Our 2010 Sessions

THURSDAY, March 4
11 am-11:45am Ed Dore, Dore Landscaping and Akron Tree Farms, "Choosing and Caring for Landscape Trees"
12:00 noon-12:45pm Kim Maddox, Landmasters, "Hardscaping!  Some of the newer hardscape options"
1:pm-1:45 pm Kathy Kessler, Baker's Acres, "Exploring the World of Tea", Herbal and traditional teas will be offered
2pm-2:45pm Gerry Rubinstein, Lawn a Mat, "Are Organic Lawn Care Solutions Always Best? Mechanical and chemical lawn care techniques"
3pm-3:45pm Julie Liebmann, Mrs. Greenjeans Landscaping, "Know what your plants will do! Some considerations to help you plant the right plant in the right place."

SATURDAY, MARCH 6
9:00 - 9:45 Steve Blair, Bartlett Tree Experts, ‘‘Specialty Pruning and Young Tree Pruning.’’
10:00-10:50 Bonnie Gale , English Basketry Willows, “Living Communities in CNY, Landscapign with Live Willow”
11:00-11:45 Carol Bradford, Garden Writer "England Is a Garden: Sissinghurst  Castle and Great Dixter", Slides of Famous English Gardens Toured in May 2009 
12:00-12:45 Dr. Donald J. Leopold, Keynote Speaker;  "Central New York's Natural Wonders, Protected and Ecologically Significant Areas of Central New York" 
1:00 – 1:45 Lisa Ballantyne, Ballantyne Gardens, "Planting a Beautiful Vegetable Garden, Practical beauty for your garden"
2:00 – 2:45  Mark Blair, Landmasters, "Water Gardening, The Total Experience"
3:00 – 3:45 Helen Schueler, Phoenix Flower Farm, "Growing Thirsty Plants With a Limited Water Supply"

SUNDAY, MARCH 7
10:00-10:45 Chuck Longyear , Landmasters “Creative Decks”
11:00 – 11:45 Teresa Vitale, Skaneateles Artisans, "Living Artfully with Faux Painting for your Home "
12:00 – 12:45 Terry Ettinger, SUNY-ESF, "Gardening Q & A With Terry, Live!"
1:00 – 1:45  Kathy Kessler, Bakers Acres, "Tea Tasting! Exploring the World of Tea", Herbal and traditional teas will be offered. 
2:00 – 2:45 Janet Allen, Habitat Gardening in CNY, "Habitat Gardening for Life", The Allen Family's  experiences making a garden for wildlife in their suburban yard
3:00-3:45 Tim Ballantyne, Ballantyne Gardens, "Great American Vegetable Garden, Past To Present, Organically"

Helen Schueler
Growing up on a farm in Cayuga County, Helen tended field crops and chickens, but longed for flowers. After working in industrial management, local government and teaching, Helen and her family turned amateur gardening into her dream job: operating Phoenix Flower Farm in northern Onondaga County. The nursery offers thousands of plant varieties (many rare) in a garden setting, and landscape services. Helen is a Master Gardener, a Master Judge of the American Iris Society and a member and sometime-officer of several local and national plant and garden societies, and currently President of the Central New York State Nursery/Landscape Association. She has a B.A. from Syracuse University.

Chuck Longyear

Charles Longyear is President and Manager of Landmasters Landscape and Construction Division, CNLP
With over twenty years experience in landscape, masonry, commercial building construction, and home remodeling, Charles is a valuable resource available to you at Landmasters. Charles, an award-winning landscape designer and Certified Nursery Landscape Professional (CNLP), oversees all project work undertaken through the Syracuse location and ensures excellent craftsmanship at every step – whether it is constructing a retaining wall or building a custom gazebo. Charles supervises both interior and exterior projects throughout the year. He graduated from SUNY College of Technology at Alfred.

Janet Allen is a co-founder and President of Habitat Gardening in Central New York, a chapter of the national education and advocacy organization called Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes,  on whose Board she also serves.  She and her family have used native plants to create a habitat for butterflies, birds and other wild creatures around their own suburban home during the past few years.  The Allen property is now a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat and Monarch  Waystation.
Janet's slides and stories of her latest adventures with nature in Central New York and farther afield may inspire you to see your own garden—and public space—in a new way.  Janet has a Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

Steve Blair

Steve is an ISA Certified Arborist/Representative employed by Bartlett Tree Experts in East Syracuse.  He is a member of The Central New York State Nursery and Landscape Association and The New York State Arborist’s chapter of ISA. He holds a NYS certified pesticide applicator license in the Ornamental and Turf category and is working towards a Public Health certification. Representing Bartlett in Central New York State, Steve has had the pleasure of working on some fascinating projects and beautiful properties over the past 25 years. He prides himself on being knowledgeable of the latest arboricultural practices and the common plant/pest problems of Central NYS. He was born, raised and lives in Oneida with his bride Lori, three teenage children and the third of many dogs. Steve is an avid hiker and mountain biker and has climbed numerous peaks in NYS, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine as well as thousands of trees in his career. He has been a guest speaker and a volunteer pruner for various garden clubs and community organizations in CNY.

Carol Bradford
Carol T. Bradford is a freelance garden writer and photographer based in Central New York. She is on the Board of the Invasive Plant Council of NYS and the Interim Steering Committee of the Finger Lakes Program for Invasive Species Management. She is a member of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Community Horticulture Program Work Team. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell, a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University, a Certificat de Cuisine Elementaire from the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and has lived, cooked and gardened on four continents.

Lisa Ballantyne

With over 25 years experience in the horticulture field, Lisa Ballantyne is fluent with all aspects of gardening, landscaping, and backyard living. Lisa has an Associates Degree in horticulture from Morrisville College. She is involved with various garden clubs, is a past President of the CNY Nursery and Landscape Association, is a Master Gardener, is a member of The Garden Writer’s Association, and The Northeast Organic Farming Association. As a seasoned organic gardener, she has always practiced gardening techniques that enrich and enhance the environment. Lisa owns and operates Ballantyne Gardens along with her husband, Tim and their staff. Ballantyne Gardens is located in Liverpool, and is a full service garden center specializing in organic garden supplies and solutions, water gardening, vegetable gardening, annual, perennials, and nursery stock. Ballantyne Gardens’ landscaping department offers professional landscape design and installation services. That specialize in giving clients beautiful and easy care landscapes that are suitable for our Central New York climate.

Julie Liebmann

Julie Liebman is the owner of Mrs. Green Jeans Landscaping/Rocking Horse Farms a firm that both grows plants for landscapes and installs landscapes throughout CNY.  Julie is active in the Central New York Nursery and Landscape Association, helping with many of their activities including the annual trade show and the association garden at CNY Blooms. Julie is also the chair of the committee that designs and installs the booth for the New York State Nursery & Landscape Association at the State Fair.

Kim Maddox

Kim is President of Landmasters Group, Inc. a diversified company with a landscape and construction component in Central NY since 1972.  Landmasters also has three stores specializing in manufactured and natural stone hardscapes, water gardening, landscape lighting and landscape supplies in Cicero, Rochester and Buffalo.  Kim is a Certified instructor teaching contractors proper installation of Segmental Retaining Walls(SRW) since 1998.   Director of Sales and Marketing for Atlas Block Co. (licensed producer of Allan Block Retaining Walls) of Ontario Canada for the United States since 2001

Mark Blair

Mark Blair is considered  a water garden and hardscapes expert in the industry.  With over seven years on the Landmasters team, Mark is experienced in all aspects of water gardening – from proper water treatment to plant care. He frequently conducts water gardening seminars. Routinely, he provides customers their opening and closing pond services also, giving him hands on experience as well as knowledge.  He also has many years experience installing products through work on the Landmasters landscape team. He attended Allan Block University in Minnesota where he received training on retaining walls and other products.   Mark grew up in Cazenovia and attended Oswego State University.  He majored in Secondary Education and has applied his education as part of the landscape and sales team at Landmasters. 

Bonnie Gale

Bonnie is the owner of English Basketry Willows  www.bonniegale.com  and is currently a graduate student at SUNY-ESF.  You can see examples of her living willow structures in the Children's Garden at CNY Blooms.  Trained in Europe,she uses the three-part "fedge" method of construction, which she will share with you during her Power Point demo and lecture, and also at the SUNY-ESF booth on the Show floor.  She also has installations in a number of New York gardens, and has been featured in "House and Garden" magazine and on television.

Tim Ballantyne
With more than 20 years experience working in horticulture, Tim Ballantyne is a New York State Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional. He owns and operates Ballantyne Gardens along with his wife, Lisa Ballantyne, and their staff. Tim and Lisa’s full service garden center specializing in organic garden supplies and solutions. With products and services for many types of gardening, including water gardening, vegetable gardening, annuals and perennials, roses and nursery stock. Their landscaping department offers design and installation services.

Tim has spoken before many local groups and on public television and radio.
He attends many trade shows, seminars, and garden shows continually learning new horticultural practices, always striving to be a knowledgeable source for his clients. As a Landscape Designer and Installer, his main objectives are to give his clients beautiful and easy care landscapes that are suitable for our Central New York climate.

Teresa Vitale
Teresa is a co-owner of the Skaneateles Artisans Cooperative, whose members will be exhibiting their diverse talents at Blooms throughout the 2009 show.  When Teresa is not meeting the public at the gallery, she tries to live artfully with her husband and daughter in an 18th Century farmhouse.  She is excited about participating in Blooms because re-using, recycling, and celebrating nature are part of her life and part of her art.

Cathy Kessler
Cathy  Kessler is the Production Manager for the homegrown stock of Baker's Acres nursery in Lansing, near Ithaca.  She has a special interest in herbs and she propagates an amazing variety of old favorites and rare specialties.  Cathy is part of the second generation continuing a business founded by her parents, and grounded in the best agricultural techniques available from Cornell and the County Extension Services available to New Yorkers.  Her seminar will be a feast for the mind and the senses.