gardeners, particularly in his work as the founding director of Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora in Greenville, De. From 1983 to 1998 he managed the center’s development emphasizing the selection, introduction and display of native plants. He has been honored by many prestigious organizations including the Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal from the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Perennial Plant Association. He also serves on numerous boards including The Garden Conservancy, Longwood Gardens and The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

2008 NPC Garden Tour:
April 4 - 9
Springtime in Texas - Bluebonnets, Barbeque and Lady Bird's Center
Click on links below to view exciting destinations

Trip Itinerary:
Friday, April 4 Depart this morning on regularly scheduled non-stop service to Austin, Texas, from either Newark or JFK Airports.* On arrival in Austin board our private coach; we’ll drive through the famed Texas Hill country, stopping for lunch en route to the historic town of Fredericksburg. In the mid-nineteenth century a treaty with the Comanche Indians opened up thousands of acres in Texas to German settlers. Fredericksburg, one of numerous German settlements, was named for the Prussian Prince Frederick. Accommodations for the next two nights are reserved at The Inn on Baron’s Creek. Enjoy free time to explore this quintessential hill town and join us in the evening for a welcome dinner, Texas style. (L,D)  

Saturday, April 5 Guided walk on the Bamberger Ranch Preserve, the largest habitat
restoration project on private land in the State of Texas. More than 5000 acres have been carefully planted and restored to include nature trails that honor the pioneers in their respective fields—Rachel Carson, Louis Bromfield, and Jane Goodall. In the afternoon we’ll visit a second private ranch in the hill country. Then return to Fredericksburg, stopping in the town of Luckenbach, made famous in song by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. (B)

Sunday, April 6 This morning we’ll drive to the LBJ Ranch on the north bank of the Pedernales River in Stonewall, Texas. Visit the small farmhouse where Lyndon Johnson was born and then follow the bend of the grassy river where Herefords and Texas Longhorns graze and pecan trees rustle in the wind, to see the private family burial ground of President and Mrs. Johnson. Stop for lunch in the town of Stonewall before continuing through the bluebonnet dappled hill country to Austin. Accommodations for the next three nights are reserved at The Hyatt Hotel on newly named Lady Bird Lake. Tonight dinner will be at the Mandola Estate Winery and Restaurant in Driftwood, Texas. (B,D)

Monday, April 7 Enjoy a free morning in Austin; there will be an optional excursion to the LBJ Library at the University of Texas where you can view a new exhibit about Lady Bird Johnson. This afternoon we are invited to walk in a private Austin garden. And this evening enjoy a bat watching cruise on Lady Bird Lake to witness the nightly flight of the largest urban bat colony in North America; an incredible wildlife spectacle as hundreds of thousands of bats take flight from under the Congress Street Bridge. (B)

Tuesday, April 8 Spend the morning at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center where native plants and local culture are beautifully combined in gardens and natural areas. After a guided tour indulge yourself at ‘Wild Ideas,’ the Center’s incomparable gift shop before luncheon and a special program. There will be free time to further enjoy the many aspects of the Center before a mid-afternoon visit to a private Austin home and garden. This evening we’ve planned a festive dinner when we dine in a hacienda lush with foliage and stunning décor. And the food is terrific! (B,L,D)

Wednesday, April 9 Spend a morning in an outstanding private Austin garden. Early afternoon transfer to the Austin Airport in time for scheduled airline departures. (B)

Itinerary subject to change.
Click here to print trip brochure and reservation form

Join as a member to receive a discount on Tesxas trip.
Click here for Membership Information

Saturday, May 3:
Wildflower and Native Plant Sale
Rain or Shine - Tent Coverage
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at WCC
Parking Lot # 1
Admission Free and Open to the Public

Help support future programming and similar events join as a Member
Click here for Membership Information

Wednesday, May 21, 2008:
NPC Spring Field Trip
Quaker Hill in Pawling, NY

Sign-Up Deadline: Postmarked by May 14 (registration form below)

Spend the morning in an extraordinary landscape on a fantastic
scale. Visit the private, rarely seen 250-acre Quaker Hill Native Plant Garden with us. Exclusive tour arranged for The Native Plant Center.*

"With the creation of a variety of suitable habitats, the garden has attracted abundant wildlife. Cedar Waxwings, Screech Owls, Ravens, and Red-tailed Hawks are among the many birds that have taken up residence. Countless frogs, turtles and fish share the ponds with ducks and herons, while fox and mink find their hunting ground here.

The garden has been a work in process by the Ziff family for over 20 years. It seamlessly incorporates the existing landscape in many areas, but the majority of the rocks and ground forms, the trees and groundcovers, and all the ponds and waterfalls are enritely constructed. It is an extraordinary landscape on an unprecedented scale and we take great pleasure in welcoming visitors." (Quaker Hill Brochure)

Highlights of the Garden:
12 miles of roads, trails, and paths
24 waterfalls
Over 10,000 planted trees
45 acres of ponds and lakes
More than 1,000 native plant species
Over 200,000 plants planted
346 landscaped acres

Lunch at McKeever’s, a cozy restaurant in Pawling, NY.

The afternoon visit is to Native Landscapes Garden Center with a tour and exploration of the collection of native plants and the National Wildlife Federation’s “American Beauty” program.

Two Departure Locations on Wednesday, May 21:
1. Westchester Community College - bus leaves promptly at 9 a.m.
2. Commuters’ parking lot at Exit 4 off Route 684 - 9:15 a.m.
Details will be sent after registration is received. For further information visit The NPC website at www.nativeplantcenter.org.

*Paths are narrow and rocky. Wear comfortable walking shoes.
Call for more details (914) 606-7870. Bus returns at 4:30 p.m.

Garden Tour Registration Form - fax to 914-606-6143

Join as an NPC Member and help fund future events!
Click here for Membership Information

Saturday, June 28:
Rain Gardens Workshop
Sven Hoegar

Free Butterfly Talks - 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Park at the end of Lot # 1 at Westchester Community College
Admission Free and Open to the Public

Are you wild about wildflowers? Ready to see meadows in bloom? Come to The Native Plant Center’s demonstration gardens at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York and imagine how wildflowers and native plants would spice up your garden!

The Lady Bird Johnson Demonstration Garden and the Stone Cottage Garden will be open for free tours on Sunday, July 20 from 12 noon until 4:00 p.m. As part of the Garden Conservancy Open Days program, volunteer guides will showcase the garden and answer questions about various plants and flowers. The gardens are described below.

Back by popular demand!
In addition to the tours (rain or shine), there will be special Butterfly presentations at 1:00 and 2:30 p.m.
Presenter Nancy Hough describes the presentation below.

Nancy Hough, has been raising butterflies for release in the wild for many years. She intends to bring her homemade boxes with caterpillar eggs, caterpillars, cocoons, milkweed plants and adult butterflies, although what she is able to bring will depend on the weather and the mama monarchs.

Join us on Garden Conservancy Open Day Sunday, July 20 and

• Learn which plants will attract monarchs and why it is so important to cultivate these plants.
• Learn how to collect eggs from milkweed.
• Learn what to do with the eggs so you will ultimately be
releasing healthy butterflies back to the wild. (Did you know that
the odds of an egg becoming a butterfly in the wild are 4 in 100?)

The first talk will be at 1 p.m. The second session begins at 2:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, enjoy the informative tours and beautiful gardens of the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College.

Join as a member to receive a discount on Pre-Sale Orders.
Click here for Membership Information

Additional Westchester Organizations to visit:

Teatown Lake Reservation
(914) 762-2912

Greenburgh Nature Center
99 Dromore Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583
(914) 723-3470
www.greenburghnaturecenter.org

Blue Mountain Reservation

Cranberry Lake Preserve
(914) 428-1005

Croton Point Park Nature Center
(914) 862-5297

Lenior Preserve
(914) 968-5851

Trailside Nature Museum(914) 864-7322

Read Sanctuary
(914) 967-8720

Merstead Historic Site
(914) 666-4258

Marshlands Conservancy
(914) 835-4466