Growing Home: A Practical Gardening Series

Cozy up this winter with Growing Home, a three-part virtual lecture series designed to equip home gardeners with practical tools for success. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to sharpen your skills, these sessions offer down-to-earth guidance from local experts. Learn about the wealth of resources available through UD Cooperative Extension, discover how to design and maintain a home garden that fits your space and lifestyle, and gain effective strategies for identifying and managing common garden weeds. Grow your knowledge, and your garden, from the comfort of your home! (Image courtesy of Andrew Bunting)

UD Cooperative Extension Overview and Resources with Carrie Murphy, Karen Gartley, and Jill Pollok - Thursday, January 22 at 12pm

Join UD Cooperative Extension experts for an informative session designed to connect home and community gardeners with essential resources and tools. Carrie Murphy, Extension Agent, will introduce the structure and services of UD Cooperative Extension, highlighting the reliable resources available to gardeners year-round and statewide. Karen Gartley, Manager and Program Director of the UD Soil Testing Program, will explain how to collect and submit soil samples and summarize the analysis process. Jill Pollok, Plant Diagnostician for the UD Plant Diagnostic Clinic, will offer an inside look at the program, outlining how to submit plant samples and how diagnostics can help identify and resolve common plant health issues.

Creating a Home Garden with Andrew Bunting - Thursday, February 5 at 12pm 

Dive into the 25-year evolutionary process of plantsman and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s VP of Horticulture, Andrew Bunting, as he transforms his suburban Philadelphia property into a renowned private garden consisting of multiple unique small spaces, including his newly established gravel garden that was featured in The New York Times. Learn about how he designs containers for the summer, herbaceous borders, and woodland gardens with a pond. Be inspired by how a joint project with a neighbor helped to create a 4,000 square foot fruit and vegetable garden. In this lecture, Andrew covers his approach to garden design, plant choice, seasonal displays, and his maintenance regime. This lecture tells the story of one person’s ongoing trials and tribulations of creating a home garden.

Intro to Weed Identification and Management with Lauren Kope - Thursday, February 12 at 12pm 

Weeds, we all have 'em! While they are easy enough to spot, their nature is surprisingly complex. Competitive growth strategies, environmental adaptations, and clever reproduction make weeds one of gardening's most persistent challenges. In this session we'll take a closer look at the weeds you're most likely to encounter and learn how their seasonal growth and reproductive habits inform the most effective management practices. From hand tools to herbicides, you'll leave with practical control strategies and a healthy appreciation for their tenacity. At the end, we'll also cover recommendations for print and digital resources to help you stay one step ahead of the weeds.

SPEAKER BIOS

Andrew Bunting, Vice President of Horticulture at Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

As Vice President of Horticulture, Andrew leads the utilization of planting and design to promote environmentally sound gardening practices at PHS. Andrew has elevated each of the departments he oversees and has increased the brand and visibility of PHS through their respective work.

Andrew received his B.S. in Plant and Soil Science from Southern Illinois University. Prior to arriving at PHS, Andrew worked at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Chanticleer Garden, and the Scott Arboretum for a tenure of 27 years. He has received the American Public Gardens Association’s Professional Citation, Chanticleer Scholarship in Professional Development, and the Certificate of Merit from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. He also serves on the Board of Magnolia Society International. Andrew published his first book in 2015, “The Plant Lover’s Guide to Magnolias.”

Andrew enjoys bird watching, travel and, of course, gardening.

Karen Gartley, Manager and Program Director of the UD Soil Testing Program 

Karen earned her B.S. in Plant Science and Agricultural Engineering Technology from the University of Delaware in 1987 and her M.S. in Soil Science in 1992. She worked as a Research Associate managing the UD Soil Fertility Research Lab from 1989 to 1991 before being hired as the Soil Testing Program Coordinator in 1992 and later promoted to Director in 2000. Karen serves as an advisor to the UD Horticulture Club and co-advisor to the Philadelphia Flower Show Club, which designs, constructs, and installs UD’s exhibit at the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show. 

Lauren Kope, Director at the UD Botanic Gardens

As Director, Lauren facilitates meaningful connections between the campus, community, and gardens’ living collections. She enjoys engaging with many audiences over a shared love of plants.

Before joining UDBG, Lauren served as Manager of Living Collections at Wyck Historic House and Gardens in Philadelphia and worked as Head Gardener of a private estate in Charlottesville, VA. Lauren has designed and maintained gardens for clients in Pennsylvania and northern Delaware.

A graduate of the Longwood Gardens’ Professional Horticulture Program, she also holds a B.S. in Agricultural Science from Virginia Tech and received her M.B.A. from the University of Delaware.

Carrie Murphy, Extension Agent at the UD Cooperative Extension

Carrie is an Extension Educator in Horticulture, Master Gardener Coordinator, and Program Leader for Horticulture for the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension.  She received her B.S. from Towson University, her M.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Delaware and is a graduate of the Professional Gardener (now Horticulture) Program at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 

In her position with the University, Carrie coordinates Master Gardener Volunteer Educators in home and community horticulture education and service projects, also provides home, community, and commercial horticulture and urban agriculture education and programming. In her role as Program Leader Carrie coordinates Cooperative Extension’s Horticulture team and serves on Extension’s Leadership team. 

Carrie has worked in the industry for more than twenty years, including the Greenhouse and Nursery Production unit at Longwood Gardens, North Creek Nurseries in Landenberg, Pennsylvania, and in the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens on the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources campus here in Newark, Delaware. 

Jill Pollok, Plant Diagnostician and Extension Specialist who runs the UD Plant Diagnostic Clinic

Jill has been the Plant Diagnostician at the University of Delaware's Plant Diagnostic Clinic since 2020. She received her master’s degree from Virginia Tech in 2015 in Plant Pathology and worked at Virginia Tech for 4 years as a plant pathology technician before coming to Delaware. She received her bachelor’s degrees from Penn State in Biology and Agroecology. 

Despite being from central Pennsylvania, she loves living in Delaware, and is passionate about serving the Delaware agricultural community by diagnosing plant issues. 

She enjoys hiking, walking her two dogs, and creating art.

EVENT INFO

Please email botanicgardens@udel.edu or call 302-831-4188 if you would like to register by phone. Send payment to: UDBG, 152 Townsend Hall, University of DE, Newark DE 19716. Should the expense of participating in our event pose a challenge for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us, as we are happy to discuss and accommodate your needs to the best of our ability.

Location: VIRTUAL on Zoom

Cancellation Policy: UDBG reserves the right to cancel any program if necessary. Refunds take approximately 3-4 weeks to process. There will be no refunds after a class or series has begun. Payment will be refunded if cancellation is made 10 days prior to the event.