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Living Landscapes Conference

• Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 7:30 AM - 4:15 PM

Understanding the Ecological Benefits of Ornamental Horticulture

This full-day, in-person workshop explores the beauty of designed landscapes while emphasizing their ecological role.

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Online registration is OPEN. Attendance fee is $85.

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Agenda:

7:30 AM – 8:15 AM - Sign-in. Light breakfast provided.

8:15–8:30 AM - Welcome and Announcements

Mina Vescera, CCE Suffolk, and Vinnie Simeone, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park

8:30 – 9:30 AM - When Creating Habitat, Should High-Planting Density be the Standard?

Frank Piccininni , President, Spadefoot Design and Construction

Diversity and Resilience are key elements of stable, thriving habitats. This presentation will review the Miyawaki Forest Method of creating ecologically diverse landscapes and urban forests. This method maximizes diversity of plantings using a high-density planting model meant to transform traditional landscapes into beautiful, high-functioning, ecologically rich ecoscapes. Frank will review some of his own installations on Long Island, discuss challenges, and provide tips for successful installation and establishment.

9:30 – 10:30 AM - An Ecological Approach to Monitoring the Success of a Native Planting

Heather Coste, Director of Ecological Sustainability, Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood

How do you measure the success of a native plant installation? These semi-wild plantings are more than a garden, but not quite a restoration. This 1-hr presentation will review an ecological approach to measuring if the intended native plant community is becoming high-quality habitat for wildlife or if it needs further guidance to thrive on its own. Termed coefficients of conservatism, this numerical rating system is a plant-based way to monitor the success of an installed native plant community over time with the goal of self-sufficiency.

10:30 – 11:00 AM - Stretch/Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:00 PM - Revisiting Pollinator Conservation in Managed Landscapes

Kelly Gill, Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Xerces Society & Partner Biologist, USDA NRCS, East Region

The value of conserving and protecting biodiversity is not limited to large acreages like nature preserves. As our landscapes continue to be altered by human land use, development, climate change, and many other factors, we are losing habitats that support diverse plant and animal communities that are vital for maintaining natural resources and ecological services that wildlife and humans mutually benefit from and need to survive. Planting diverse habitats for pollinators can help bring essential biodiversity back to the landscape to help bees, butterflies, and other beneficial invertebrates, many of which are in decline. Biodiverse landscapes have numerous ecological benefits beyond pollinator conservation, such as improving habitat value and connectivity for other species, creating wildlife corridors and refuge, and integrating climate-smart planting practices that improve resilience of our cities and towns by buffering impacts of severe weather events and reducing urban heat island effects. These elements do not preclude the importance of aesthetics and can be incorporated into landscapes along with other design and planning priorities.

12:00 – 1:00 PM - Lunch included with registration

1:00 – 2:15 PM - Appreciating Planting Fields Arboretum Walking Tour

Celebrate fall in the Arboretum by exploring on your own or join Vinnie Simeone on a tour of one of the collections.

2:15 – 3:15  PM - If You Plant It, They Will Come

Jared Dyer, Entomology Specialist, CCE-Suffolk

What happens when you swap lawns and exotic ornamentals for native plants and natural structures? An incredible cast of six- and eight-legged characters begins to arrive; pollinators, predators, decomposers, and more. Some are beautiful, some are bizarre, and some might even be mistaken for pests. This talk dives into the surprising and sometimes overlooked insects and arthropods that appear when we rewild our yards and grow with nature in mind. Learn how to recognize their presence, understand their roles, and coexist with these new, arthropod neighbors.

3:15 - 3:30 PM Coffee Break

3:30 – 4:00 PM - Preempting the Loss of Trees from Storms

Dr. Mysha Clarke, Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Trees across our communities collectively create our urban forests. Pressure from pests and challenging environmental conditions have taken their toll. Now, storms with increasing intensity have become a major concern. Dr. Clarke will present on research she conducted that investigated perceptions and barriers when managing urban trees through storms.

4:00 – 4:15 PM - Closing Comments & Distribution of CEUs

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Fee

$85 per person. After October 13th, registration fee is $100. No refunds after October 15, 2025.

Register

http://weblink.donorperfect.com/LivingLandscapes2025

Location

Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park
1395 Planting Fields Road
Oyster Bay, New York 11771

Last updated August 29, 2025