2026 PPA National Symposium

Michigan is central in the Great Lakes region and stretches over broad climate and vegetation zones from Eastern Deciduous Forest to Boreal Forest. But this only tells a small part of the story of Michigan’s botanical richness. For example, although Michigan is largely forested, most native upland plants in the flora are not plants of forest understories. Many of the habitats that make Michigan and the Great Lakes region special are open, sunny habitats including dunes, Great Lakes shorelines, rock & sand Barrens, prairies, and prairie openings in open woodland. In these small areas of open habitats occur a substantial proportion of our flora, and many of our rarest plant. Most especially, Great Lakes region endemics (plants found nowhere else except the Great Lakes region), are almost entirely in these open habitats, their evolution presenting interesting problems. Another group of species again almost entirely confined to the northern Great Lakes shores, especially Lake Superior, are plants occurring as rare outliers from their continuous distribution in subarctic and arctic habitats far to the north. These are species that became stranded in special microsites, surviving in these special sites as the flora and vegetation changed around them. Conversely, in the southwest of Michigan occurred a plant community, once extensive, now almost extinct in Michigan – eastern outliers of tall grass prairie, which community especially is a source of many favorite cultivated plants.

Landscape architect and principal of InSite Design Studio Shannan Gibb-Randall has been designing with native plants for over 28 years and has been working towards the sweet spot of design to honor both human and ecological needs. She will share her journey of many hard-won lessons and guidance so that others can engage more deeply with native plant design with success.

Get the scoop on new introductions from the following companies:

• Plants Nouveau, LLC
• Walters Gardens
• Terra Nova Nurseries Inc
• Pacific Plug & Liner
• Darwin Perennials
• McHutchison
• DeVroomen Garden Products
• Emerald Coast Growers
• Hortech
• PanAmerican Seed

Gardens are not static compositions — they are living systems shaped by time. This talk explores how designing with layered planting, seasonal succession and ecological awareness creates landscapes that grow richer, more resilient and more immersive each year.

Through a range of residential and experimental landscapes, we examine how matrix planting systems, multi-stem trees and carefully composed pathways establish structure while allowing dynamic plant communities to thrive. Lawns give way to biodiverse perennial layers, while microclimates are shaped through canopy, enclosure, planting density, material choices and gentle changes in level. Gravel, steel, water and terracotta interact with planting to build depth and textural contrast.

By embracing self-seeding, habitat creation and year-round interest — from winter scent to late-season seedheads — these landscapes are conceived as evolving ecological tapestries rather than fixed compositions.

 This lecture invites a shift in perspective: to see landscape as a long-term, living framework — where time, texture and ecology are fundamental to creating meaningful and enduring design.

Apiary Studio is driven by the challenge of giving disused spaces and recycled materials a second life through thoughtful craft and experimentation. Despite being in business for more than a decade, we find that we are still figuring out who we are, and that our portfolio of built work serves as a physical manifestation of our evolving ideas about design. This presentation will focus on how our daily confrontation with waste and excess in construction has informed our values around affordability and sustainability, as well as our commitment to ensuring that all of our projects are both good and weird.

In this talk, Dr. Lopez will highlight how light quality, intensity, and duration can be strategically managed to control flowering time and plant height in herbaceous perennials. Attendees will learn the latest behind spectral manipulation, and how these factors interact with temperature and plant genetics. Practical examples will demonstrate how growers can use LEDs to improve crop uniformity, reduce chemical growth regulator use, and hit market windows more precisely. The session will translate MSU research into actionable production strategies, helping perennial producers optimize growth, flowering consistency, and overall crop quality while improving sustainability and profitability goals.

Together with partners, PHS helps to build beauty in key public spaces across Philadelphia by managing landscapes and gardens using environmentally and ecologically responsible methods, plants and approaches. Join Andrew Bunting, PHS’s Vice President of Horticulture, for a deep dive into how PHS designs and maintains some of Philadelphia’s most iconic gardens including the  Logan Square’s Swann Memorial Fountain, The Rodin Museum, The Navy Yard, Eastern State Penitentiary, the campus of Subaru of America and the innovative work at Meadowbrook Farm as well as others all while using sustainable practices.

This session brings together two unique services from MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics: plant identification and herbicide injury diagnosis. Smartphones can be powerful tools for plant ID—but when should you trust plant identification apps, and when should you be cautious? After eight years of reviewing these technologies, we’ll share the essential “dos and don’ts.” In addition, we’ll showcase real-life examples of herbicide injury to help you protect your crops and ask the right questions when problems arise.

Pollinator gardens are a hot garden design concept. But what does this really entail and how do you get designers, suppliers, organizations, and consumers all working together to create these places? From my first small pollinator garden design in 1995, to working on a grant with the Ohio State University and the University of Michigan for the past two years and creating templates for pollinator gardens across the state of Ohio, a lot has changed. Collaboration, connection, and a different aesthetic are essential for creating and managing these gardens. Let’s talk…

Biostimulants can be used to promote plant growth and enhance stress tolerance, but do these products do all that they claim? What type of biostimulants are available and what should you consider before choosing a product? In this seminar you will learn about the types of biostimulants and how their efficacy may be affected by growing environment, substrate properties, plant species, and fertilizer applications. Learn about successes, challenges, and the importance of conducting in-house trials.

Refugia Design, based in Greater Philadelphia since 2015, embraces the ethos of designing landscapes that support native ecosystems to create biological corridors of refuge for plants, people and wildlife. Join founder Jeff Lorenz and Sarah Leaskey (RLA) to learn more about their award-winning design-build-stewardship approach and the potential for high impact, low input landscapes in building connectivity, restoring natural systems and growing ecological literacy in neighborhoods. Passionate about planting a new paradigm and educational opportunities that pique curiosity, find out how an awareness of sound, movement, responsibly sourced materials and the built environment can create immersive, expansive outdoor spaces in which to explore, learn and unwind.

As climate conditions grow more challenging, gardens must do more than look good—they must function with less, adapt over time, and support the complex web of life that’s still around us. In this lecture, Jeff Epping explores how herbaceous perennials, combined with trees and shrubs, form the foundation of living landscapes that balance beauty, adaptability, and ecological performance.

His presentation examines how perennials are integrated into mixed borders, naturalistic meadows, and gravel gardens to create landscapes that thrive with limited irrigation and reduced chemical and energy inputs. Examples are drawn from residential, municipal, and commercial projects he designed and consulted on throughout southern Wisconsin, including his work with the City of Madison and healthcare giant Epic Systems.

Rather than viewing gardens as static compositions, this session frames landscapes as living systems designed to evolve. Attendees will gain insight into how perennials can serve as long-term design partners—creating resilient, responsive gardens capable of thriving amid climatic uncertainty.