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Long Island Horticulture Conference

• Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM

At the forefront of Long Island horticulture for over 35 years...

We invite you to join us for the 36th 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 open.

Pre-registration fee is $85 per person. After February 26th, registration and walk-in fee is $100.

REAL or Enhanced ID or passport needed for entry into Brookhaven National Lab.

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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
Joyce Rodler, Bureau of Pesticides Management, NYS DEC Region 1

NYS DEC updates for ornamental horticulture.

9:30 – 10:30 Ticking Me Off: Identification, Ecology, and Management of Ticks on Long Island
Garrett Price, PhD., Turf & IPM Specialist, CCE-Suffolk

A practical overview of the major tick species impacting Long Island landscapes, including blacklegged, lone star, and American dog ticks. The session covers basic biology, host associations, disease concerns, and evidence-based strategies for reducing tick encounters.

10:30 – 10:45 SHORT BREAK with refreshments

10:45 – 11:45 Woody Plants Under Long-term Drought
Emma Shedd, PhD., Forest Science, Michigan Technological University

In the Northeast, droughts have become longer and more frequent over the past decade. This session will connect the “behind the scenes” physiological effects of drought stress to its visible impacts.

11:45 AM – 1:00 PM LUNCH

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TWO CONCURRENT AFTERNOON SESSIONS

RESILIENT LANDSCAPES SESSION

1:00 – 1:30 PM Disease-Resistant Plants: Your First Line of Defense
Nora Catlin, PhD., Senior Extension Associate, Cornell University

Using disease-resistant plants is one of the easiest and most effective strategies for reducing plant disease. In this presentation, learn what plant disease resistance really means, including the differences between immune, highly resistant, and resistant varieties.

1:30 – 2:00 Managing the Microbiome: How Root Microbes Influence Plant Productivity Today and Tomorrow
Emma Shedd, PhD., Forest Science, Michigan Technological University

While microbes are often associated with plant disease, soil bacteria and fungi are also essential partners in plant nutrition and productivity. In this talk, we will explore the main interactions between plants and root-associated microbes, examine how these relationships may bolster or undermine plant resilience under climate change, and discuss implications for land management decisions.

2:00 – 3:00 Seeding Ecosystems of the Future
Evelyn Beaury, PhD., Assistant Curator, New York Botanical Garden

Climate change is impacting the distribution of biodiversity across time and space. In this talk, Dr. Beaury discusses how climate change is affecting species distributions, and what types of organisms might be most likely to track their preferred temperature ranges and how gardens can help seed ecosystems of the future to support biodiversity-positive decisions in our green spaces.

3:00 – 3:15 SHORT BREAK with refreshments

3:15 – 4:15 Durable, Pest Resistant Shrubs and Trees for an Ever-changing Landscape
Vincent A. Simeone, Horticulture Director, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park

There are so many ornamental landscape plants that have been overused, misused, contracted unmanageable disease and insect issues or that have developed into invasive nightmares over the years. This lecture will review woody ornamental plants to avoid and those you should be planting.

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

DISEASE AND PEST UPDATES SESSION

1:00 – 2:00 PM Targeting Weed Seedbanks with Tailored Management (and Flame Weeding!)
Bryan Brown, PhD.,Integrated Weed Management Specialist, Cornell IPM

This presentation will provide an overview of Dr. Brown's current research comparing the weed seedbanks of 50 different farms and gardens across NY. He will also provide an overview of practical weed management techniques that he has recommended for each farm. He'll conclude with a discussion about flame weeding and provide examples of situations when it can make sense.

2:00 – 2:30 Lawn in Order: Alternative Management Strategies for White Grubs
Garrett Price, PhD., Turf & IPM Specialist, CCE-Suffolk

An overview of non-neonicotinoid options for managing white grub populations in turfgrass. We'll discuss how to identify the major grub species found in Long Island lawns, understand their life cycles, and recognize the windows when management is most effective.

2:30 – 3:00 Woody Plant Cankers and Wood Rots
Karen Lynn Snover-Clift, Director, Cornell Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic

This presentation will cover plant pathogens that produce cankers and rot wood. The speaker will review key characteristics that will lead plant disease investigators to the most likely cause of the damage and highlight symptoms on various host plants.

3:00 – 3:15 SHORT BREAK with refreshments

3:15 – 3:45Persistent Plant Plagues on LI
 Margery Daughtrey, PhD., Sr. Extension Associate, Cornell University

Margery will cover the identification and life story of Harringtonia lauricola (the laurel wilt fungus that’s suddenly attacking Long Island sassafras). She’ll discuss IPM for the foliar pathogens that troubled LI trees and shrubs in 2025, such as rusts, anthracnose and Septoria leaf spots. The research findings on the biology and control of beech leaf disease will also be summarized.

3:45 – 4:15 Sorry to Bug You, But…. The New Year for Landscape Pests
Dan Gilrein, Extension Entomologist, CCE-Suffolk

Aphids, adelgids, whiteflies, scale insects, leafhoppers, planthoppers: related insects causing more trouble for landscape plants - and people - recently. This presentation will cover these and other characters we’re encountering, including some new to the area, and what might be done to manage them. The presentation will be 30 minutes including time for Q & A.

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

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Fee

Pre-registration fee is $85 per person. After February 26th, registration and walk-in fee is $100.

Register

http://weblink.donorperfect.com/LIHC2026

Location

Brookhaven National Laboratory
Science and User Support Center
Upton, New York 119733

Last updated January 15, 2026