Friday, September 15, 2023, from 11am to 4pm
Join us for a day about ornamental grasses, featuring three guest speakers. Lunch is included!
A huge thanks to our great sponsors!
To register or for additional questions, email sales@intrinsicperennialgardens.com or call us at (815) 648-2788, Ext. 10.
Presentations by Speakers
Martin Quinn
Martin Quinn is a horticulturalist or as some call him a plant nerd!! He graduated in 1970 from Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario.
His interest in plant breeding started from his days with the Ball Corporation as part of the selection committee for petunias and impatiens, but his interests changed while on a horticulture trip to Europe while visiting the Benary Seed Company in Germany. He was introduced to the most majestic free flowering plants that he had ever encountered which turned out to be part of the collection of the plantsman Karl Foerster.
As a plant breeder in Kincardine (in the London Ontario region of Canada) growing around 120 different grasses he became mainly interested in Miscanthus sinensis and Panicum virgatum and became known as a specialist in ornamental grasses.
He is co-author of Grasscapes (2002 Whitecap Books) and has taught extensively on topics related to the environment and horticulture.
He is the retired Parks and Cemetery Supervisor for the Town of Goderich, Ontario and current Chair of Communities in Bloom Ontario and a National and Provincial Judge of Communities in Bloom Canada.
Today Martin is a plant breeder and horticultural consultant working with Baker Nursery Ltd of Bayfield Ontario.
Martin Quinn is a lifetime member of the Kincardine Horticultural Society.
Kelly D. Norris
Kelly D. Norris is one of the leading horticulturists of his generation. In his practice, he explores the intersections of people, plants and place through ecological, site-specific design and art. An award-winning author and plantsman, Kelly’s work in gardens has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design and in numerous television, radio and digital media appearances. His most recent book New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden was named one of the Top 10 Books of 2021 by the American Horticultural Society.
He is the former director of horticulture and education at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, where for 8 years he directed efforts in design, curation, programming, garden and facility management after serving as the owner’s representative to nearly $20 million in capital projects.
In addition to his latest volume, Kelly has authored three other books: Iowa Gardener’s Travel Guide (2008), A Guide to Bearded Irises: Cultivating the Rainbow for Beginners and Enthusiasts (2012; winner of the 2013 American Horticultural Society Book Award), and Plants With Style (2015).
Kelly has earned recognition from a variety of organizations including three awards from Iowa State Horticultural Society (2009-2011) for his service and contributions to horticulture in Iowa; early career and young professional awards from the Perennial Plant Association (2011), GardenComm (2018) and the American Horticultural Society (2018); a Zone Horticulture Commendation from the Garden Club of America (2018); the Iowa Author Award for Special Interest Writing (2013), the youngest Iowan to be recognized in the history of the awards program; and a fellowship from the Chanticleer Foundation (2015) for his curatorial and plant exploration work at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.
Kelly holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in horticulture from Iowa State University.
Patrick Cullina
Patrick Cullina is an award-winning horticulturist, landscape designer, photographer, lecturer, and organizational consultant with more than twenty-five years of experience in the landscape field. He runs a design and consulting business that is dedicated to the innovative and sensitive integration of plants and materials into a diverse range of compelling designs–drawing inspiration from the both the natural world and constructed environments alike.
Previously, he was the founding Vice President of Horticulture and Park Operations for New York City’s High Line; the VP of Horticulture, Operations & Science Research at Brooklyn Botanic Garden; and the Associate Director of The Rutgers University Gardens in affiliation with the school’s Department of Landscape Architecture.
Throughout his career, he has served as a consultant and advisor to an array of public and private clients and projects and has lectured throughout the U.S. and abroad for universities, public gardens, garden clubs, horticultural organizations, museums, libraries and professional organizations on the subjects of plants, living environments, horticulture, landscape design, landscape maintenance and the urban experience.
His consulting work provides services to a host of private, municipal, corporate and conservancy clients and to a number of leading landscape architecture and architecture firms. His work in horticulture has been recognized by organizations like the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Garden Club of America (Zone Horticultural Commendation, 2010) and the Garden Club of New Jersey (Gold Medal, 2005).