Speaker Series: The Ecological Garden - A Progressive Style of Gardening with Nature

Name: Speaker Series: The Ecological Garden - A Progressive Style of Gardening with Nature
Start: 2025-03-27T19:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-03-27T20:30:00-04:00
Location: Trees Atlanta

Schedule

Thu Mar 27 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Trees Atlanta | Atlanta, GA

Join us for an evening with Tom Smarr, Executive Director of Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens, as he explores how our gardens can become beautiful microcosms of healthy ecological processes. Tom will share how Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens employs innovative gardening techniques and selects stunning native trees and plants to create naturalistic landscapes that help support thriving ecosystems—providing inspiration for your own garden.
Discover how amazing and beautiful trees, plants, and wildlife form interconnected relationships to sustain each other and the natural world. Ecological gardening is a progressive approach to cultivating gardens embraced by both home gardeners and professional horticulturists alike.
Following Tom’s inspiring presentation, Hayden Wyatt, Trees Atlanta’s Forest Restoration Coordinator, will introduce just a sampling of the native plants featured at Trees Atlanta’s Spring 2025 Native Plant Sale—perfect for your ecological gardening endeavors!
About the Speaker: Tom Smarr has been the Executive Director at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens since 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in urban horticulture studies from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has worked for established institutions such as the University of Washington Botanic Gardens in Seattle and the Native Plant Trusts’ botanical garden “Garden in the Woods” in Massachusetts. Tom’s most notable work has been leading the early establishment of horticulture programs at newly opened urban parks such as the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston; the High Line in New York City; and The Parklands of Floyds Fork in Louisville, Kentucky.
About Jenkins Arboretum: The Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens is one of Pennsylvania’s great horticultural and environmental botanical garden assets, conserving 48 acres, with over a mile of trails for visitors to enjoy a diverse plant collection that specializes in eastern North American plants. Jenkins holds a nationally accredited collection of rhododendrons, azaleas, and mountain laurels. Jenkins’ mission is to “celebrate the wonder of plants and place as a destination for education, conservation, and community connection”. Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens is in Devon, Pennsylvania and open every day of the year - always free of admission, with a garden shop and small art gallery.
City Forest Certification: The City Forest Certification is Trees Atlanta’s newest community action program. This hands-on program is designed to guide and empower everyday people with practical knowledge and skills. Neighbor by neighbor and property by property, we can grow and connect a network of forests big and small. By attending this program you can earn 1 Acorn towards your City Forest Certification
This Speaker Series lecture is free with registration. More info and reserve a spot via "Tickets" link on this event to receive specific meeting location details and any updates from Trees Atlanta.
All Trees Atlanta events are also listed on our website Calendar of Events: https://www.treesatlanta.org/get-involved/events