Master Gardeners Association of Alberta

Edmonton Horticultural Society's 2024 Garden Tour
2024-07-20 10:00 - 2024-07-21 16:00 (America/Edmonton)
10 Gardens
July 20 &21 – 10am-4pm

Booklets are already available for sale online on the EHS website: https://edmontonhort.com/
We will have the booklets available for purchase in person on June 14th at:
Greenland
Salisbury – Sherwood Park and Enjoy
Classic Landscapes – Ellerslie
Apache Seeds
Wild Birds Unlimited
Arch Greenhouses

Potential volunteers can email summerprograms@edmontonhort.com

Parkland Peony 5th Annual Open Garden
2024-06-21 08:00 - 2024-07-03 17:00
Join us in Our Peony Garden

Adam and Maria welcome you to their 5th annual Peony Open Garden event. With 4.5 acres of peonies, it is sure to delight everyone who attends.

We are excited to open up our peony garden to the public for our annual Concert of Colour Event. Come visit the growing field of Parkland Peonies to view thousands of peonies in full bloom and explore the passion behind our peonies.
We have over 850 different varieties of classic and hybrid peonies, including the magnificent Lemon Chiffon Peony, and one of our personal favourites, Coral Sunset! Many varieties you may never knew existed. We guarantee you, you will fall in love with this amazing flower.

We are located in Okotoks, Alberta, on the property of The Saskatoon Farm. After registering for this event, your ticket will include a location map to our peony field.
June 21st – July 3rd.
Please Note: This is a ticketed event, you must purchase a ticket to attend. Tickets are $10.00 each, and can be purchased online from our website at: https://parklandpeonies.com/

Beaver Souths 50th Anniversary (Calgary)
2024-06-01 08:00 - 17:00
The MGAA is happy to run a gardening station at the 50th Beaver Scout Anniversary in Calgary on June 1st. Youth will be planting a “pizza pot” of cherry tomatoes and a herb or decorating a bee/butterfly bath. MGAA will be there to introduce youth to gardening and the importance of pollinators as well as answering any questions on those topics. A big thanks to our volunteers! If anyone is interested in joining our group developing youth programs please contact Nicola at communications@mgaab.org

Windsor Park's Gardeners Meet-up, Edmonton
2024-05-25 10:00 - 12:00
The Windsor Park Community League would like to invite you to come to Windsor Park’s Gardeners Meet-up on 25th May 10-12pm to meet some of our neighbours, many of which (including myself) are Master Gardeners and to meet others who might be interested in learning about the program.

The City of Edmonton will be attending to give some tips on how neighbours can prepare for drought, build a water garden or install rain barrels with a view to pulling some like minded people together to inspire climate action with our neighbours.

Windsor Park Community – 11840 87 Ave, Edmonton

MGAA Presents “ Common Diseases and Insect Pests of Veggies and Fruit ” Rescheduled to Fall
2024-05-16 19:00 - 20:00 | via ZOOM
Rescheduled to Fall of 2024
Hope you can join us for an evening of learning about pests and diseases!
There are many different diseases and pests that can affect vegetable and fruit crops in the garden. This presentation will look at some of the more commonly occurring pests, across common host crops. We’ll look at how to recognize the pests, what conditions favor their development and how to manage them in a
garden setting. Rob Spencer has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a major in Horticulture and a Masters of Science (Plant Sciences), both from the University of Saskatchewan. He worked as a Commercial Horticulture Specialist for Alberta Agriculture for 17 years. Rob started Spencer Horticultural Solutions in March 2020. He is a Horticulture Instructor at Olds College, specializing in horticulture crop production. Rob has written hundreds of articles and delivered many presentations of all types for a range of audiences on an assortment of topics.

This is a Zoom presentation
Members FREE – General Public $15.00

Alberta Native Plant Council webinar Under Pressure: Threats to Alberta's Native Plant Communities
2024-05-15 12:00 - 15:00 | via ZOOM
2024 ANPC “Under Pressure: Threats to Alberta’s Native Plant Communities” Webinars
The Alberta Native Plant Council is hosting a new monthly lunchtime webinar mini-series, Under Pressure: Threats to Alberta’s Native Plant Communities. Alberta’s native plant communities face many threats, from invasive species, to habitat loss to climate change and more. This webinar mini-series will touch on some of these challenges and explore some of the innovative solutions and research aiming to address them.
It’s the LAST webinar in the ANPC webinar mini-series Under Pressure: Threats to Alberta’s Native Plant Communities! Megan Evans returns to provide an inspiring bookend to close out the series with “Nurturing Alberta’s Native Bees, The Alberta Native Bee Council’s Approach to Conservation“. Learn about the status of Alberta’s native bees and what the Alberta Native Bee Council has been working on to help protect them as well as how participating in ANPC’s very own Native Plant Garden Challenge can help! Join us on Zoom on May 15, 2024 at 12 PM MT; register

Stoney Plain Horticultural Society: The Real Dirt on Plants, Pests and Soils with Rob Spencer
2024-05-04 13:00 - 16:00
Soil is the foundation of everything we do in the yard and garden. In this information packed event, you will learn how to:

Collect soil samples, interpret results and improve soils to increase yield
Recognize defects, deficiencies and disorders in plants
Understand soil-borne problems pests and diseases

MGAA: Meeting the Challenge with Stephen Kierstead
2024-04-29 19:00 - 20:30 | via ZOOM
Cold Climate Gardening in Zone 3. Learn how to compete with the challenges of vegetable gardening in a short season and how you can extend your season without a lot of expense and even grow food in the wintertime.

See Stephen Krstead’s Youtube channel Short Season Garden
General Public $15.00 — Members FREE

Cochrane & Area Gardening Expo
2024-04-28 11:00 - 15:00
Vendors: 40+ vendors selling seeds, seedlings, and gardening related products
Experienced Local Gardeners: take time to chat with subject matter experts about your gardening challenges
Seed Exchange Table operated by the Cochrane & District Horticultural Society: bring your extra seeds to add to the exchange and/or purchase seeds (by donation) to fill the gaps in your garden.
Guest Speaker Presentations: throughout the event you can take a seat in the speaker’s zone and have the opportunity to hear local gardeners share their knowledge, tips and tricks for making their gardens flourish.
11:30 am – SEEDS TO SUPPER: ADVENTURES IN GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD. Rising food costs, diminishing food quality, and the environmental impacts of log haul transportation are all motivating factors to seek out homegrown solutions to our food crisis. Being able to grow your own food to supplement your family’s meals empowers you to address these concerns and gives you access to unparalleled flavour and freshness for your meal ingredients. We do face weather and soil challenges with gardening in Cochrane. Join Andrea Blonsky, local gardener and founder of the Cochrane Community Garden Society, for an information packed session on what and how to grow to optimize your harvest.
12:30 pm – GROW A FOOD FOREST IN YOUR BACKYARD. Learn the secrets of transforming a part of your urban or rural yard into a flourishing perennial food forest. Join Callandra Caufield, Founder of the Backyard Harvest Project blog, as she shares insights on designing, plant selection, and the installation process for your very own cold-climate food forest. Whether your space is vast or compact, this session promises to ignite your excitement for perennial food cultivation and give you the practical tips to get started.
1:30 pm – YEAR ROUND GARDENING WITH MICROGREENS. Join Christina Ambrock of Super Donkey Acres for a session on how to garden 365 days a year with mighty, mighty microgreens. These veggies are micro versions of their larger counterparts and packed with nutrition. Come learn tips and tricks to growing these year round in the comfort of your home.

Calgary Horticultural Society Presents the Gardener's Market.
2024-04-27 10:00 - 16:30
Ignite your imagination for this gardening season! The Calgary Horticultural Society is back with a festive in-person event that carries on a Calgary gardening tradition. A market with educational talks, classes, friendly competitions, and over 50 exhibitors to help gardeners ignite their imaginations for the gardening season. Attend and get tips and products to help you create the garden you desire even in Calgary’s unique climate.
Join us at The Commons in ATCO Park on April 27 from 10:00 am t0 4:30 pm for a great opportunity to learn about gardening here, connect with other gardeners, and shop for unique goods for gardeners. Look for the MGAA table and come talk to us!

MGAA: Book Club - Plant Science for Gardeners, Robert Pavlis
2024-04-17 19:00 - 20:00 | via ZOOM
Join us for Robert Pavlis as he discusses his book, Plant Science for Gardeners
April 17th at 7 p,m.

Members only
This is a zoom talk

MGAA: The Art of Rock and Crevice Gardening with Paul Spriggs
2024-04-01 19:00 - 20:00
Paul Spriggs has been rock gardening for roughly 26 years and building crevice gardens for about 19 years. He is an avid plant explorer, photographer, mountaineer, owner of Spriggs Gardens Landscaping company, and past President of the Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society. He has a passion for all wild plants especially those of dwarf stature and collects and cultivates them at various gardens in his hometown of Victoria, BC, Canada. Paul has learned the craft of crevice garden building directly from one of it’s innovators, Zdenek Zvolanek, of the Czech republic, and in the past decade and a half, has built many gardens in public parks and private homes that range in size from small feature troughs, to large installations involving many tonnes of stone. Paul is passionate about spreading the word of this style, through speaking to garden clubs all over the world, and by giving workshops for those keen on learning the finer points of this developing art form. He has just finished his work on the first North American book on Crevice gardening With co-author Kenton Seth of Colorado, released in summer 2022.
This is an On-line Zoom talk
Free for MGAA Members, $15.00 Non-Members, Tickets on sale at Eventbrite

MGAA: Book Club - Book Discussion -- Plant Science for Gardeners, Robert Pavlis
2024-03-27 19:00 - 21:00
If you would like to participate please email VolunteerHours@MGAAB.org, a zoom link will be sent out closer to the event date. All members are welcome to sign up.
March 27th, 7-9 p.m.
Members only.

Edmonton Seedy Sunday
2024-03-24 11:00 - 16:00
March 24, 2024: 11am to 4pm
​Alberta Avenue Hall: 9210 118 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB
To check out the speaker line-up (including Beginning Gardening with Mark Stumpf-Allen) check their website at:
http://www.edmontonseedysunday.org

Vancouver MGs: Spring Seminar 2024--Gardening Well in Today’s World
2024-03-24 09:00 - 15:00
Sunday March 24th, 2024 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Michael J Fox Theatre, Burnaby (Recording also available)
Speakers:
Taking the Easy Road – Adapting My Garden to a New Climate – Thomas Hobbs
A Garden Revival – Jeff de Jong
Making Friends with the land: Using Native Plants for Beauty, Health and to Give Back. – Nancy Shackelford
Invasive Species Update – Diane Watson
More speakers to be announced!
Plus, a used book sale, Sea Soil Sale, a vendors’ fair, door prizes and more.
Cannot Attend in Person – We are offering Recordings of our Speakers
Tickets are $50 early bird and $60 on February 1st to attend in person, includes recordings for one month viewing.
Recordings Only $35 for one month of viewing
We hope you will join us!

Tickets at: https://www.karelo.com/register.php?BID=435&BT=10&Ev=21642

MMGA: Growing Under Cover with Niki Jabbour
2024-03-23 11:00 - 17:00 | via ZOOM
Manitoba Master Gardeners Assoc. presents Niki Jabbour
Join award-winning author Niki Jabbour as she shares her techniques for growing more food, reducing pest problems, and dealing with unpredictable weather in her Nova Scotia vegetable garden. With the special challenges of Manitoba’s climate in mind, she’ll spotlight a wide variety of season extenders like shade cloth, row cover, cold frames and poly-tunnels, as well as show you how to use garden covers to prevent damage from deer, flea beetles and cabbage corms. She’ll also share some of her stand-out crops and varieties for fall and even winter harvesting.
Niki Jabbour is the best-selling, award-winning author of four books including The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and Growing Under Cover. She’s a two time winner of the prestigious American Horticultural Society Book Award, and has been a radio host for 16 years. Find Niki on SavvyGardening.com
Members $10. Non-members $15.
www.mgmanitoba.com
March 23rd, 11 a.,. CMT

Calgary Seedy Saturday
2024-03-23 10:00 - 15:00
March 23, 10a.m to 3 p.m.
Bowness Community Assoc.: 7904 43 Ave NW, Calgary
This is a free, drop-in event.

MGAA Member Movie Night: Painting The Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse
2024-02-26 19:00 - 21:00 | via ZOOM
Join us for an inspirational garden movie. “For many great artists the garden has long been considered a desirable subject for the expression of colour, light and atmosphere.” This movie explores the Impressionist’s gardens and the paintings they inspired. Sorry, Members Only.
Monday, Feb. 26th, 7 p.m.
Email Event-south@mgaab.org

Kelowna Garden Club: Gardening into the Future
2024-02-24 09:00 - 16:00
Host Don Burnett, Speakers: Mario Lanthier, Sigrie Kendrick, Ken Salvail, Laverne De Yaegher
Trinity Church, 1905 Springfield Road, Kelowna

Tickets are $50 with Complementary Lunch.
Tickets available on Eventbrite

MGAA: Introduction to Mushrooms: Common Garden and Urban Mushrooms with Martin Osis
2024-02-21 19:00 - 20:30 | via ZOOM
Martin Osis is passionate about wild mushrooms!
Martin has been actively involved with learning about and teaching mushrooms since 1987 (that is close to 40 years!).
Holding various positions in the Alberta Mycological society as well as the North American Mycological Association. He has a special interest in local mushrooms, medicinal mushrooms and his newest study area is in the soil web and soil remediation.
Hope you can join us for this event of learning about mushrooms. It will be fun and educational!
$15.00 for Non-Members – Free for MGAA Members
Tickets at Eventbrite
This is an online Zoom talk.

CRAGS (Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society) Small Daphnes and their Cultivation, with Jiri Papousek
2024-02-11 14:00 - 15:00 | via ZOOM
Jiri Papousek: Small Daphnes and their Cultivation
Jiri Papousek is an expert rock gardener who visited CRAGS in June 2017. His garden is situated at altitude 200m, 10 km from Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. There are crevice rock gardens, various planted troughs, a woodland area with peat blocks, and an alpine tunnel with tufa wall. He has 35 years of experience of growing and exhibiting alpines at Prague Rock Gardens shows, and was part of the International Czech Rock Garden Conference committee in 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2023.
Daphnes are small shrubs with showy flowers, often evergreen, that are ideal for the rock garden. Many are hardy in Calgary’s Zone 3-4 climate. Usually the flowers are fragrant and they generally require well-drained soil. This genus is in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to Asia, Europe and north Africa.
CRAGS February speaker will be Zoom-only. Non-members may register on Eventbrite to attend this meeting (cost $8). A recording of the talk will be available for a limited time.
Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/jiri-papousek-on-small-daphnes-and-their-cultivation-tickets-797414687797?aff=erelexpmlt

MGAA Member's Seed Exchange, Packaging and Social Event
2024-02-11 11:00 - 16:00
Bring your seeds and join us for a get-together to clean and package them for our table at the Calgary Seedy Saturday and Calgary Horticultural Society Spring Event.
Beverages can be purchased at the Teaja kiosk in the YMCA . Trays, envelopes, pens and snacks will be provided.
RSVP or questions can be directed to VolunteerHours@Mgaab.org

Quarry Park Library in the Remington YMCA (108 Quarry Park Rd SE Calgary, Ab.)

The Calgary Horticultural Society's Think Spring! is back in 2024!
2024-02-10 09:30 - 16:00
We are excited to announce big plans for our growing-season-launching event!
Winter is time for planning your garden, so the theme for 2024 Think Spring! is landscape design. Topics to be covered include curb appeal, edibles, being water-wise, and lawn and lawn alternatives.
Think Spring! is being hosted on Zoom and is a day of online learning. This year there is one stream of talks, so you don’t have to choose. You can attend them all online!
Keynote:
The event will be opened with a keynote presentation by Carson Arthur.
Carson is a landscape designer and TV personality who has taught homeowners how to raise the value of their homes through outdoor renovations, while maintaining a focus on environmentally friendly choices.
Afternoon Sessions:

Water-wise Landscapes: Kath Smyth (Calgary Horticultural Society)
Edible Landscapes: Joanna Tschudy (Inhabit Landscapes)
Turf Landscapes: Lawn and Lawn Alternatives: Nathan Gill (Eagle Lake Professional Landscape Supply)

Talks will be recorded and, once posted, will be available until 11:00 pm on Monday, February 19.
Cost: $5 for CHS members and $10 for non-members (+GST)
Online: Zoom
For more information contact: https://www.calhort.org/whats-happening/think-spring/

MGAA Member Talk: Lyndon Penner: Native Plants for the Short Season Yard
2024-02-09 19:00 - 20:00 | via ZOOM
Join us as Lyndon discussed his book ‘Native Plants for the Short Season Yard.
Sorry, Members Only.

A zoom link will be sent to members by Communications.

AHA: Dr. Doug Tallamy, Nature's Best Hope is You!
2024-02-03 10:00 - 23:30
The Alberta Horticultural Association is excited to host a webinar with Dr. Doug Tallamy, New York Times Best Selling Author!
Nature’s Best Hope is You! Gardening with a focus on the little and big things that matter most.
During his webinar Dr. Doug Tallamy will help us understand how insects interact with plants and how those interactions affect the diversity of bird, and other animal communities. His talk will touch on why we as gardeners need to be aware of invasive species and be diligent about controlling them due to their effects on the ecosystems in our gardens and in the larger landscape. Most importantly, Dr. Tallamy will give us concrete ways that we as gardeners in Alberta can make big contributions to biodiversity and the health of our local ecosystems through how we design and plant our gardens. Bring your questions for the Q&A following Dr. Tallamy’s presentation.Your participation helps the AHA fund education programs, working together with the network of horticulture societies and clubs across the province.
For more information contact us at: ab.hort.association@gmail.com www.ab.horta.ca
Register on Eventbrite at: https://AlbertaHorticulturalAssociation-Tallamy.eventbrite.ca

If you have any questions, we would be happy to hear from you.
Saturday, February 3, 2024. 10:00-11:30 AM on Zoom.

MGAA: “All About Soil” presentation by Robert Spencer, Spencer Horticultural Solutions
2024-01-31 19:00 - 20:00 | via ZOOM
Hope you can join us for an evening of learning about soil! Making amendments and improvements to the soil is best done with a firm foundation of information about the soil. This session will address soil sampling, interpreting the results of a soil test and what the component parts mean in terms of soils, as well as some of the ways that soils might be amended and improved. It
will include a brief question period at the end of the webinar.
Rob Spencer is well known by vegetable and fruit growers across Alberta. For over 17 years, as the Provincial Commercial Horticulture Specialist, Rob hosted many workshops and field tours, wrote horticulture production manuals, and covered all aspects of production and marketing in many editions of the monthly Hort Snacks newsletter. In March 2020 Rob started Spencer Horticultural Solutions, delivering customized horticultural consulting services to a range of clients.
Rob has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a major in Horticulture and a Master of Science (Plant Sciences) from the University of Saskatchewan. He resides with his family in Olds, AB. Rob is currently a full-time instructor of Horticulture at Olds College.
Free for members — 15$ for non-members. Tickets at Eventbrite @ https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/learning-about-your-soil-tickets-804391766427?aff=oddtdtcreator

17th Annual Gardeners Day- Sangudo Horticultural Club
2024-01-20 09:00 - 15:30
Carmen Lamourex, Urban Farm Permaculture Project . via Zoom.
Practical Resilient Gardening Strategies
Creating resilient growing systems is essential to meeting our needs in an ever-changing world. While satisfying our fundamental needs for food security is key, our gardening practices need to address more than the need for nutrient-dense food. As mindful gardeners, we acknowledge that we are connected to, and dependent upon, the ecosystems that support us. We see the value in employing practical strategies that not only nurture the whole system into health, but also nurture our own place within the garden.
Join me as I take you through the garden gate of my Calgary property, the Urban Permaculture Project, and illustrate the various strategies we have in place that allow us to build deep levels of resilience, enhance productivity, support soil nutrient cycling, nurture robust ecosystem health and create beauty and sanctuary for myself and my family.
Clara Qualizza. Meadow & Thicket Farm Flowers. New Perennials Design- An Adventure on the Boreal Edge- 2023 update
The New Perennial Movement is a natural answer to our extreme growing conditions. A wonderful range of perennial plants are used, including many cultivars of plants native to North America. Using a dense planting plan, once established the tightly knit tapestry hardly allows rooms for weeds. The designs draw inspiration from natural plant communities found on the Prairies, benefit pollinators, and create a four season dream of a landscape!
Landscape designer Maria Beers and flower grower Clara Qualizza collaborated to design a demonstration bed at the historic George Pegg Botanic Garden, near Genevis, Alberta. With the help of volunteers, the bed was planted in 2022. In her short presentation Clara will outline the journey from planning to planting and will highlight some of the outstanding plants.

Jenn Brennan: Jenn Brennan is a horticulture (Landscape Management) graduate of Olds College with over 20 years of experience. She is currently the president of the Gibbons Community Garden Society, and works at Sunstar Nurseries in Edmonton. Jenn has a wealth of horticultural knowledge and is always there to help identify a flower, bug or bird in the garden. She is Sunstar’s resident native plant expert and an integral part of the team.
Cassidy Madsen: Cassidy Madsen is a Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist with 7 years of experience in the industry. She received her Journeyman status through the Olds College Landscape Horticulturist Apprenticeship Program (LHAP). Cassidy’s love for horticulture stems from her background in Conservation. She loves being able to help others find the right plants to suit their needs, while helping educate them on proper planting practices and answering any other horticultural related questions. She currently works at Sunstar Nurseries in Edmonton but is hopeful to one day open her own design/consulting business.

Cassidy Madsen & Jenn Brennan. Sunstar Nurseries. Woody Ornamentals & Herbaceous Perennials- Microclimates & New Cultivars
Denise O’Reilly, A’Bunadh Seeds. Try Something New in Your Vegetable Garden
Tips and tricks of season extension with focus on plants you might not think will grow and produce here outside of the greenhouse. Focus will be on edible plants and vegetables, as well as some things you may not have heard of.
Mini Trade Show & Displays:

Throughout the day you’ll have time to meet our local vendors selling horticultural items. Remember to bring some cash as you are sure to find something to take home.
We have several community organizations with horticultural interests. Learn about their programs for 2024.
Sangudo Horticultural Club cookbooks for sale
44 Horticulture Hot Spots- take a virtual tour of Alberta and plan a summer road trip

Food & Fun:

morning & afternoon coffee breaks
catered lunch by the Jaded Kitchen. Soup & Sandwiches- includes gluten-free options
garden seeds for every participant
Tree Time gift certificate– place your bid to win the $50.00 voucher. Since 2005 TreeTime.ca has been providing a wide variety of shrub, tree, and berry seedlings to landowners via their online retail store. They are a western Canadian company that specializes in selling prairie hardy stock, including native and landscape species
door prizes

Thanks to our sponsors & partners:

Lac Ste. Anne County
TreeTime.ca

For more information:

Sangudo and District Horticulture Club on Facebook
SangudoHortClub@gmail.com
Visit www.AbHortA.ca events calendar

Registration deadline January 12, 2024
Enjoy a winter break with fellow gardeners & take home some new ideas for your yard!

Mayerthorpe Diamond Centre
Mayerthorpe, AB, Canada 4814-54 Street Mayerthorpe, AB T0E 1N0

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/17th-annual-gardeners-day-sangudo-horticultural-club-tickets-767126996497?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete

MGAA Christmas Zoom Party
2023-12-14 19:00 - 20:30 | via ZOOM
Join us for an evening of seasonal botany, drinks, traditional recipes, prizes and fun.
Dec, 14th at 7:00 p.m.
Email events-North@mgaab.org or events-south@mgaab.org.

MGAA Christmas Party
2023-12-14 19:00 - 20:00
Join us Dec. 14th, at 7 p.m. for the
MGAA Christmas Zoom Party.
Seasonal Talks, Recipes and Prizes…
Members only. Email events@mgaab.org or vmwgardener@gmail.com

Grounded In Science: 2023 MGAA Fall Symposium
2023-11-25 09:00 - 15:30 | via ZOOM
Rebecca McMackin, M.Sc. Adventures in Ecological Horticulture.
Who doesn’t love butterflies? Our gardens can be stunningly beautiful while also providing habitat for the wildlife that enriches our lives. Indeed garden design and thoughtful management must consider the many other organisms that also use our land. However,
traditional landscaping practices rarely take biodiversity into consideration. Cultivating habitat is central to landscape management. Join us to learn how to use ecological insight and
experimentation to develop new management strategies and, why careful observation and documentation of the insects, birds and other wildlife in your garden is crucial to their success
Rebecca McMackin is an ecologically obsessed horticulturist and garden designer. She spends her days developing strategies to help people create and care for beautiful gardens that also provide habitat for birds, butterflies and soil microorganisms. She believes passionately in the value of ecological horticulture as a vehicle for environmental justice. Rebecca spent a decade as the Director of Horticulture of Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) where she and her team used organic principles to manage 85 acres of diverse parkland. During her time overseeing the park ecology stick bugs, rare mantids, threatened bees ad extirpated lady bugs all returned to the park. The research conducted at the BBP , in, cultivating urban biodiversity and ethical management strategies has influenced thousands of people and entire urban parks systems to adopt similar approaches.
In her imaginary spare time Rebecca writes, designs public gardens, lectures and teaches on ecological landscape management and pollination ecology. She recently installed an 8000 sq foot native wildflower garden for the entrance to the Brooklyn Museum. Rebecca has just completed a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, studying ecological design and science communication. She loves to tell stories and has been published by and featured in the New York Times and the Landscape Institute as well as appearing on National Public Radio and PBS. In October of this year she did a TED talk.
Rebecca holds Masters degrees from Columbia University and the University of Victoria in landscape design and biology.
Tehreem Chughtai, Calgary AB.
Every garden has its own unique environment. Using the concepts of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a useful tool for examining a garden’s ecosystem by looking at the “bigger picture” of the garden landscape and how to work with nature to manage it appropriately.
Garden friends and foes, natural pest management solutions and companion planting strategies will all be topics of discussion.
Tehreem Chughtai is a University of Calgary educated biological scientist whose research interests are entomology (the study of insects), ecology and public health. She works with the Calgary Horticultural Society as an instructor for the Master Gardening program and as a consultant. Tehreem was recognized as one of the Alberta Council of Status & Women’s ‘Women in STEM’ award recipients for her researches’ contributions to equality in the field of science. Tehreem is passionate about making scientific knowledge accessible and has shared her research findings on Global News, YouTube web series and published articles with the University of Calgary.

Kerry Ross, BASc, BArch, Green Roof Professional Green roofs are a renewed building technique initiated in central Europe and catching on in Alberta. The local green roof market is seeing greater uptake in commercial, institutional and also residential construction, bringing the multi-beneficial nature-based strategy to the roof.
Come learn the basics including defining the various types of green roofs, their design considerations and how they can help solve some of the most pressing ecological and developmental issues facing our communities. Kerry will share cold-climate case studies from nearby and abroad and highlight the new opportunities for gardeners, and discuss suitable plants for rooftops in Alberta.
Kerry Ross began working on one of the first buildings in Alberta to integrate contemporary green roof systems into the building’s design. Bison Courtyard, the project situated in the town of Banff, spurred her passion to learn more about green roof technology as an innovative method to lessen the impacts that buildings have on the natural environment. This experience, along with study and field research led her to become one of the first Green Roof Professionals in Canada. In 2010, she launched Green T Design, a company dedicated to green roof design, installations and maintenance. Kerry continues to champion the integration of green roofs where possible.

Tickets at: Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/mgaa-fall-symposium-grounded-in-science-tickets-737555718007?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

General Public $50., MGAA Members $40., MGAA Students $30.
