Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

Doug Tallamy (Photo courtesy of the University of Delaware)

Doug Tallamy’s lecture started from a basic and logical premise: if you take away the places for wildlife to live and feed, you will lose your wildlife. We are all aware that habitat destruction leads to a loss of species, but very few of us believe that we can make a difference or that we are directly linked to the process. I mean this in a non-judgmental way and from a place of empowerment.

Some of you may think that this is an early case of ‘election fever,’ but alas it is not. Last month I sat in an auditorium and listened to a very convincing and lucid proponent for environmental restoration and species diversity. Regardless of his own political views, with respect to the biome Tallamy is definitely not a democrat. “All plants,” he asserts, “are not created equal in their ability to support wildlife.”
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Annie Novak at the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm (Photo courtesy of The Selby)

Annie Novak–urban farm evangelist, children’s gardening advocate, and rooftop farmer–will “Raise the Roof!” tomorrow at the Garden at 10 a.m.

Novak, the Director of The New York Botanical Garden’s Children’s Gardening Program, the founder and director of Growing Chefs field-to-fork education program, and the co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn will discuss the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from farming the skyline.

From Tanzania to the Bronx, Novak is a local farmer with a global perspective. Having farmed in nine different countries and co-founded the nation’s first rooftop farm, Novak has amassed a wealth of experience gardening in any environment. She’ll share these experiences and lessons on Thursday, March 17 in NYBG’s Ross Lecture Hall for the final installment of the 11th Annual Winter Lecture Series. Buy tickets now at nybg.org/AdultEd.

Every time I’ve spoken to a landscape architect or nursery grower about taking an ecological approach to landscape design–something I’ve been doing a lot throughout the planning and development of the Garden‘s new Native Plant Garden–I keep hearing the same phrase repeated over and over:  “You should talk to Colston Burrell.”

Up until this point I’ve known Burrell mostly through his writing. Of recent note is his American Horticultural Society (AHS) award-winning Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. This is the time of year when I really start looking forward to the blooming of the Lenten Rose and other garden hellebores, but Burrell’s knowledge goes far beyond the mere beauty of these harbingers of spring. Another book of his that won an AHS book award is A Gardener’s Encyclopedia of Wildflowers. Wildflowers . . .  Now isn’t that just a friendly term for native plants? Burrell is deeply involved with using and promoting native plants, whether he’s lecturing on plants and ecology at the University of Virginia, getting his hands dirty in his own garden, or working on designs through his firm Native Landscape Design and Restoration.

There are a lot of reasons to use native plants. They’re also commonly misunderstood, both  by those who overestimate their powers, and those who underestimate their potential. I’m looking forward to getting a real plantsman’s perspective on how to use native plants in the landscape, the perspective of someone who loves wildflowers and hellebores with equal passion. That’s why I’ll be in the front row on February 17, when Colston Burrell speaks as part of NYBG’s 2011 Winter Lecture Series. I hope to see you there!

Burrell’s lecture is at the Garden in the Ross Lecture Hall on Thursday, February 17, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. The cost is $39 for non-members, and $35 for Members. The third and final installment of the series will feature director of The New York Botanical Garden’s Children’s Gardening Program, rooftop farmer, and food advocate Annie Novak on Thursday, March 17.

A good lecture can serve as a catalyst for change, and this year’s 11th Annual Winter Lecture Series at The New York Botanical Garden should send you away with a lot to think about, and some serious tools for precipitating change in your own community, city, or just our own backyard.

The series kicks off on Thursday, January 20 with Michael Van Valkenburgh‘s ”Plants Make Places.”  Van Valkenburgh, a renowned landscape architect, will discuss the role of plants in recent projects at Princeton University, Teardrop Park in lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

On Thursday, February 17, garden designer, award-winning author, photographer, naturalist, and
teacher C. Colston Burrell will talking about ”Native Plants and Ecological Design.” Burrell will explore what actually makes a plant ”native,” the definition of ecological gardening, and the issues surrounding sustainable landscape design.

Last, but certainly not least, Annie Novak, urban farming evangelist and director of The New York Botanical Garden’s Children’s Gardening Program will ”Raise The Roof!” on Thursday, March 17.  Novak is the founder and director of Growing Chefs field-to-fork education program, and the co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and will discuss the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from farming the skyline.

The lectures are being held at the Garden in the Ross Lecture Hall 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Each lecture is $39 for non-members, and $35 for Members, or buy the whole series and save 10%.

And while you’re at the Garden, why not make a full day of it? Visit Caribbean Garden for a mini-vacation in the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory; snap a few pictures to enter into our photography contest; grab a bite from one of our two cafes dedicated to sustainable, local, tasty cuisine; and shop the Winter Sale at the Shop in the Garden.