Speaker Information
Below you will find information about our speakers for this year's GardenScape Show. We have a very

informative and interesting lineup of speakers and seminar topics.
Container Water Gardening for the Pondless
Amanda Thomsen
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 11:00
Not everyone can have a pond- but anyone can make a low maintenance water garden. Use store bought or unexpected items and use plants you'd never let loose in your garden (and some that play nice). Tips and tricks that beat any budget.
Bio: Amanda Thomsen is the hilariously irreverent gardener who pens Horticulture's Kiss My Aster blog. She's a horticulturist who has worked for more than 10 years in the industry, enjoying various titles, such as: Herb Specialist, Perennial Know-it-All, Container Queen and Landscape Designer. She's a Master Gardener and currently works in landscaping in Chicago. Landscaper by day and blogger/podcaster by night, she's also one half of the podcasting team on Good Enough Gardening.
blog: http://hortmag.com/kissmyaster
Maintaining an Ecologically Responsible Lawn, Integrating the Latest Research into Home Lawn Care
Walter N. Nelson
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 1 pm
Tips for lawn care with consdierations for one's budget and the environment.
Walter N Nelson bio: Walter is from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Monroe County.
Web: mycce.org/Monroe
The Art Of Stone Appreciation
William N. Valavanis
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 2:00
Stones are everywhere and have been collected and appreciated by all cultures throughout the world. The art of stone appreciation as developed in Japan will be introduced through a Powerpoint program. Tips on using stones in gardens and how to arrange them will be presented. The Japanese art of appreciating small size stones, called Suiseki, will be introduced and displayed with several prize masterpieces which will be available for viewing before and after the program.
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Trough Planting Demystified
Betsy Knapp
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 4 pm.
This demonstration will cover the general uses for garden troughs, choosing plant material and rocks, planting tips and care of the planting through the seasons.
Betsy Knapp bio: Betsy has been designing and building rock gardens and hypertufa planters for over ten years. Her work has been showcased iat venues such as the Philadelphia Flower show, Rochester's Gardenscape, the Martha Stewart show and many Rock Garden Society conferences. Photos of her work have appeared in magazines such as Horticulture ,and Better Homes and Gardens. Her troughs are featured in the New York Botanical Garden rock garden, In the Rochester area, Betsy builds hypertufa troughs and tufa gardens for Bristol's Garden Center.
Web: betsyknapp.wordpress.com
The Lawn Goodbye: The Lawn-free Landscape
Bruce Zaretsky
Friday, March 12, 2010 at 11:00
Lawns suck. Water, lots of water. And fertilizers. And chemicals. And let’s not forget all that mowing. Let’s stop the madness. Come explore alternatives to these huge users of resources and energy. Just imagine: meadows filled with flowers. And butterflies. And birds. Without fertilizers. And chemicals. And even water!
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Alien Nature: Meet the Artists
Rodrigo Pedrolli & Michael Murphree
Friday, March 12, 2010 at 12:00
Artists Rodrigo Pedrolli and Michael Murphree will present a show of projections of Alien Nature with inspirational quotes regarding man and nature.
Attendees will have an exclusive opportunity to view the original photographs that were used to create each Alien persona or thing and the artists will give a brief explanation of how they accomplished Alien Nature.
"Our intent is to spark your imagination and place you in our kingdom – to take you on a journey where ‘passion’ is yellow and ‘udders’ are purple. A visit that will tantalize your senses and place you in a primitive world as old as the earth, maybe older than time itself. We are not trying to frighten you but to indulge you, to treat you with a bit of primitive eye candy. Our domain is a mosaic of primal structures inspired by a world where ants bow down to the scent of the ‘Alien Queen.’ In this kingdom there is no death there is only rebirth - where a dying daisy becomes a noble ‘Samurai.’ A wildflower has so many feet she dances herself blue... welcome to ALIEN NATURE... " photographic works by Rodrigo Pedrolli and Michael Murphree.
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Incorporating Vegetables Into The Landscape
Liz Berkeley
Friday, March 12, 2010 at 1 pm
Create a new look for your garden. Integrate vegetables into your flower garden to create an attractive and productive use of space.
Liz Berkeley bio: Liz has been the field of horticulture for 35 years. Currently she is the Cornell Cooperative Extension Plant and Insect Diagnostic Lab Diagnostician and a Horticulture Educator. She's also a Certified Nursery Landscape Professional.
Web: mycce.org/Monroe
Amanda Thomsen
Friday, March 12, 2010 at 2:00
Learn to use junk shop, Craigslist and curb-side finds for functional, and some purely whimsical, garden purposes. Trellises, containers, storage and decor ideas for any style garden for free or almost free. You'll look at roadside piles with a new eye!
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What's New and Hot in Landscaping
Bill Teamerson
Friday, March 12, 2010 at 3 pm.
A review of some of the latest in landscape design and uses of color, stone products, furniture, fireplaces, heaters, carpeting, and works of art. A show of how various homeowners personal touches and willingness to be adventurous can transform a landscape into a garden, and create outdoor-living rooms.
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Friday, March 12, 2010 at 4:00pm
A Q&A Session with a panel of local experts on Perennials, Trees, Shrubs, Pesticides, Lawn Care, Hardscaping and Water Features.
Folklore and Fairy-tales in the Garden
Amanda Thomsen
Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 11:00
You don't need a Fairy Godmother to make magical, memorable and secret gardens for kids, imaginary friends and grown-ups. Learn how to use decor, plant selection and other easy to find supplies to create more enchanting gardens for all.
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Photographing Gardens and Nature
Professor Michael Peres
Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 12 pm
Professor Michael Peres, from RIT, will introduce the fundamental approaches to photography with examples of garden and nature photography. Using a camera to tell stories will also be included as a part of the presentation. Some of the latest camera equipment for photographing gardens and outdoor spaces will be discussed. There will be demonstrations of some very basic image processing strategies that will make digital files look better on screen. Bring in your own photographs of your gardens and flowers for question and answer session and critique by Michael for 15 minutes after the presentation.
Professor Michael Peres bio: Professor Michael Peres has served as the chair of the Biomedical Photographic Communications department at the Rochester Institute of Technology since 1989. As a member of the teaching faculty in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences for 23 years, his expertise includes photography using a light microscope as well as biomedical photography and its related technologies. Peres has been active in publishing most of his career and recently served as editor-in-chief for the revision of the Focal Encyclopedia of Photography, fourth edition. In April 2003, he was awarded one of the RIT Eisenhart Awards for Outstanding Teaching as selected by the faculty. He was born in Utica New York and is married to Laurie Susan Peres and has 2 children, Jonathan and Leah. Michael became seriously interested in gardening 1992 when we moved into a new home. His long-term objective at that time was to not to have to mow his lawn:). Since that time, working in the yard has become a wonderful outlet for Michael.
Web: http://people.rit.edu/mrppph
Home Composting - the final word in recycling
Karen S. Klingenberger
Sunday, March 13, 2010 at 1 pm
Come learn how you can recycle your yard and kitchen waste into a valuable soil amendment. Why pay for bags of compost, when you can create your own?
Karen S. Klingenberger bio: Karen has had dirt under her fingernails since studying Horticulture in high school. She currently has four working compost bins in her backyard and has had no complaints from the neighbors.
Web: mycce.org/Monroe