Speakers & Presentations

The UConn Home & Garden Education Center can offer presentations on various garden related topics. Our knowledgeable staff has presented at garden clubs, the CT Flower & Garden Show, on Podcasts and News Stations, as well as produces their own publications for the public to learn and engage with gardening in their own spaces!

Please see our information below.

  • Availability is limited and we recommend booking out 6 months or more in advance when possible.
  • We accept donations made to the UConn Home & Garden Education Center for our presentation services.
  • In the event that we are unable to provide a speaker we will do our best to recommend organizations or individuals that have experience in your chosen topic.

Our Current Presentations

Gardening & Landscaping

Home Gardening Tips in a New Home - Heather Zidack
Learn how to move with your plants and start gardening on a new property. This talk is meant for homeowners as well as renters.

 

Insects & Integrated Pest Management

Good Bug Bad Bug Pamm Cooper
Take an in depth look at some common and uncommon pests and beneficial insects, as well as benign insects of interest.

History of IPM - Marie Woodward
Learn about the basic principles of Integrated Pest Management for the home gardener and the history of how this practice has evolved over the years.

How to be an IPM DetectiveHeather Zidack
Learn the principles of Integrated Pest Management and how to incorporate monitoring and management tasks into your every day gardening.

Native Plants

Close up of winterberry holly with red berriesGardening With Native Plants   - Pamm Cooper
Select native plants for gardens and landscapes including trees, shrubs and perennials. This presentation also covers site considerations and usefulness to pollinators and wildlife.

Pollinators

Bees in the Wild and in the Residential Landscape - Pamm Cooper
This presentation focuses on mostly native bees, their habitats and their preferred plants in the landscape and in the wild.

Butterflies of Connecticut Pamm Cooper
Explore common and not-so common butterflies found in the state of Connecticut. Review their common habitats. Take a closer look at the identifying features of their caterpillars.  

Gardening for Butterflies Pamm Cooper
Learn about plants that will attract butterflies! Go in depth to learn what will feed adults and what will serve as host plants for their caterpillars.

Multiple bees on a clover flower

Pollinators Pamm Cooper
A look at mostly native pollinators (bees, flies, beetles, moths and butterflies), the habitats they can be found in, and the plants that support them in the wild and garden.

Plants for Pollinators - Pamm Cooper
This presentation will discuss selection of native and nonnative plants for home landscapes and gardens that help support our pollinators, locally.

 

Turf & Lawns

Basic Lawn Care and Other Considerations Pamm Cooper
Learn the dos and don’ts of seasonal lawn care. Review common turf topics such as grubs, weeds, mowing grass, species selection, weather and lawns. These talks are seasonal and can be geared toward spring or late summer.

 

Wildlife & Nature

Bluebird sitting on a branch.Birdscaping Pamm Cooper
Learn how to select plants that will support birds in the residential landscape.  This presentation includes food plants for all seasons, fruits and seeds, and plants that support caterpillars for nestling and fledgling birds.

Gardening for Wildlife Pamm Cooper
This presentation covers selecting native and non-native trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals with the intention of supporting pollinators and wildlife.

A Walk on the Wild Side   - Pamm Cooper
A discussion of flora, fauna and weather phenomena occurring in Connecticut in recent years.

 

 

Our Speakers

Pamm Cooper

Pamela Cooper

Pamm Cooper works at the University of Connecticut Home and Garden Education Center office offering advice on cultural and pest concerns for gardens, landscapes and natural habitats. She has teamed with Jane Seymour from the Ct. DEEP doing programs on using native and non-native plants in the residential landscape to support native pollinators, butterflies, and wildlife. She has worked for Dr. David Wagner collecting and rearing caterpillars for property bio-surveys on DEEP properties and has contributed to articles for Martha Stewart Living Magazine and Butterfly Gardener Magazine. She is also a nature photographer with photographs published in several books, magazines, and other publications.

pamela.cooper@uconn.edu

Marie Woodward

Marie Woodward

Marie Woodward is a horticultural educator at the UConn Home and Garden Education Center. After retiring from dental hygiene, Marie decided to pursue her passion for gardening and in 2019, she received her master gardener certificate from the UCONN Extension Service. At the UCONN home and garden education center, Marie helps inquirers locate solutions to pressing soil, plant, insect and pathogen problems, and writes blog and newspaper articles on garden matters. She is especially interested in integrated pest management.

marie.woodward@uconn.edu

Heather Zidack

Heather is the newest addition to the Home & Garden Education Center team at UConn, Storrs. She is a UConn Alumni with a B.S. in Plant Science and her M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction. Heather has had the opportunity to work in the horticulture industry as well as in agriscience education in Connecticut. Her industry experience, combined with her education background, and a lifelong passion for plants has driven her educate others that horticulture and gardening are both accessible and enjoyable hobbies for anyone who seeks success!

heather.zidack@uconn.edu