Karen Bussolini at Connecticut Master Gardeners Conference
Overview
Speaker: Karen Bussolini
Date: 03/24/2012
Time: 08:00 am - 04:00 pm
Location: Manchester Community College
Manchester, Connecticut 06040Contact Information
Website: http://www.ctmga.org
Description
Karen Bussolini, a nationally recognized garden photographer, writer and lecturer and an active eco-friendly garden
coach will present a lavishly illustrated talk, “Landscaping with Native Plants: Healing Our Home Turf.” She will show
a variety of attractive home landscapes based on natural systems and using native plants, especially shrubs and
trees.
The talk is about ecological thinking as much as it is about plants. “We need to recognize that our yards are part of
an ecosystem and that everything we do on our home turf can heal and support that ecosystem or can cause
damage, often without our knowing.”
She will show important native plants that commonly grow in this area and make fine landscape plants but are
often overlooked or cleared to make way for exotic specimens. Readily available native plants that thrive in this
region will be highlighted, including plants that are adapted to difficult conditions such as rocky slopes, poor soil,
shade and damp areas.
“Native landscapes are diverse and sustainable. They attract and support birds and other wildlife. Using nature as a
guide can lead to great savings of time and money, reduce runoff and soil erosion, cool the atmosphere, reduce or
eliminate watering and fertilizer use and knit together plant and animal communities that have become fractured by
development and common landscaping practices. And native landscapes convey a sense of place. They “feel right”
in the way they express and reflect the character of the region”
This will be a one-hour talk after which the speaker will entertain questions from the audience. Copies of
The Homeowner’s Complete Tree and Shrub Handbook (Storey Publishing) and The Naturescaping Handbook
by Beth Young, Ms. Bussolini’s latest photographic book, will be available for sale and signing.
