Get the Latest Updates on the Perennial Plant Association National Symposium

Posted by Brian Sparks|April 6, 2021

Earlier this year, the Perennial Plant Association announced it will host a new format for its 2021 National Symposium: a hybrid event that will showcase world-renowned speakers on an online platform, paired with smaller, outdoor regional PPA Pop-up events held at various locations around the U.S.

Registration is now open for the symposium, which takes place July 27 to July 29. Inspiration for the program is drawn from the theme “Celebrating Perennials: People, Place & Purpose.” Speakers from Italy, Britain, Brooklyn, Denver, and beyond will present information on the latest trial reports, the native conundrum of supply and demand, foliage and texture, what biodiversity really means, and inspiration from public and private gardens. PPA encourages attendees to learn more about the speakers and their work before the program and get ready to be inspired to celebrate perennials. Current program details are available here.

Notable speakers include:

Dan Pearson, a British horticulturist, landscape designer, writer, and gardener. His international work for public and private clients is widely celebrated and is characterized by an innate sensitivity to place and deep-rooted horticultural knowledge. Check out his gardening journal, Dig Delve, his studio work at Dan Pearson Studio, and his most recent book Tokachi Millennium Forest.
Giacomo Guzzon, an Italian horticulturist currently teaching planting design at the University of Sheffield, University of Greenwich in London, and KLC School of Design in London. In addition to his academic activities, he is a Senior Landscape Architect and Head of Planting Design at the international landscape architecture firm Gillespies. Giacomo will lead a session titled “Creating Resilient and Biodiverse Plant Communities in Urban Areas.” Follow him on Instagram at @giacomo_guzzon.
Rebecca McMackin, an ecologically obsessed horticulturist and garden designer. By day, she is the Director of Horticulture for Brooklyn Bridge Park, while in her free time, she writes about landscape management and pollination ecology, and designs gardens. In her session, she will discuss the ecological strategies employed by the park’s designers, as well as the management techniques park staff have developed to cultivate biodiverse parkland. Get to know her on Instagram at @oroeoboeococoao.

Each day of the three-day educational event will consist of hour-long opening and closing sessions, mini sessions, tour talks, and traditions such as the New to the Market Forum and Landscape Design Awards. Throughout the event, attendees will participate in polls, trivia, Q&A with presenters, and other activities. Sponsors are crafting daily mindfulness breaks, and those who register by June 18 will receive a welcome box including items to participate in a happy hour and a custom PPA virtual tea tasting by Drink Good Tea.

The Perennial Plant Association Virtual National Symposium will take place online July 27-29 from 1–5 p.m. ET with additional happy hour events on July 27 and 28. For a schedule of events and to register, visit https://perennialplant.org/page/VirtualNationalSymposium.