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

Our Speakers

Gardening & Landscaping

Home Gardening Tips in a New Home 
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 
Take an in depth look at some common and uncommon pests and beneficial insects, as well as benign insects of interest.

History of IPM
Learn about the basic principles of Intergrated Pest Managment for the home gardener and the history of how this practice has evolved over the years.

Native Plants

Close up of winterberry holly with red berriesGardening With Native Plants
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
This presentation focuses on mostly native bees, their habitats and their preferred plants in the landscape and in the wild.

Butterflies of Connecticut
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
A discussion of flora, fauna and weather phenomena occurring in Connecticut in recent years.

 

 

Pamm Cooper

Pamm Cooper works at the University of Connecticut Home and Garden Education Center office as a public service gardening specialist and horticultural consultant answering questions on gardening, lawns, native and non-native plants and insects and wildlife issues. She also teaches entomology and turf for the University of Connecticut Master Gardener Program. 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 is also an avid nature photographer. She has also worked for Dr. David Wagner collecting and rearing caterpillars for property bio-surveys on DEEP properties.

Email: pamela.cooper@uconn.edu

Marie Woodward

MMarie Woodwardarie 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.

Email: marie.woodward@uconn.edu

Heather Zidack

Heather Zidack, UConn Home & Garden Education Center

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!

Email: heather.zidack@uconn.edu