Nursery School 2026 Lessons in Gardening
Get inspired and grow your horticultural knowledge on February 21st, 2026 at the annual Nursery School: Lesson in Gardening produced by University of Illinois Extension staff and Master Gardeners. Horticulture experts will lead workshops and share tips, pointers, ideas, and information everyone can use - from the novice to the most experienced gardener.
Early bird Registration is $60.00 and closes January 31st, 2026. 70.00 February 1st to 15th Advanced registration is required, no walk-ins will be accepted. Registration includes morning coffee and rolls, the keynote sessions, buffet lunch, two additional sessions of your choice, and access to the Nursery School vendor area offering a host of merchants and agencies selling a variety of garden-inspired gifts, crafts, plants, and resources. Doors open at 8 a.m., opening session starts promptly at 8:30 a.m.
- BACK this year is bookend keynotes where you start and finish the day as a whole.
- Plan to visit the vendors. Fill out your library card as you "check out" the vendors and earn entry to the vendors giveaway drawing.
Prologue Welcome and Bookend Keynote: 8:30-9:45 am:
- Rebuilding Our Forests Amid Climate Challenges presented by Justin Vozzo, University of Illinois Extension Forestry Specialist, and an ISA Certified Arborist
Our Urban Forests are contending with rapidly changing climate conditions in the Midwest which are compounded on various other biotic and abiotic stressors. To maintain and enhance urban forest resilience, we will need to adapt our management strategies to reflect these ever-shifting conditions. This presentation will explore climate effects on the urban forest and novel approaches and tools we can employ to rebuild and strength our urban forests.
Here are your "Chapters" the speakers and topics from which you can choose one from each session. Note: class sizes are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Chapter 1: 10-11am
- Ornamental Horticulture: Soak it Up: Rain Gardens in the Home Landscape presented by Emily Swihart, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator
Participants will be introduced to the concept of stormwater management in the home landscape. This session will introduce a variety of homeowner-friendly stormwater management techniques with a special focus on rain gardens. Learn what differentiates a rain garden from other landscape plantings and how to assess a site to determine if a rain garden is a suitable solution. Principles of garden design and plant selection will be discussed so participants have a holistic understanding of rain gardens as a stormwater management tool.
- Edibles: Harvesting Happiness: Growing Fruit Tree at Home presented by Dr. Elizabeth Wahle, University of Illinois Extension Specialist, Agriculture and Agribusiness
There is no better feeling of self-achievement than successfully harvesting quality fruit from your own backyard trees. But to get to
harvest, you need to manage and protect your trees season long. Join Elizabeth as she discusses the main challenges to bringing a
crop to fruition, most especially integrated pest management and cultivar selection for apple, pear, and cherry.
- Nature: Planting Herbs to Attract Pollinators presented by Jennifer Fishburn, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator
Gardening with culinary herbs is a great way to add interest and fragrance to the landscape. Tips will be shared on using herb plants to attract
pollinating insects to your garden.
Chapter 2: 11:15 am-12:15 pm
- Ornamental: Reclaiming Runaway Landscape presented by Chris Enroth, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator
Have a garden that’s gone wild? Do you need reclaim and restore an overgrown, chaotic landscape? Explore practical method for taking back an
overgrown, chaotic landscape and guidance on where to start when garden beds feel overwhelming. The session covers the use of mulch,
design strategies, and effective weeding tools and techniques. Finally, learn how to decide which plants need to go and which ones can be tolerated.
- Edibles: Explore the Foods, Flavors, and Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet presented by Kristen Bogdonas, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition and Wellness Educator
The Mediterranean style of eating is a one of the world's most researched and celebrated eating patterns. Learn about its origins, key foods, and the science behind its health benefits. Participants will enjoy tasting samples that highlight the diet’s signature flavors and receive practical resources to help incorporate Mediterranean-inspired choices into everyday life.
- Nature: Support Biodiversity by Landscaping with Native Midwestern Shrubs Rob Liva, a professional consultant in ecological land management
Native shrubs are a diverse group of plants ranging in size, shape, color, and habit making them an excellent source of seasonal interest in your
home landscaping. Additionally, these plants offer clothes and food for pollinators and birds that garden-varieties do not. In this class, you will
learn about the many characteristics and preferences of native shrubs and how they can connect your property to the magic the broader
wooded ravine landscapes the Quad Cities.
Lunch Buffet 12:15-1:15 pm: Pulled pork or black bean burger with warm sides lunch on the vestibule and visit the vendors
Bookend Keynote and Epilogue Celebration with Prizes: 1:15-2:30
- Plants of Concern presented by Grant Fesseler who coordinates the Northwestern Illinois Region of the Plants of Concern program, a project of the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Coming up on 25 years of community science & rare plant monitoring, Plants of Concern has and continues to be a model for long-term,
collaborative community science, representing one of the only programs of its kind in the world. The program was created in 2001 as a
collaboration between the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Audubon Chicago Region as an outcome of the 1999 Chicago Wilderness
Biodiversity Recovery Plan. Since then, the program has expanded to facilitate monitoring in Northeastern, Northwestern, and Southern
Illinois. The program has trained over 300 volunteers and staff members and partnered with around 150 landowners and land managers to
monitor species at over 600 public and private sites across the state. Plants of Concern partners with landowners by sharing data with federal
agencies, forest preserve districts, departments of natural resources, land trusts, non-profits, and private landowners about the status of rare
plants at their sites. The results of analyses of these data have ranged from the creation of a new Illinois Plant Watchlist to research improving
our understanding of how restoration practices could include rare species and even informing how species and their habitats are responding to climate change.
Takeaways: Audience members will learn about the Plants of Concern program including its goals, collaborators, and impacts. Information on how to become a POC volunteer will be shared. Finally, the audience will be introduced to the natural landscape of Northwestern Illinois and many of its rare plants.