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Explore eco-friendly landscaping practices with the nation's leading experts

Our annual Native Plant and Sustainability Conference held in Botany Hall on Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ Oakland campus brings together national experts for a day of discussion on plants, landscapes and our role as stewards of the Earth. As a participant, you will not only emerge with a stronger understanding of how well-designed landscapes can positively impact our environment but you will also get a chance to tour our new Center for Sustainable Landscapes.

To register, please call 412/441-4442, ext. 3925. The cost per person for this conference is $80 if you register before Oct. 5; after this date, the fee is $95. Price includes lunch. Reserve your spot today!

Schedule

9–9:30 a.m.

Registration/light refreshment in Botany Hall

9:30–9:40 a.m.

Welcome

9:40–10:40 a.m.

The Center for Sustainable Landscapes: An In-Depth Look at the Landscape Design with José Almiñana
Phipps’ newest addition, the Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL), is a pilot project for the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES™), which provides guidelines for fully integrating the architecture of a building into its site and surrounding landscape. The CSL landscape is efficient and regenerative, comprised of native, eco-regionally appropriate plant communities that will manage rainwater that falls on site and clean wastewater produced by building occupants. José Almiñana, the lead CSL landscape architect, will discuss the project’s net-zero water goal, implemented design strategies, and SITES performance targets.

10:50–11:50 a.m.

Nature’s Artifice: Reintroducing Ecology into the Urban Environment with Scott Scarfone
Learn how society’s renewed interest in ecology and natural processes are influencing current trends in landscape planning and design. Scott Scarfone will present some of his recent work, as well as share ideas on where the movement is going and what this landscape aesthetic might look like in the future.

11:50 a.m.–1:15 p.m.

Lunch, book sale and self-guided tours of the Center for Sustainable Landscapes

1:15–2:15 p.m.

It’s all About Life with Dr. Elaine Ingham
Rototilling, toxic chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, and heavy rainfall all take a toll on soil life. Building healthy soil is essential for life on our planet, and organisms are the secret to achieving this goal. Dr. Elaine Ingham will provide an in-depth look at these essential organisms, and explain how you can harness their potential using compost extracts or tea to cultivate healthy soil and plants.

2:25–3:25 p.m.

Gardening with a Purpose with Steve Castorani
Native plants play a critical role in sustaining natural environments while adding interest and beauty to our landscapes. Steve Castorani will explore the many new varieties of native plants now available or soon to be introduced through North Creek Nursery and the American Beauties Native Plant® program.

Speakers

José Almiñana is a principal for Andropogon Associates, one of the nation’s premier landscape architecture firms and leaders in ecologic design. Trained as a landscape architect and architect, Almiñana strives to create sensitive, sustainable designs that respond directly to a site’s unique environmental conditions. He has directed a diversity of design and planning projects, from restoring urban parks and designing corporate campuses to planning new mixed-use communities. Regardless of project scale, he distills each site’s essential resources into designs that are functional, beautiful and environmentally responsible.

Steve Castorani is the co-founder and president of North Creek Nurseries and co-owner of American Beauties, Inc. He is also a recent past president of the International Plant Propagator’s Society and, in 2010, was the recipient of a Farmer of the Year Award for Chester County, Pennsylvania. He holds a B.S. in plant science.

Dr. Elaine Ingham is an internationally renowned soil microbiologist who recently joined the Rodale Institute as their chief scientist. She founded Soil Foodweb, Inc. in 1996, helping farmers all over the world to grow more resilient crops by increasing their understanding of how to improve soil life. Dr. Ingham is also an affiliate professor at Maharishi University of Management in Iowa and has served in academia for three decades.

Scott C. Scarfone, ASLA, is a landscape architect and certified professional horticulturist. As principal and founder of Oasis Design Group in Baltimore, he practices nationally in private and corporate gardens, public gardens, campuses, and in our great cities. Scarfone has also completed a fellowship at Chanticleer pleasure garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania during which he traveled the world studying gardens and urban parks. He now lectures and teaches regularly on a broad range of topics across the country and has published an award-winning book with John Wiley & Sons titled Professional Planting Design: An Architectural and Horticultural Approach to Creating Mixed Bed Plantings.



Other Featured Exhibits & Events

Summer Flower Show:
Glass in the Gardens
April 27 – Oct. 6, 2013
The dazzling glass creations of artists working in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania will make our gardens shimmer and shine all summer long. Highlights include lifelike floral forms, whimsical long-legged birds, rotating stained-glass towers, and a large, articulated woolly mammoth skeleton.
Butterfly Forest
April 20 – Sept. 2, 2013
Like flowers that fly, our butterfly residents will enchant nature-lovers of every age. Watch as gorgeous species such as Monarchs and Zebra Longwings emerge from their chrysalises to flutter among cheerful, bug-friendly blooms.
Party in the Tropics
Select Fridays in 2013, starting Feb. 8
7 – 11 p.m.
Ages 21+
Gather your friends and get ready to dine, drink and dance the night away at Phipps! Make our paradise your own as you indulge in sweet and savory morsels, taste unique cocktails, and dance to the beats of a live DJ in our Tropical Forest Conservatory. Entry is free with Conservatory admission.
Butterfly Weekend
June 1 and 2, 2013
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
In celebration of one of nature’s most important pollinators, Phipps and Carnegie Science Center are hosting Butterfly Weekend on June 1 and June 2. This two-day celebration will give visitors a chance to learn about the life cycle of butterflies and discover why these amazing insects have a remarkable ability to navigate, orient and migrate.
Farmers at Phipps
Wednesdays, June – October 2013
2:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Refresh your food shopping experience! Visit our sustainably managed front lawn to browse organic and Certified Naturally Grown fruits, vegetables and more from local farms.
Inspire Speakers Series
Second Thurs. of every month, Oct. 2012-June 2013
5:30-8:30 p.m., except where noted
Green Building Alliance (GBA) and Phipps are collaborating to host a monthly speaker series at the new Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) on our Oakland campus. Join us to enjoy captivating presentations from local and national experts  on the subject of healthy, high-performance green buildings. Registration with GBA is required.
Floral Notes: Jazz in the Garden
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
6:30 – 9 p.m.
Ages 21+
As the summer heats up, enjoy an evening of cool jazz surrounded by colorful flowers and lush plants. Relax in our Outdoor Garden with the live music of Pittsburgh’s own Elevations and Velvet Heat as you savor small bites and delicious drinks.
Garden Variety:
A Farm-to-Phipps Dinner
Sunday, July 21, 2013
6:30 – 9 p.m.
Enjoy a rustic yet elegant farm-to-table dinner experience with fresh, handpicked selections from our region’s farms. If you love a food adventure, you won’t want to miss this chance to join local growers and artisans for this one-of-a-kind meal.
Tropical Forest India
Now Open
Explore our new exhibit showcasing one of the most botanically rich regions of the world. Highlights include an Ayurvedic healing garden, spice and tea market displays, a stunning temple facade on Special Events Hall, and more!