Name: Winter Symposium and CVNLA Short Course
Start: 2026-02-11T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-13T16:00:00-05:00

Winter Symposium
& CVNLA SHORT COURSE

Growing Wellness: Plants, People and a Thriving Planet

Explore how gardens—from intimate personal spaces to expansive public landscapes—can heal individuals, strengthen communities, and support a healthier planet. Learn how thoughtful design, inclusive access, sustainable plant choices, and a willingness to embrace imperfection all contribute to resilient landscapes and resilient people. Gardeners have the profound power to become catalysts for wellness, connection and ecological restoration through our approach to planting, design and the creation of shared greenspaces.

Join us on Wednesday, February 11 and Thursday, February 12 to hear from regional and international experts including Juliet Sargeant (Juliet Sargeant Gardens and Landscapes), Hoichi and Michi Kurisu (Kurisu, LLC), Daria McKelvey (Missouri Botanical Garden), Shelly Barrick Parsons (Capital Trees), Natalie Carmolli (Proven Winners® ColorChoice®), Dr. Glynn Percival (Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory), Becca Amos (WHOA Behavioral Health), Lea Purdy (Resource Environmental Solutions), Preston Montague and more.

In-Person Tickets:

$100/day or $180 for a 2-day ticket.

In-person tickets include a light breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and all-day hot beverage service.

Virtual Tickets:

$55/day or $100 for a 2-day ticket.

Virtual tickets include access to recorded presentations for a limited time.

Event Details

The 2026 Winter Symposium & CVNLA Short Course is a three-day event presented by Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Central Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association and Virginia Cooperative Extension. Tickets can be purchased for one, two or all three days; attendees will receive a discount for attending both Days 1 and 2. Tickets for Day 3: Pesticide Recertification must be purchased separately.

Wednesday and Thursday are hybrid events with an opportunity to purchase in-person or virtual tickets. Come in person to meet the speakers, greet old friends and make new ones—or join virtually from the comfort of your home or office. Friday’s Pesticide Recertification Day requires in-person attendance.

Net proceeds from Thursday and Friday help build CVNLA’s scholarship fund for students pursuing horticultural careers.

2026 WINTER SYMPOSIUM IN-PERSON SCHEDULE

DAY 1: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2026

8:30 am: Doors open, coffee service for in-person attendees
9:00 am: Welcome address
9:10 am: Juliet Sargeant – Earth & Gardener: A Healing Symbiosis
10:20 am: Hoichi and Michiko Kurisu – An Evolution of Purpose: Japanese Gardens as Healing Spaces
11:30 am: Shelly Barrick Parsons – Walk Two Parks and Call Me in the Morning: the Essential Role of Public Greenspace in Healing
12:30 pm: Lunch, networking, book sales & signings
1:45 pm: Daria McKelvey – Keeping Calm and Gardening On: Embracing Gardening’s Challenges
2:45 pm: Break with snacks
3:00 pm: Natalie Carmolli – Shrubs with Purpose: From Innovation to Inspiration
4:00 pm: Adjourn

View the full Day 1 Program with Speaker Bios

DAY 2: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2026

8:30 am: Doors open, coffee service for in-person attendees
9:00 am: Welcome address
9:10 am: Dr. Glynn Percival – It’s Getting Hot in Here: Tree Selection and Mitigation Strategies in the Face of Climate Change
10:20 am: Becca Amos – Everybody’s Right to Beautiful Things: Horticulture Therapy in the Carceral Space
11:20 am: Lunch, networking, book sales & signings
12:30 pm: Leah Purdy – Habitat for Native Beneficial Insects
1:40 pm: Preston Montague – Towards Ecosystem Service Potential: A Framework for Decision-Making in the Garden
2:40 pm: Break with snacks
2:55 pm: Lynn R. Batdorf – Knowing and Growing Boxwood
3:55 pm: Adjourn

View the full Day 2 Program with Speaker Bios

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS

Continuing Education Credits will be confirmed in mid-January.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Winter Symposium& CVNLA SHORT COURSE