Workshops/Lectures

November 2, 2021: Cleveland, Ohio, Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, “Planting More Natives in the Landscape”

September 12, 2022: Cleveland, Ohio, Village Garden Club, “The New Perennial Garden: “Garden and Maintenance”

November 1, 2022: Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Green Industry Association, “Painting with Perennials: A Landscape Artist’s Perspective” and “The Artful Garden”

February 20, 2023: Cleveland, Ohio, Beachcliff Garden Club, “The Artful Garden”

November 2, 2021: Cleveland, Ohio, Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, “Planting More Natives in the Landscape”

September 12, 2022: Cleveland, Ohio, Village Garden Club, “The New Perennial Garden: “Garden and Maintenance”

November 1, 2022: Columbus, Ohio, Ohio Green Industry Association, “Painting with Perennials: A Landscape Artist’s Perspective” and “The Artful Garden”

February 20, 2023: Cleveland, Ohio, Beachcliff Garden Club, “The Artful Garden”

February 18, 2024: Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland Botanical Garden, Northern Ohio Perennial Society, “The Garden as Magic”

Most lectures are 50 minutes in length and all are slide illustrated except the pruning workshop and “Garden Vignettes”.

“A Happy Marriage: Design Integration of House and Landscape” The attempt to reconcile house and landscape is not new but we are still learning how to work toward this goal. Using examples from classic and modern landscapes, designers will learn several different approaches for resolution of this frequent dichotomy.

“A Natural Duo: Perennials and Bulbs” How to interplant; combinations; planting techniques.

“A Primer of Ornamental Grasses”: Specific grasses and their cultural needs.

“Annuals as a Supplement to Perennials and Woodies”: Use of annuals for continuity and extension of bloom; emphasis on unusual and reseeding annuals.

“Annuals for the Connoisseur”: New as well as old but less known annuals to add unusual flowers or foliage colors, shapes and textures to the garden; suggestions for integrating them into the garden.

“April in Paris (and July), The Patterns of Paris Gardens”: Old and modern French gardens; several gardens shown in both spring and summer.

”Artful Garden, The“: The most obvious notion of the artful garden is the incorporation of art, e.g. sculpture and ornament, into the garden but another aspect is the realization that structures such as fences and arbors can be artistic, not just functional. Add creative garden design plus thoughtful choices and uses of plant material to make your garden a living work of art.

”Brighten Up Your Life and Your Landscape: Making Shade Colorful”: Shady gardens and landscapes do not need to be dull, nor do they need to rely solely on ferns and hostas. Many plants, both woody and herbaceous thrive in shade. Learn to create colorful vignettes with foliage color and texture as well as flower color.

“Color in the Landscape”: We tend to think first of flowers when discussing color in the landscape but we should also remember that foliage, fruit, and bark may have even more value. Color is often limited to plant material but hardscaping and ornament can also contribute. Learn about the ramifications of this statement as well as some color theory that will help you make the most of the color in your landscape.

“Color in the Shade with Herbaceous Plants- Perennials, Vines and Ornamental Grasses”: Color in the Shade with Herbaceous Plants: Perennials, Vines and Ornamental Grasses.

“Color Schemes for Perennial Gardens”: Discussion of color and how to use it, its problems and several types of color schemes.

“Designing for Dry Shade”: Suggestions for design alternatives to planting; selected woodies, perennials and ornamental grasses that thrive in dry shade once established.

“Designing with Ornamental Grasses”: These grasses can be used in countless ways to create more interesting landscapes when aspects of design such as background, scale, texture and form are considered. Take advantage of the multiple attributes of grasses, among which are a wide range of heights, colors and time of bloom. There will also be a short discussion of companion plants.

“Exciting Plant Combinations”: A discussion about combining perennials, ornamental grasses, and shrubs in pleasing combinations for particular sites with examples of how changing one plant can affect the combination. It will also include the elements of landscape design that apply: form, texture, color of both flower and foliage, and scale. These combinations can be applied to the garden as well as containers.

“Expand Your Vision and Profits”: Turn a Hole in the Ground into a Whole Lot More. This talk will focus on creating the right setting for waterscapes and relating them to the house and other existing landscaping.

” Fall Garden, The“: Gardens look great in the spring and early summer but lassitude often takes over when the temperature rises. Fall is the time to get back into the garden and enjoy all of the wonderful plants that are at their best. The discussion of flower and fruit will include herbaceous and woody material.

” Foliage Palette, The“: Discussion of green as a color, other foliage colors, texture, size and shape of foliage, plant combinations.

“Garden Accents: The Finishing Touch”: Plants provide the setting for garden accents which can be whimsical to serious, small to large, and ornamental to structural but is a garden complete without accents? Why do we use them? How and where should we place them? This knowledge may be more important than the choice of accent.

“Garden as Magic, The”: The garden is a place to enjoy but it can be so much more, particularly if you pay close attention and use the elements of mood, color, illusion, and imagination.

“Garden Renovation: Transform Your Yard into the Garden of Your Dreams”: Homeowners often want to make changes to their landscape but have no idea where to start, what questions to ask, and don’t know how much they don’t know that they need to know. They also need to set goals and priorities and evaluate their existing landscape before making changes. An extensive discussion of soil, light, and moisture as well as marrying the house and the landscape should lead to a better understanding of the convergence of aesthetics and ecology.

“Garden Vignettes”: A hands-on demonstration of how to combine perennials and ornamental grasses in pleasing combinations for particular sites with examples of how changing one plant can affect the combination. Also includes a discussion of the elements of landscape design that apply: form, texture, color of both flower and foliage, and scale. These combinations can be applied to the garden but also to containers.

“Inspiration from English Perennial Gardens”: Highlights from many of the great English gardens with lessons for American gardeners.

“Inspiration from French Painters of Gardens”: As heard at the Cleveland Art Museum, “Learn to relate elements of landscape and garden design, as seen in paintings by French artists, to your own gardens.”

“Log Cabin or Taj Mahal – Are You Really Listening?”: Landscape designers, landscape architects, and landscape contractors should know that working with new clients is not as easy as it might appear. All too often, the installed design that clients get is not what they wanted. Why? Because the person they met with didn’t really listen. Bobbie will outline her approach during the initial meeting with the client plus the ensuing discussions about goals, budget, the importance of soil amendment as it relates to successful planting, and phasing of the installation.

“Low-Maintenance Perennials”: Many people want beauty, color and texture in their landscapes but they don’t want to spend all their spare time in the garden. This is a discussion of how judicious plant selection can contribute to a low maintenance perennial garden design.

“New and Underused Perennials”: Perennials new to the market from Europe or from Amencan hybridizers, also available but less well-known perennials.

“Nurturing Nature: Using Site-Specific Plants” (1 or 2 hours): An ecological approach to gardening; using site-appropriate plants instead of amending soil, which is not always feasible; specific perennials and ornamental grasses; some combinations.

“Painting with Perennials: A Landscape Artist’s Perspective”: For years, perennial gardens were designed as side by side blocks of color. Over the past ten to fifteen years, these designs, with European influences, have become more impressionistic. In addition, more importance is being given to foliage, deadheads, and lengthening the seasons of interest. The degree of maintenance is also affected by these changes in design and by plant selection.

“Perennials and Ornamental Grasses for Commercial Landscapes”: Which perennials and ornamental grasses qualify as lower maintenance and look good in large masses and in combination or intermingled with other plants that require similar culture?

“Perennials for Problem Places”: Using site appropriate plants instead of amending soil which is not always feasible; specific plants and combinations.

“Perennials for the Connoisseur”: New, as well as old, but less known perennials to add unusual flowers or foliage colors, shapes and textures to the garden; suggestions for integrating them into the garden.

“Perennial Pruning Workshop”: This is a two-hour workshop. Principles of pruning and hands-on demonstration by teacher and then hands-on practice by class.

“Pot It! Container Gardening”: Site selection, container selection, plant shapes and textures, specific plant combinations with perennials, annuals and grasses.

“Potscaping With Perennials”: We never think twice about using tropicals and annuals in containers to create exciting combinations. Why don’t we also use perennials for flower and foliage color, form, and texture? Many
perennials will winter over in containers if you follow Bobbie’s instructions. Even if they don’t, they will still have added immeasurably to the beauty, diversity, and excitement of the container planting. This will be a slide illustrated lecture with numerous examples of combinations for sun or partial shade. You can use these examples as a springboard for your containers in 2009.

“Summer and Fall Bulbs: An Extra Dimension for the Landscape”: Integrating bulbs into landscape design intensifies color impact and often bridges periods between flushes of perennial and shrub bloom. Most bulbs discussed have been grown by the speaker and will be hardy to at least zone 5.

“The Sunny Wet Garden”: Using woodies, perennials and annuals in unamended soil; plant combinations.

“Trends in Perennial Garden Design”: What are the trends in perennial garden design that you could incorporate into your designs? Bobbie will discuss how they stem from new and old philosophies of gardening and then will branch out to look at new ways of using plant material, hardscaping, and garden accents.

“Trends in Landscape Design”: Just as fashion changes, so do design trends. Landscape designers need to know what the latest trends are in order to be a trendsetter but Bobbie will also discuss creating trends.

“Why Don’t They Read?: Designing a Deer-Resistant Landscape”: No one can guarantee a deer proof landscape but there are certain plants that the deer tend not to eat. I’ve been compiling a list for years but even then, the deer refuse to read the list. Nevertheless, I can suggest the plants that they usually leave alone as well as some strategies that may help.

“Xeriscaping in Ohio”: Ohio is not a desert but we still need drought resistant landscapes to lower our water bills and create sustainable landscapes that are also beautiful and interesting.

“Xeriscaping in Temperate Climates”:  We may not live in the desert but we still need drought resistant landscapes to lower our water bills and create sustainable landscapes that are also beautiful and interesting.

     
     
     
     

Most lectures are 50 minutes in length and all are slide illustrated except the pruning workshop and “Garden Vignettes”.

“A Happy Marriage: Design Integration of House and Landscape” The attempt to reconcile house and landscape is not new but we are still learning how to work toward this goal. Using examples from classic and modern landscapes, designers will learn several different approaches for resolution of this frequent dichotomy.

“A Natural Duo: Perennials and Bulbs” How to interplant; combinations; planting techniques.

“A Primer of Ornamental Grasses”: Specific grasses and their cultural needs.

“Annuals as a Supplement to Perennials and Woodies”: Use of annuals for continuity and extension of bloom; emphasis on unusual and reseeding annuals.

“Annuals for the Connoisseur”: New as well as old but less known annuals to add unusual flowers or foliage colors, shapes and textures to the garden; suggestions for integrating them into the garden.

“April in Paris (and July), The Patterns of Paris Gardens”: Old and modern French gardens; several gardens shown in both spring and summer.

”Artful Garden, The“: The most obvious notion of the artful garden is the incorporation of art, e.g. sculpture and ornament, into the garden but another aspect is the realization that structures such as fences and arbors can be artistic, not just functional. Add creative garden design plus thoughtful choices and uses of plant material to make your garden a living work of art.

”Brighten Up Your Life and Your Landscape: Making Shade Colorful”: Shady gardens and landscapes do not need to be dull, nor do they need to rely solely on ferns and hostas. Many plants, both woody and herbaceous thrive in shade. Learn to create colorful vignettes with foliage color and texture as well as flower color.

“Color in the Landscape”: We tend to think first of flowers when discussing color in the landscape but we should also remember that foliage, fruit, and bark may have even more value. Color is often limited to plant material but hardscaping and ornament can also contribute. Learn about the ramifications of this statement as well as some color theory that will help you make the most of the color in your landscape.

“Color in the Shade with Herbaceous Plants- Perennials, Vines and Ornamental Grasses”: Color in the Shade with Herbaceous Plants: Perennials, Vines and Ornamental Grasses.

“Color Schemes for Perennial Gardens”: Discussion of color and how to use it, its problems and several types of color schemes.

“Designing for Dry Shade”: Suggestions for design alternatives to planting; selected woodies, perennials and ornamental grasses that thrive in dry shade once established.

“Designing with Ornamental Grasses”: These grasses can be used in countless ways to create more interesting landscapes when aspects of design such as background, scale, texture and form are considered. Take advantage of the multiple attributes of grasses, among which are a wide range of heights, colors and time of bloom. There will also be a short discussion of companion plants.

“Exciting Plant Combinations”: A discussion about combining perennials, ornamental grasses, and shrubs in pleasing combinations for particular sites with examples of how changing one plant can affect the combination. It will also include the elements of landscape design that apply: form, texture, color of both flower and foliage, and scale. These combinations can be applied to the garden as well as containers.

“Expand Your Vision and Profits”: Turn a Hole in the Ground into a Whole Lot More. This talk will focus on creating the right setting for waterscapes and relating them to the house and other existing landscaping.

” Fall Garden, The“: Gardens look great in the spring and early summer but lassitude often takes over when the temperature rises. Fall is the time to get back into the garden and enjoy all of the wonderful plants that are at their best. The discussion of flower and fruit will include herbaceous and woody material.

” Foliage Palette, The“: Discussion of green as a color, other foliage colors, texture, size and shape of foliage, plant combinations.

“Garden Accents: The Finishing Touch”: Plants provide the setting for garden accents which can be whimsical to serious, small to large, and ornamental to structural but is a garden complete without accents? Why do we use them? How and where should we place them? This knowledge may be more important than the choice of accent.

“Garden Renovation: Transform Your Yard into the Garden of Your Dreams”: Homeowners often want to make changes to their landscape but have no idea where to start, what questions to ask, and don’t know how much they don’t know that they need to know. They also need to set goals and priorities and evaluate their existing landscape before making changes. An extensive discussion of soil, light, and moisture as well as marrying the house and the landscape should lead to a better understanding of the convergence of aesthetics and ecology.

“Garden Vignettes”: A hands-on demonstration of how to combine perennials and ornamental grasses in pleasing combinations for particular sites with examples of how changing one plant can affect the combination. Also includes a discussion of the elements of landscape design that apply: form, texture, color of both flower and foliage, and scale. These combinations can be applied to the garden but also to containers.

“Inspiration from English Perennial Gardens”: Highlights from many of the great English gardens with lessons for American gardeners.

“Inspiration from French Painters of Gardens”: As heard at the Cleveland Art Museum, “Learn to relate elements of landscape and garden design, as seen in paintings by French artists, to your own gardens.”

“Log Cabin or Taj Mahal – Are You Really Listening?”: Landscape designers, landscape architects, and landscape contractors should know that working with new clients is not as easy as it might appear. All too often, the installed design that clients get is not what they wanted. Why? Because the person they met with didn’t really listen. Bobbie will outline her approach during the initial meeting with the client plus the ensuing discussions about goals, budget, the importance of soil amendment as it relates to successful planting, and phasing of the installation.

“Low-Maintenance Perennials”: Many people want beauty, color and texture in their landscapes but they don’t want to spend all their spare time in the garden. This is a discussion of how judicious plant selection can contribute to a low maintenance perennial garden design.

“New and Underused Perennials”: Perennials new to the market from Europe or from Amencan hybridizers, also available but less well-known perennials.

“Nurturing Nature: Using Site-Specific Plants” (1 or 2 hours): An ecological approach to gardening; using site-appropriate plants instead of amending soil, which is not always feasible; specific perennials and ornamental grasses; some combinations.

“Painting with Perennials: A Landscape Artist’s Perspective”: For years, perennial gardens were designed as side by side blocks of color. Over the past ten to fifteen years, these designs, with European influences, have become more impressionistic. In addition, more importance is being given to foliage, deadheads, and lengthening the seasons of interest. The degree of maintenance is also affected by these changes in design and by plant selection.

“Perennials and Ornamental Grasses for Commercial Landscapes”: Which perennials and ornamental grasses qualify as lower maintenance and look good in large masses and in combination or intermingled with other plants that require similar culture?

“Perennials for Problem Places”: Using site appropriate plants instead of amending soil which is not always feasible; specific plants and combinations.

“Perennials for the Connoisseur”: New, as well as old, but less known perennials to add unusual flowers or foliage colors, shapes and textures to the garden; suggestions for integrating them into the garden.

“Perennial Pruning Workshop”: This is a two-hour workshop. Principles of pruning and hands-on demonstration by teacher and then hands-on practice by class.

“Pot It! Container Gardening”: Site selection, container selection, plant shapes and textures, specific plant combinations with perennials, annuals and grasses.

“Potscaping With Perennials”: We never think twice about using tropicals and annuals in containers to create exciting combinations. Why don’t we also use perennials for flower and foliage color, form, and texture? Many
perennials will winter over in containers if you follow Bobbie’s instructions. Even if they don’t, they will still have added immeasurably to the beauty, diversity, and excitement of the container planting. This will be a slide illustrated lecture with numerous examples of combinations for sun or partial shade. You can use these examples as a springboard for your containers in 2009.

“Summer and Fall Bulbs: An Extra Dimension for the Landscape”: Integrating bulbs into landscape design intensifies color impact and often bridges periods between flushes of perennial and shrub bloom. Most bulbs discussed have been grown by the speaker and will be hardy to at least zone 5.

“The Sunny Wet Garden”: Using woodies, perennials and annuals in unamended soil; plant combinations.

“Trends in Perennial Garden Design”: What are the trends in perennial garden design that you could incorporate into your designs? Bobbie will discuss how they stem from new and old philosophies of gardening and then will branch out to look at new ways of using plant material, hardscaping, and garden accents.

“Trends in Landscape Design”: Just as fashion changes, so do design trends. Landscape designers need to know what the latest trends are in order to be a trendsetter but Bobbie will also discuss creating trends.

“Why Don’t They Read?: Designing a Deer-Resistant Landscape”: No one can guarantee a deer proof landscape but there are certain plants that the deer tend not to eat. I’ve been compiling a list for years but even then, the deer refuse to read the list. Nevertheless, I can suggest the plants that they usually leave alone as well as some strategies that may help.

“Xeriscaping in Ohio”: Ohio is not a desert but we still need drought resistant landscapes to lower our water bills and create sustainable landscapes that are also beautiful and interesting.

“Xeriscaping in Temperate Climates”:  We may not live in the desert but we still need drought resistant landscapes to lower our water bills and create sustainable landscapes that are also beautiful and interesting.