Rooted Conference 2026
PLEASE NOTE: As of Friday, Feb. 6, general attendee registration is now full. If you would like to join the waitlist in case space opens up, please complete this form.
Rooted in research, this popular educational event is back! Designed to reach northern Illinois gardeners, growers, environmentalists, and everyday plant lovers alike, "Rooted" will head to College of DuPage this year to explore topics from growing vegetables to replacing your lawn.
Rooted in research, this popular educational event is back! Designed to reach northern Illinois gardeners, growers, environmentalists, and everyday plant lovers alike, "Rooted" will head to College of DuPage this year to explore topics from growing vegetables to replacing your lawn.
Saturday, February 21, 2026
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
College of DuPage's Jack H. Turner Conference Center
Student Resource Center (SRC)
Student Resource Center (SRC)
425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Registration required | $35 per person (includes attendee gift bags. Some sessions may have an additional materials fee)
Conference overview
2026 keynote address:
"Rethinking Lawns: Exploring “the menu of options” of landcovers for ecosystem services in Chicago parks"
Rebecca Barak, Chicago Botanic Gardens and Lauren Umek, Chicago Park District
Break-out sessions: Full session details found here
"Rethinking Lawns: Exploring “the menu of options” of landcovers for ecosystem services in Chicago parks"
Rebecca Barak, Chicago Botanic Gardens and Lauren Umek, Chicago Park District
Break-out sessions: Full session details found here
- "Growing the Perfect Tomato" with Pearl Carpenter of The Farmacy Farmstand
- "Taking Native Garden Design to the Next Level" with Chris Baran of Resilient Design
- "Everlasting Flowers: drying and pressing techniques" with Chris Leuking of University of Illinois Extension
- "Growing Climate Resilience at Every Scale" with Jessica Rudnick and Linda Derhak of University of Illinois Extension
- Hands-on Activity Sessions (Due to limited space and materials, if you choose the hands-on session for one breakout, you cannot choose it for the other breakout even though the topics are different.)
- Nature Journaling and Kokedama (additional materials fee: $25)
- Vermicompost and Moss Art (additional materials fee: $25)
Tentative schedule:
- 8:30 a.m. Doors Open
- 9-10 a.m. Keynote Presentation
- 10:10-11 a.m. Breakout Session 1
- 11:10 a.m.-noon: Breakout Session 2
- Optional FREE Afternoon Field Trip Locations (space very limited)
- DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center - guided tours at 1:30 p.m. or 3 p.m.
- Orchids by Hausermann - self-guided tour 1 to 3 p.m.
- Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum - guided tour 1:30 p.m.
- Morton Arboretum - self-guided tour 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Illinois Extension plans to capture photographs and video of this event. Be aware that if you attend, you are consenting to the possibility that your image and likeness may be shared or published by the university for marketing-communications purposes.
For questions, contact Horticulture Educator Jamie Viebach at jviebach@illinois.edu or 630-955-1123. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, contact Extension Program Coordinator Sarah Fellerer at fellerer@illinois.edu or 630-553-5823. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your access needs.
For questions, contact Horticulture Educator Jamie Viebach at jviebach@illinois.edu or 630-955-1123. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, contact Extension Program Coordinator Sarah Fellerer at fellerer@illinois.edu or 630-553-5823. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your access needs.
TO REGISTER: Log in as a guest by completing the form below, or log in with your Extension account (if you have one).