The 2024 Perennial Plant Association National Symposium in Asheville, NC, brought together experts, enthusiasts, and innovators in the world of perennial gardening and plant production. Over several days of lectures, tours, and engaging discussions, we explored the evolving role of gardens in our lives - moving beyond aesthetics to embrace ecology, resilience, and experimentation. This series captures reflections on the symposium from Michler’s staff in attendance, diving into how we can nurture not just plants, but relationships, communities, and new ways of thinking about our green spaces.
In this opening post, John Michler reflects on the shifting landscape of gardening and how we can create spaces that thrive amid new challenges, blending beauty with responsibility.
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In the past, conversations about landscapes and gardening were largely focused on aesthetics. While beauty remains at the heart of these discussions, a new sense of responsibility has emerged about ecological health and sustainability which have shifted our focus toward the future of our living world.
During the 2024 Perennial Plant Association National Symposium in Asheville, I was struck by the evolving purpose of gardens and the unique ways that designers and caretakers are thinking. One of the final talks was titled "The Future of Perennials." Naturally, I expected a plant-focused lecture, but the speaker surprised me. Instead of diving deep into plant varieties and technical approaches to gardening, the focus was on how to think about landscape design in an era saturated with trends and fleeting information. In this world of constant change, how do we filter and share knowledge that is grounded in proven truths rather than fleeting trends or hunches? It’s not unlike gardening itself, which encourages us to tune out the noise and pay attention to what works for our plants and spaces.
One example included research conducted by Adam Baker at the University of Kentucky. His research tested the best way to plant milkweed to attract migrating monarchs. Many of us might intuitively think that mixing milkweed into a larger flower planting would provide the best results, but his study revealed otherwise. Monarchs found milkweed more easily when it was planted along the edges of flower beds.
Speakers addressed the realities we face in the garden: extreme heat, long dry periods followed by deluges of rain, new weeds and urban pressures. Yet, in spite of these challenges, the beauty of flowers and plant textures continues to inspire more than ever. The key, as we heard in many talks at the symposium, is creating “anti-fragile” landscapes where both people and nature can thrive together. And this idea is particularly relevant when thinking about perennial plants which, chosen wisely, come back year after year mingling together hopefully forming lasting compositions.
As I reflected on these ideas, I couldn't help but think of the joys found in the simple things - like pawpaw ice cream- the taste of a garden lifestyle. Pitcher plants, Joe Pye weed, and the new Illicium varieties are evidence of how genetics and horticulture continue to march forward. We are navigating a new era of gardening. Where the lines between tradition and innovation blur, it is clear that we are not just cultivating plants, but ideas and possibilities. Each plant choice, each garden design, carries with it a blend of past wisdom and forward-thinking experimentation. The old horticultural generation is slowly giving way to the new, but what remains is the connection we nurture with the land.
By John Michler