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Long Island Horticulture Conference

• Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM

At the forefront of Long Island horticulture for over 30 years...

We invite you to join us for the 35th Annual Long Island Horticulture Conference! Landscapers, nursery growers, arborists, landscape architects and designers, turf managers, and others in the horticulture industry throughout Long Island and beyond are invited to attend.

For detailed descriptions for each presentation, see below. Click on the brochure/mailer for other registration options or register online.

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Online registration is closed.

Walk-in fee is $100. Be advised, Brookhaven National Lab requires all attendees to check in at the entry booth with a valid government-issued ID before entering the campus. Please allow extra time for this procedure.

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MORNING SESSION

7:30-8:30 AM Sign-in/Refreshments

8:30-8:40 Welcome and Announcements
Mina Vescera, CCE-Suffolk & Justin Andrews, Brookhaven National Laboratory

8:40 – 9:30 NYSDEC Updates for Ornamental Horticulture

Joseph Cutrone, Bureau of Pesticides Management, NYS DEC Region 1

Licensing requirements for ornamental horticulture and updates with recent pesticide use regulations such as the Birds and Bees Protection Act will be reviewed.

9:30 – 10:30 Beech Leaf Disease – Moving towards Management
Dr. Matthew Borden, Plant Pathologist, Bartlett Tree Experts

Researchers with Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories have been at the forefront of BLD management trials, learning from both impressive failures and exciting successes as they developed two novel treatment programs focused on different arboricultural and nursery applications. This session will discuss the process and rationale behind the research and how to approach possible management strategies in your operations.

10:30 – 10:45 SHORT BREAK with refreshments

10:45 – 11:45 Emerging Sassafras Wilt
Olivia Bigham, PhD. student Ginzel Lab, Purdue University

In Indiana, sassafras trees in the Central Hardwood Forest Region of Indiana have been wilting, yet the cause remains unknown. Coincidentally, there have been several reports the last few years of wilting of sassafras trees on Long Island. Investigations of material from wilting trees in Indiana revealed two non-native ambrosia beetles (Xylosandrus germanus and X. crassiusculus) and a potentially novel fungus closely related to Ophiostoma quercus. Olivia will review what’s she learned about this novel fungus and how it’s distinguished from laurel wilt.

11:45 AM – 1:00 PM LUNCH

TWO CONCURRENT AFTERNOON SESSIONS

RESILIENT LANDSCAPES SESSION

1:00 – 1:30 PM Novel Design Considerations to Support Pollinators
Kelly Gill, Senior Pollinator Cons. Specialist, Xerces Society and New Jersey NRCS Columbus, NJ

Topics covered in this presentation will include an overview of pollinator habitat needs, and basic habitat elements and important considerations for planning, designing, and establishing pollinator habitat, including large-scale restorations, landscaping, and gardens. Kelly will review design integration examples that support pollinators in both formal and natural landscapes using case studies showcasing pollinator habitat plantings across a variety of different landscapes and the multiple conservation benefits these planting provide.

1:30 – 2:00 Small Decisions, Big Impacts: Embodied Energy in the Built Landscape
Michael Madden, RLA, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Urban Horticulture and Design, Farmingdale State College

By examining the environmental footprint of common materials and practices, Michael will highlight how small adjustments in our work—across landscapes of any scale—can make a significant difference. Attendees will gain insight into how the materials and practices we choose contribute to energy use and emissions, and how shifting our approach can lead to more sustainable, environmentally responsible landscapes.

2:00 – 3:00 Planting with a Purpose
Rich Gibney, RLA, ISA Certified Arborist, Gibney Design LA ▪ PC

Aesthetics/beauty should always be considered in the planning and maintenance of a landscape. While there is a certain nobility attached to using native plants and trees, many non-native plants are not only more suitable but can reduce maintenance costs while improving the health and sustainability of the landscape. This session will discuss selection based on urban issues, sustainability, ’multi-tasking’ plants and cooperation with nature. This knowledge will be condensed and explained to provide attendees with practical information that they can utilize immediately.

3:00 – 3:15 SHORT BREAK with refreshments

3:15 – 4:15 Exceptional Trees and Shrubs for the Forward-Thinking Horticulturist
Vincent A. Simeone, Horticulture Director, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park

Each year hundreds of new species, varieties and cultivars of plants are introduced into commerce. These choice plants offer superior flowers, foliage, fruit, superior vigor and cultural adaptability. At the same time, there are many underutilized and exceptional mainstays that should be used more in the landscape. This lecture will focus on some of the newer and most promising selections of trees and shrubs available on the market as well as some old favorites that offer exceptional garden merit.

4:15 – 4:30 Adjourn and Distribution of CEUs

DISEASE AND PEST UPDATES SESSION

1:00 – 1:30 Hornbeam Diseases on the Horizon
Dr. Matthew Borden, Plant Pathologist, Bartlett Tree Experts

Hornbeam (Carpinus species and cultivars) have a reputation for being tough and adaptable to a variety of growing conditions, but they are not immune to problems. In particular, a twig and branch canker pathogen seems to be an emerging issue in the Northeast, and a recently described leaf rust is causing concern in the Southeast. This session will present new information on both diseases and a discussion of management strategies.

1:30 – 2:00 Is It Possible to Control Mugwort on Long Island?
Andy Senesac, PhD., Weed Scientist, CCE-Suffolk

Over the last 30 years, Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) has evolved from being an occasional weed of cemetery turf and roadsides to becoming a major pest of landscapes, nurseries, turf, and many hardscapes. In addition to this, mugwort has become a much more important invader of natural areas than in the past. Current status of herbicides for managing mugwort along with cultural practices that are helpful and some that are harmful to successful management of this weed will be discussed.

2:00 – 3:00 Experimental Fall Application of a Synthetic Pyrethroid to Manage Ticks While Minimizing Exposure to Non-Target Insects
Scott C. Williams, PhD., Chief Scientist, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Ticks are a public health nuisance and are very difficult to kill. Synthetic pyrethroids work very well at managing ticks when applied in the spring but can also negatively impact numerous beneficial insect species in their various developmental stages at that time. Scott will review research results evaluating a single fall broadcast application targeting nymphal and fed larval blacklegged (aka: “deer”) ticks (Ixodes scapularis) that are overwintering beneath deciduous leaf litter.

3:00 – 3:15 SHORT BREAK with refreshments

3:15 – 3:45 Streaking in the Shrubbery
Margery Daughtrey, PhD., Sr. Extension Associate, Cornell University

Different fungi and water molds can cause streaks on or in stem tissue of woody and herbaceous plants. Margery will discuss the threat posed by Phytophthora austrocedrae, new to North America this year, and describe how it is different from other Phytophthora pathogens.She will also cover Vascular Streak Dieback, a disease occurring to our south that affects a number of popular nursery crops, particularly redbud and dogwood. She’ll give updates on boxwood blight and Verticillium wilt as well.

3:45 – 4:15 Scales out of Balance: Old and New Pests of Ornamentals
Dan Gilrein, Extension Entomologist, CCE-Suffolk

There are several kinds of scale insects that for the most part don’t look like recognizable insects at all. Many are easily overlooked until populations are already high and some can be difficult to manage. A few are relatively new to the area, such as crape myrtle bark scale and Japanese maple scale. This presentation will cover some of the more familiar and troublesome kinds, some new species we’re seeing in landscapes and nurseries and management tactics.

4:15 – 4:30 Adjourn and Distribution of CEUs

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Fee

Walk-in fee is $100.

Location

Brookhaven National Laboratory
Berkner Hall
Upton, NY 11973

Last updated March 3, 2025