Well known Ecologist Neil Diboll, Owner of Prairie Nursery in Westfield, Wisconsin will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Toward Harmony with Nature Conference on January 27, 2018. Neil’s presentation on “The American Garden – A Life or Death Situation” will talk about the increasingly important role our gardens play in our livelihood and the well-being of our Earth.
(I recommend if you’re in the area, you take the opportunity to listen to his presentation. I know you’ll come away from it feeling empowered. I always do when I hear Neil speak.)
The American Garden is evolving from a creation solely for the enjoyment of its owners and tenders, to becoming a biodiverse refuge for the native plants and animals with whom we share the planet. The rampant conversion of our wild places into chemically-soaked cropland, industrial parks, commercial centers and housing for humans has supplanted the homesteads that once supported a diversity of native plant communities.
Our gardens and landscapes are becoming increasingly important refuges for pollinators, birds, butterflies and other creatures as their former habitats disappear. Neil will discuss how creating native landscapes which require few if any chemicals and toxins are the future landscapes of necessity. As joint ventures with nature in our cities and suburbs, our very survival will depend upon these landscapes.
Neil Diboll
Neil Diboll, President of Prairie Nursery, is an internationally recognized expert in native plant ecology. With 35 years of experience in research and establishment of native plant communities, Neil is a pioneer in the use of North American native plants in contemporary landscapes. As a spokesperson for Prairie Nursery, Neil is a frequent lecturer and radio guest, and author of numerous articles on landscape design integrating people, plants and wildlife into prairie, woodland and wetland settings.
His love of wild places and their floral players is contagious., and his presentations typically get standing ovations!
Prairie Nursery
Prairie Nursery was one of the first to grow and sell native plants. In 1972, retired DNR employee Robert Smith started Prairie Nursery as a garden on a half-acre plot. In 1980 he was joined by Neil Diboll. As Ecologists and proponents of the early prairie movement, their goal was not only to grow rare or unusual plants, but to preserve a diverse gene pool and the genetic integrity found in Nature itself. Their training, effort, and enthusiasm for native plants are at the root of Prairie Nursery’s mission and have sustained the Nursery through the decades.
Toward Harmony with Nature Conference
Hosted by Wild Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter, this is the 22nd year of the conference. It will be held at the Oshkosh Convention Center at 2 North Main Street, Oshkosh, Wisconsin on January 27, 2018. For more information and to register, go to the conference website.
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