2026 GARDENING SHOW SPEAKERS

We are pleased to announce these speakers and topics for our 20th Annual Gardening Show.

We are so grateful and thrilled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our annual Gardening Show! In keeping with our mission, we are offering a diverse range of speakers and topics with hope they will inspire and motivate you as we look forward to Spring and growing together! It is our pleasure to announce the following series and to enthusiastically welcome you to the show!

SEMINARS

9:00 a.m.

The Ultimate Guide to Hydrangea Happiness

Unlock the magic of hydrangeas and turn your garden into a showstopper. In this fun and informative lecture, we will solve the most common hydrangea mysteries. You will learn how to choose the perfect plant, the “when and how” of pruning for maximum flowers, and the differences between varieties. You will leave with the confidence to grow lush, healthy, and stunning hydrangeas, all while creating the garden combinations of your dreams.

Wayne Gruber

Award-winning Horticulturist and Seasoned Educator

10:30 a.m.

Rewild Your Home: Exploring the Amazing surprises Associated with Native Plants

Explore the hidden world that native flora creates right in our own backyards. We'll go beyond the familiar butterflies and bees to discover the critical roles of insect associates often overlooked such as moths, flies, and wasps. By journeying through these species, you will discover how all life is connected, hopefully gaining a new perspective on your open space.

Nathanael Pilla

Author, Teacher, Botanist, and Ecologist

12:00 noon
Monarch Conservation and the Critical Role of Milkweed and How You Can Help
Learn about the distinct and amazing qualities of Monarch butterflies, their annual migration of nearly 3,000 miles, and their specialized relationship with Milkweed that is crucial to their survival. Jim invites all attendees to do their part to help preserve this unique creature. Attendees are invited to become Citizen Scientists for the Monarch.
Jim Starin
Professional Marketer, Business Entrepreneur and Executive at CoAction

1:30 p.m.
Wake Up from Winter with a Preview of Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs

In the middle of Winter, we all need inspiring images and encouraging information to get us through the last of the wind, snow and ice. Jennifer Brennan, horticulturist, will share her enthusiasm for the beautiful Spring flowering trees and shrubs that will start cheering us up as early as March. Enjoy the "show" and make a list of the ones that you want to add to your landscape.
Jennifer Brennan

Horticulture Information Specialist at Chalet Home and Garden

SPEAKER BIOS

WAYNE GRUBER

An award-winning horticulturist and seasoned educator, Wayne Gruber has spent over four decades contributing significantly to the green industry. His career spans diverse roles, including designer, retailer, and national speaker, all built upon a foundation of a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University. In 2001, Wayne’s vision led to the creation of Gardens on the Prairie, an endeavor that was twice honored with the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association Garden Center Green Excellence Award. After merging his business with Niemeyer Landscape Supply, he now manages its green center in Crown Point, continuing his legacy of excellence. In recognition of his lasting impact on the field, Wayne received the prestigious Award of Merit from the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association in 2022.

NATHANAEL PILLA

Nathanael is an author, teacher, botanist, and ecologist based in the Chicago region. He is the founder of Midwest Biological Survey, LLC. and the host of the educational YouTube channel, Botany and Beer. Nathanael dedicates his time to increasing ecological literacy through community education, biological surveys across the Midwest, and taxonomic research. His written work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Great Lakes Botanist, JBRIT, and Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science. He is also the co-author of the book Wildflowers of the Indiana Dunes National Park, published by Indiana University Press.

JIM STARIN

Jim Starin is a retired professional, having earned respect as a successful business entrepreneur and leader. He launched Starin Marketing in 1988, an Audio-Visual Equipment distributor across North America. After 30 years as its CEO, he sold it to his employees and began looking for different opportunities to bring that same energy and passion. Jim has accomplished that with his role on the executive team at CoAction, a community action agency serving approximately 50,000 people, and in his primary focus of gardening, educating and campaigning for the conservation of the Monarch butterfly.

JENNIFER BRENNAN

Jennifer Brennan is a Horticulture Information Specialist at Chalet Home & Garden in Wilmette, Illinois. A 32-year veteran staff horticulturalist at Chalet Nursery, she was responsible for sales in nursery stock, perennials, annuals and related gardening products. Brennan has spent 7 years as a continuing education instructor at the Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG) teaching courses in groundcovers, vines, perennials, container gardening, herbs, bulbs and gardening with children, as well as 4 years as a staff horticulturist in the Plant Information Office at CBG.

Known to Chicago area viewers for 20 years as the horticulture expert for the ABC Chicago Ch7 Morning News with weather anchor, Tracy Butler, Brennan is a frequent speaker at meetings of the Perennial Plant Association (PPA), past president of the PPA and recipient of its 2009 Garden Media Award. She earned a B.S. Degree in Ornamental Horticulture with a minor in botany from the University of Illinois where she learned woody plant materials from Dr. Michael Dirr.

DEMONSTRATIONS

10:00 a.m.

Dried Flowers for the Home Gardener

With a variety of colors, textures, and shapes, dried flowers are the perfect way to bring an everlasting version of your garden into your home for any season. Learn what common garden plants to dry, best practices for flower drying, and tips for making your own dried flower arrangements.

Emma Bilbrey

Owner Hickory Hills Farm

11:30 a.m.

Winter Sowing Demonstration
Winter Sowing Demonstration: Learn how to start seeds over the winter outdoors using recycled containers like milk jugs. Winter Sowing is an effective method of starting seeds that results in high germination and stout strong seedlings in spring.

Dolly Foster
Horticulture Program Assistant for the Purdue Extension Lake County and Certified Arborist

1:00 p.m.
One Cutting, Countless Connections: Plant Propagation with Purpose
Learn how simple techniques can lead to lasting impact. This hands-on demonstration will cover the fundamentals of stem tip and leaf cuttings, equipping participants with practical skills to grow and share plants. This session highlights how sharing cuttings can expand horticultural education, strengthen community outreach, and inspire others to grow.
Karen Mitchell
Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist at Purdue University

SPEAKER BIOS

EMMA BILBREY

Emma Bilbrey is a cut flower farmer based in Valparaiso, IN. Hickory Hills Flower Farm is 2 acres of predominantly annual cut flowers entering its 7th season selling to florists in NWI and Chicago as well as to the NWI community at weekly u-picks, the Valparaiso Market, and bulk bucket orders. Emma's background is in botany and horticulture with a biology degree from Union University in Jackson, TN, and a masters in Horticulture & Crop Science at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Her passion is to celebrate nature's beauty and steward the land well by using sustainable practices.

DOLLY FOSTER

Dolly Foster, Horticulture Program Assistant for the Purdue Extension Lake County, has been a Horticulturist for 26 years. A Certified Arborist since 2008, she holds a Master’s in Agriculture from University of Illinois. For the past 26 years, Dolly has been presenting lectures on many gardening topics. She spent two years as adjunct faculty at Joliet Junior College Agriculture/ Horticulture Department and 18 years in the Parks and Recreation industry. She has been doing Butterfly Gardening from the very beginning of her gardening career. Her passion has led her to raise monarchs and swallowtail butterflies for 18 years. Her garden at home has been at Monarch Waystation since 2011. Dolly also runs a micro plant nursery at her home selling native plants exclusively for pollinators June-October. She sells from her home by appointment

KAREN MITCHELL

Karen Mitchell is the Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist at Purdue University. Her passion for plants led her to earn degrees in Horticulture and Botany, both from Purdue. She began her career as a County Extension Educator in Tippecanoe County, supporting local horticulture education. Now based on Purdue's campus, she leads statewide Extension programs focused on community gardens and home horticulture, helping gardeners across Indiana grow sustainable landscapes.