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Ed Lyon Presentations & Speaking Engagements

(Modifications can be made for both public and professional audiences)

New Plants, Reality and Promise: Why Doesn't Mine Look like the Catalog Picture?

Why doesn't my plant look like it does in the catalog! This is a common complaint and there are many points to consider when purchasing a plant you expect to look as it does from its marketing piece. Ed Lyon will discuss marketing related issues as well as the results of a record setting plant releases without adequate trialing. Sprinkled in will be other issues including the continuing challenges with plant names, new trends and gardening tidbits on things to expect in the future. The talk will be backed up with real plants photographed in both the Midwest and other areas of the country contrasted with their marketing images. If your plant doesn't look like the photograph in the catalog, it may not be because you did something wrong or were a poor gardener - come see why!

Changing Trends: Ornamental Edibles, New Audiences and More

Ed Lyon is a gardener on the tail end of the baby boomer generation. He has been addressing audiences in recent changes in gardening as America’s number one recreational activity, which peaked in 2005 and has been declining since. English perennial borders, manicured lawns, extravagant water features and intensive gardening are on their way out. Who are the generations replacing the old guard gardeners and what incites them to home landscaping? What are ornamental edibles, what are lasagna and square-foot gardening, is sustainability a catch-all phrase, are native plants always better than exotic, what are these new “gravel gardens”, how can a homeowner not interested in perennial beds maximize fresh, safe, organic produce? At Allen Centennial Gardens, Ed has started looking at these questions and issues and incorporating them into a public garden setting as part of the mission to be an outdoor classroom. He will explain a number of new trends and what people are doing around the country to incorporate them into their home landscapes.

The Sinister Garden: Wicked, Wicked Plants

Romantic legends, histories and wild superstitions surround many of our favorite wildflowers, herbs and ornamental plants. Many have poisonous properties, many have medicinal. Many are medicinal in small quantity and poisonous in larger. Myths such as poinsettia being toxic still persist whereas the highly toxic nature of the heavily planted yew (seed) remains fairly unknown. Throughout human history, trial and error by both animals and human beings has determined which plants are safe, which are lethal, which are medicinal and which are somewhere in between. For example, did you know that the African staple, cassava, must be thoroughly boiled and soaked to separate it from its poisonous compound, cyanide? Even the humble lima bean has been bred to contain less cyanide. In small quantities digitalis (foxglove) jump-starts a heart; in fiction, its homicidal use has appeared in the writings of Mary Webb, Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. Cherries, potatoes, peaches and apple seeds are all toxic; eat enough apple seed and it will prove fatal. You may be surprised to find out the incredibly lethal plants often hanging around the neighborhood park, lurking in your perennial garden or as table centerpiece!

The Front Lawn Challenge: Taking a New Look at an Old Space

Over time, traditional home landscapes have become smaller. Trends in gardening and interests in plant usage have changed. Homeowners have become concerned about the locality, safety and quality of their food. Recent research is showing that America’s love affair with the lawn, regardless of their regionalism, is “killing” soils, depleting resources, polluting the environment and creating social barriers within their neighborhoods. Whether it is the resurgence of interest in home grown produce in an almost “return to the Victory Garden” awareness, a desire to become more ecologically responsible, a passion make the garden as relevant in the front of the house as in back, many homeowners having been re-examining the use of their front lawn and even their boulevards and terraces. Ed Lyon’s small Main Street front yard and terrace are a garden that brought home lessons beyond the love of gardening that he will pass on to you by examining the issues and showing you a plethora of examples of other Midwest gardeners who have converted front yard spaces for a variety of reasons.

Ornamental Edibles: Gardening with Plants both Decorative and Functional

There has been a resurgent interest in plants as harvest, whether it is concern for food safety, locality of produce, renewed interest in heirloom flavors, the duality of purpose when gardening in small spaces, cost of quality foodstuffs or other reasons. In the past, only ornamental plants were selected for interesting modifications in form, texture, shape and color – in other words decoration – and herbs and vegetables were bred for yield only. Today there are a plethora of exciting cultivars of plants that are not only decorative but all or part are edible! Ed Lyon created an Ornamental Edibles theme for Allen Centennial gardens in 2009 and the public reaction was excitement in discovering new ways to use plant materials in design. This presentation will show ornamental edibles used in a variety of ways in gardens, public and private, across the country. Come be inspired!

Natural Beauty?

“Sustainable”. “Native”. Trendy buzzwords among gardeners and non-gardeners alike, as well as the green industry. So much so that “ornamental” or “exotic” have developed negative connotations. But what does native mean? What makes a plant native? Are native plants always the best choices in a home landscape? Is the urban landscape the same as the rural landscape? Can good plants go bad? Ed Lyon draws from his experience as gardener, horticulturist, public garden administrator, designer, writer and consultant to dispel myths and demonstrate the differences in both plants and gardens. What might work in one setting may become a nightmare in another. Learn plant traits and how to combine the best of all choices for maximum effect and minimal worry.

Botany for Gardeners

New to gardening but intimidated by the jargon? Botany is the science of plants, horticulture is the science of growing and propagating plants. Basic knowledge of both will make you feel more secure, from buying plants at the garden center to knowing the “hows and whys” plants need to thrive. It doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact, plants are quite fascinating and after this presentation, plant naming will be simplified and you’ll relate some critical plant functions to gardening. Ed Lyon will send you home with some simple, easy to remember tips and hints that make science fun and easy.

Color in the Garden

Color is one of the most powerful tools in garden design. Use it properly and you can create a multitude of effects, from tranquility and serenity to a riotous feast for the eyes. Effective garden designs don’t occur by random plantings; they are the results of inspiration combined with a knowledge of color. Do you know most of our knowledge of color is based on paint and printing? Would it surprise you to learn that color in the garden is based on the color we see and visual color differs from the artist’s palette? This is a technical presentation where Ed Lyon will explain why color may not be as it seems. You’ll go home having learned how to assess a garden for color design, how light, texture, and point of view effect color, and how to make beautiful color combinations.

Color & Plant Combinations

Frustrated by plant color combinations gleaned from books that just don’t work in your garden? Plant combinations include considerations improve on the frustrating task of finding perennials that provide bloom throughout the season. This presentation takes you beyond flowers to all elements of plant combinations that will present more pleasing visual interest all year. Join Ed Lyon as he shows you plant combinations you know will work because they are from the Midwest. He’ll also show you how to look beyond the bloom to the “bigger picture”.

Clutter, Chaos or Class: Using Creativity Effectively in Garden Design

Says Ed Lyon “I have an avid gardener friend who is so proud of a garden the rest of us call ‘eclectic’. Beware, that’s a kind way of saying ‘cluttered mess’”. Garden non-plant ornamentation can add visual interest and livability to a garden design but where is the line between kitsch and class? This becomes even more critical today as homeowners are designing outdoor living and entertainment areas rather than just gardens. Ed has had the opportunity to visit public and private gardens across the US and will use real-life examples to demonstrate adding panache while avoiding clutter and chaos.

The Root of the Matter: Quality Soils Made Easy

Few subjects seem as “dry” as soils but few are nearly as important to the success of your garden landscape. Ed Lyon takes the scientific jargon out of this subject matter and guarantees you’ll learn information in this class that will amaze you and make your gardening efforts easier and more successful. In every class, the most common student comment is “Why hasn’t anyone told me this before?” If you are currently experiencing problems, you’ll learn why and what to do; if you’re just beginning, you’ll learn pitfalls and misconceptions you can avoid. Don’t put a plant in the ground until you understand how important the soil is to success.

Small in Size, Not Stature: Dwarf Conifers

One of the least known and underappreciated groups of ornamental plants is the dwarf conifer. The general public has no idea that not hundreds, but thousands, of cultivars ranging from growth of less than an inch per year to over a foot a year are included in this group and provide some of the best range of color, form, texture, shape, and 4-season interest of any plant group. Ed Lyon helped manage a specialty nursery specializing in dwarf conifers for nearly 10 years and writes professionally for public and industry. He will show you what makes a conifer “dwarf”, explain the American Conifer Society size and growth rate designations and demonstrate what causes the enormous range of forms, colors, textures, sizes, etc. among a relatively few genera.

Creepers: Groundcovers and Vines for Gardeners

One of the least known plant groups is the groundcovers and vines. This ubiquitous group is so useful for many applications where other perennials just won’t fit. It may seem unusual to combine climbing plants with groundcovers but, without support, many vines are groundcovers! This group of climbers, spreaders, and trailers is much larger than you might think and there is a wide range of cultivars within many of the species. Ed Lyon will help you explore possibilities for a wide range of situations to help fill those empty problem spaces as well as incorporating them into the overall ornamental impact of your garden design.

Go Native: Trees and Shrubs for the Home Landscape

It is easy for gardeners to get so caught up in the excitement of ornamentals that they forget the value of outstanding native trees and shrubs. With recent concerns about invasive species, pests and diseases, and a growing interest in attracting wildlife and insects, many homeowners and landscapers are looking to natives to either incorporate with ornamentals or create entirely naturalistic landscapes. However, cultural conditions of the modern home site may have been altered in such a way as to prevent the same healthy growth these species would find in natural sites. Ed Lyon will address such questions as why paperbark birch is a “suicide tree”, why do sugar maples fail to thrive in the urban lot, just how serious is the toxicity from black walnuts and why it makes an ideal lawn shade tree, which native plants can still be invasives, and many other specifics. We’ll include the solutions as well!

Stunning Plants for Dazzling Effects

A current trend in garden design is called “mixed-usage”. In the past, herbs were relegated to the herb garden, vegetables to the vegetable garden, perennials to the border…you get the picture. With decreased home garden size and the explosion of interest in container garden, we are now setting ourselves free from past boundaries and restrictions and creating combinations with colorful riotous effect. Annuals, perennials, tropicals, edibles – even trees and shrubs, you won’t look plant combinations the same again. In this presentation, Ed Lyon will showing you stunning, dazzling plant combinations and the plants that create them.

Variety of Variegation, Power of Purple and Glory of Gold

Have you noticed the “explosion” in availability of color-foliaged plants? Propagators with keen eyes know the appeal of vivid color to gardeners and are releasing more and more new cultivars as fast as they can discover them. The most popular colors on the market today are variegations, golds, and purples. Colored foliage serves many purposes in garden design and has expanded the appeal of some plants previously considered only single-season interest. Ed Lyon will explain what causes variegation and other foliage colors and how it affects cultural considerations; then you’ll explore the vast selection of plants available. Panache and Pizzazz, you can have it all!

Foolproof Plants for the Weekend Warrior

Not everyone wants to spend a great deal of time “fussing” in the garden. Low maintenance gardening is a hot topic. Low labor requirements in planting and dividing, minimal fertilization and watering, winter hardiness and non-invasive growth are some of the issues that define low maintenance but do are disease and insect resistance, shade tolerance, and rodent and deer resistance. This presentation is for the busy homeowner who wants more than the standard spirea and yew landscape yet hasn’t the time to muss and fuss. Ed Lyon will introduce you to plants, from trees and shrubs to perennials, that are tough as nails as well as those you might want to avoid.

Garden Plant Architecture: Grasses, Sedges, Rushes and Flags

Few plant groups have generated more interest in the past ten years than the ornamental grasses. Versatile and tough, they provide four-season interest and architectural interest to garden designs in an enormous range of sizes, shapes, and textures. However, they can be limited to sunny, dry sites; expand this strong plant architectural element into shade and moist areas with the sedges, rushes and flags and adds the interest of additional color and texture. Ed Lyon will present you with a comprehensive demonstration of all of the “grass-like” plants available; there are new cultivars of each being offered annually, come see what they can add to your design.

Rock Gardens and the Plants for the Beginner

The term “rock garden” can take on many facets depending on how it is used. In the strictest sense, it is used to describe gardens representative of alpine regions, where purists attempt to grow sensitive alpine plants out of their natural element. In the broadest sense, it can be any garden planted among rocks. In any case, most of the time it does involve dwarf and miniature plants, opening up a whole new plant palette. Ed Lyon, who has been rock gardening for a number of years, will tackle rock gardening for the beginner, showing variations in the middle that may work for you. The class will also deal with container rock gardens, such as troughs. Whether you are looking to expand your garden horizon to include miniature landscapes, are looking for ways to garden in restricted space, want to learn more about dwarf and miniature plants, or simply love gardening with rock as a focus, you’ll find what you are looking for here.

Innovative Inspirations from American Gardens

How many times have you walked into someone’s garden and marveled over the creative use of plants and thought, “I wish I had thought of that!” Experienced gardeners will tell you that many of their innovative ideas come from others. A busy schedule might keep you from gleaning inspiration from personal visits so attend this presentation to view ideas from gardens around the country in one sitting. Ed Lyon visits many gardens and has been fascinated with the ingenious innovations in landscape design he’s photographed. Both design and plant based ideas will be shown from around the country, gardens both public and private. You may find the answer to that problem area; let the creativity of others inspire you!

Faded Glory: The Autumn Garden

A recent trend in garden design has been interest in the “Autumn Garden”. This is partly because the floral displays we plant in the Midwest for stunning spring and summer effect fade and wither away at the first kiss of frost. Our yards then become useless as extensions of our home with no visual interest through our long winter season. Ed Lyon (director, Allen Centennial Gardens and Proprietor, Spellbound Garden Writing & Consultation) has also become discouraged with the recent trend in the "winter garden" that he feels has been focused primarily on one group of plants, namely ornamental grasses, which he feels produces the "dead grass garden". Since the Autumn Garden leads directly into the Winter Garden, a focus on fall will punch up winter. Neither autumn nor winter need to be dreary; there are more ways to "punch up" autumn than with mums. Ed will demonstrate plants ranging from annual to perennial to woody that not only define and create a spectacular fall garden, but will extend winter interest as well. If your autumn garden has the drabs, find out how to jazz it up!

For The Love of Trees

Utilitarian. Inspirational. In our garden landscapes trees are both. In this presentation, Ed Lyon combines both. There has been so much conflicting information on planting and maintenance of trees and shrubs and it is difficult for the homeowner to keep up with what is correct and how to keep these investments healthy and thriving. Current research may surprise you and defy many misconceptions. We’ll discuss mulching, planting, maintenance, watering, fertilization, pruning, and other issues and intersperse these topics with stunning visuals that remind us why trees inspire.

Made-In-the-Shade: Shade Garden Design Elements

A move to a new home 8 years ago forced speaker Ed Lyon from a sun-plant gardener into a shade activist; learn from his experience! The problem with a maturing home landscape is that all of those gorgeous trees you have been nurturing to their magnificent adult size are now diminishing those full-sun perennial beds! Don’t despair; shade gardening is more than hostas and astilbes; the plant palette is much more expansive than many people realize. In addition, shade opens up entirely different garden uses and sensations that balance sun inspired areas. This presentation will address different types of shade gardens, cultural requirements, design elements, and maintenance considerations. Come learn why shade gardening is becoming a ‘hot’ topic!

Made-In-the-Shade II: The Perennial Plants

Shade got you down? Would you be pleased to know there is a large palette of plants that can provide beauty and interest to the shade garden all four seasons of the year? There are plants that “glow in the dark”, flowers than range from delicately diminutive to exotic, foliage that intrigues, forms for a winter garden, and textures to provide contrast. Shade opens up entirely different garden uses and sensations that balance the sun inspired areas. This presentation includes new plants and upcoming releases. Come learn why shade is ‘hot’!

How to Build/Improve a Successful Shade Garden

So many gardening presentations show you the "afters" with some "before" but rarely include the process. Ed Lyon built and developed a large shade garden in a nursery over 8 years . In 2007 he moved into town and turned the entire landscape of a Victorian home into a new shade garden. He photographed the process of both. In this presentation he shows you the entire process and talks about how to overcome the challenges of shade gardening whether you are building from scratch or improving existing. This talk is truly "how to"!

Stuck in the Middle! The Missed Middle Landscape

Do you have an established garden but feel a sense of incompletion: something is missing from an otherwise lovely landscape, leaving you with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction? Chances are you missed incorporating into your design the "middle layer" of plants-those plants that fall between the canopy and ground layers, prevalent in nature and at levels where our eyes focus most. A fun aspect of adding this layer is that it includes small-scale trees and shrubs that possess outstanding seasonal characteristics including bark, foliage, flowers, form and fruit. Expert Ed Lyon has recently been "teaching" landscapers and other green industry professionals about this important and expanded plant palette through a series of articles in American Nurseryman magazine. Join Ed in person in this visually stimulating presentation and learn first-hand about this important component of design, and the interesting and unique plants that fulfill it.

The New Garden: Foliage, Color and Texture

Garden design has been long-time based on flowers. It can be difficult for the Midwest gardener to achieve the same beauty for an entire season that gardeners in other regions take for granted. Perennials flower for a relatively short duration and staggering plants that insure interest all season can be challenging. The modern gardener looks beyond flowers to achieve interest in the garden for 4 seasons. This is done through examining and using plant form as well as color and texture using foliage, form, bark, etc. Not only do these factors provide multi-season interest, they work to tie the flowering elements together in a more visually interesting manner. In this presentation, Ed Lyon will show you design possibilities beyond flowers that will help you achieve a garden that not only provides year-long interest, but will provide fluidity through the seasons, generating additional interest.

Fantastic Ferns

One of the most elegant and useful plants in the outdoor landscape is the fern. Most gardeners don’t realize that there are an enormous variety of these ubiquitous plants in a myriad of sizes, forms, and textures. In recent years, there has been a virtual explosion of new selections and cultivars with no indication of slowing down soon. Selection goes well beyond ostrich and Christmas ferns! There are a number of mutations that provide fascinating deviations in frond shape; you will be amazed at the forms created. Ed Lyon has photographed and studied ferns useful for every landscape situation. Join him for a presentation that will expand your impressions of ferns in your garden design!

Designed as Day or Half Day Sessions:

A Day in the Shade

A move to a new home 12 years ago forced speaker Ed Lyon from a sun-plant gardener into a shade activist; learn from his experience! The problem with a maturing home landscape is that all of those gorgeous trees you have been nurturing to their magnificent adult size are now diminishing your full-sun perennial beds! Don’t despair; shade gardening is more than hostas and astilbes. Shade opens up entirely different garden uses and sensations that balance out the sun inspired areas. The options are expansive enough; in fact, we can spend an entire day on developing a “WOW” shade garden! In the morning, we will address the most critical factors you need to know before starting or to correct current problems. Shade comes with a variety of solvable solutions to more issues than a lack of light. Let Ed “enlighten” you and make the process easy, understandable and successful as we tackle the different types of shade gardens, cultural requirements, design elements, and maintenance considerations. In the afternoon, we delve into the fun of plant materials. Would you be pleased to know there is a large palette of plants that can provide beauty and interest to the shade garden all four seasons of the year? There are plants that “glow in the dark”, flowers than range from delicately diminutive to exotic, foliage that intrigues, forms for a winter garden, and textures to provide contrast. This presentation includes new plants and upcoming releases; both perennials and “woodies”. Come learn why shade gardening is becoming a ‘hot’ topic!

Landscaping for the Older Home

If you’re planning a garden design around an older, or even historic home, get some advice and perspective from Ed Lyon. Much effort often goes into the upkeep and remodeling of an old home to enhance its history; the same effort regarding the garden landscape can greatly augment the entire appearance and mood as well. Finding and creating the right garden style can be a satisfying project. This working class will address American architecture and the garden styles each evoked and will move into the plant materials that will help lend historical perspective and “complete” the older-look landscape. Bring photographs of your older home and property and we will discuss solutions as a class.

Gardening Basics

This all day session will cover the basics every homeowner should know to ensure success before even starting a home landscape design. Topics include the mystery of plant naming, defining hardiness zones, the critical importance of soil, how to mulch and what to use, water and fertilizer issues, maintenance, rodents and deer, and how to cultural control versus pesticides and other harmful methods. Whether you are a beginner struggling where to begin with a new landscape or a current gardener struggling with problems, this session will simplify gardening and explain many myths and misconceptions about the “how-tos”. Ed Lyon will teach you how to maximize success while minimizing stress, maintenance, and expense.

Gearing Up to Design

Once you’ve mastered Gardening Basics, you’ll have the confidence to tackle the next step in the process, designing the home garden landscape. This day-long session will prepare you to understand such issues as how to get started, what tools you will need, matching house style to garden design, the elements of design, use of color, texture, shape and form, and the basics of problem areas including shade and designing for four-season interest. We will look at a number of home garden issues photographed off season so we can evaluate structure without the distraction of flowers. Bring photographs of your home and garden and we will discuss issues as a class.

Garden Plant Design Seminar

You’ve taken all of the basic landscaping ‘how-to” classes and now you’re itching to get to the good stuff – the plant materials! And where to start; the selection seems overwhelming. Annuals, tropicals, tender perennials, perennials, trees and shrubs – you better start signing up for all of the plant classes now! Before you do, Ed Lyon will spend a day with you previewing the excitement you’ll find in individual plant material classes and help you direct your focus where you need it the most. In the morning we will start with the “framework” plants for your garden, the deciduous trees, shrubs, broadleaf evergreens and conifers. In the afternoon we’ll tackle the annuals, tender perennials, groundcover, vines, and perennials including grasses, ferns, and shade plants. Ed concentrates on exciting lesser-known plants with high ornamental value so this class will be useful to both novice and experienced gardener. It includes many new releases so come join us at the preview show!

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS 2012

January 14