(Note: you can watch videos of some of our past programs on our YouTube channel.)

Rethinking Horticulture with Real Ecology, with Joey Santore – FREE

Date: Wednesday, March 18
Time: 7 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. CT | 5 p.m. MT | 4 p.m. PT
Format: YouTube Live premiere, link provided with registration
Recording: A recording will be shared following the live event

Native plant gardeners, landscape designers, and land stewards often face a tension between ecological function and traditional horticultural aesthetics. In the Wild Ones National Webinar Rethinking Horticulture with Real Ecology, field botanist and science communicator Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, examines how inherited design norms like straight lines, uniform spacing, tidy edges, and color-grouped plantings shape expectations for native landscapes. These conventions, rooted in European garden traditions and reinforced by modern lawn culture, continue to influence how native plant gardens are judged, managed, and defended, often at the expense of biodiversity, soil health, and long-term ecological resilience.

More info at the national Wild Ones site – https://wildones.org/joey-santore/

The Colors of Spring

Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 (Note this is not our usual monthly program date)

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Olander Park, Nederhouser Community Hall, 6930 Sylvania Ave., Sylvania, OH

Speaker: Karen Menard

Join Karen Menard of Metroparks Toledo to experience a virtual trip to the forest floor in search of northwest Ohio’s native, wild ephemeral blooms. The natural history of species, pollinator connections, and information on flowering times and locations will be shared in this presentation showcasing the beauty and splendor of our local, spring wildflower communities.

Going Native: A Personal Journey from Cultivars and Chemicals to Landscaping with Natives

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: Olander Park, Nederhouser Community Hall, 6930 Sylvania Ave., Sylvania, OH

In 2012 Hal Mann decided to convert his home landscaping to all native plants.  This presentation takes you on his ongoing journey.  He’ll explain what influenced him to change from his life-long understanding and use of conventional landscaping made up of cultivars and non-native plants.  He describes the removal of invasive species and shows the wonderful surprises that followed at his home.  You’ll travel with him as he struggles to break emotional attachments to some favorite non-native plants.  He’ll share the compromises that were necessary to ensure harmony in the household.  You’ll learn about some of the interesting wildlife that came to make their homes on his property.  He will explain what he learned along the way, talking about the many benefits of using these plants, the joys and successes he experienced, as well as the tribulations and challenges he had.  Entertaining and educational, his story will show you how landscaping with native plants has enriched his life and will inspire you. 

Mark Your Calendar

Free Webinar from Wild Ones National: Living in the Liberated Landscape with Larry Weaner

Date: November 20, 2025 – DID YOU MISS IT? Watch on YouTube!

Discover the power of ecological garden design in this free national webinar, Living in the Liberated Landscape: My Yard, with award-winning landscape designer Larry Weaner. Join us for a personal look at how dynamic, self-sustaining landscapes can emerge when we partner with nature instead of controlling it. Drawing on more than 35 years of experience, Larry will share practical strategies for designing dynamic gardens that evolve naturally, support biodiversity, and bring lasting beauty to your yard.

P.S. See all webinars by Wild Ones National here.

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