FALL SYMPOSIUM
Year-Round Gardening“the Joy of Gardening through the Seasons”
Our valley’s climate displays the variations among the seasons so very well. From the first push of a seed poking up through the soil’s crust in Spring, to rambunctious blooming of so many flowers of Summer, to the final few crispy leaves fluttering to ground in late Autumn, and then the unseen regrowth happening under the frost and snow in Winter, preparing to start again in Spring.
There is so much to experience in our gardens.
And while this goes on in unending cycles, critical insects quietly and surreptitiously influence all the progress being made.
In October, the WSU Master Gardeners of Yakima County will present two experts who will share the challenges and successes that some of our favorite insects have in our gardens.
Following them you will have the rare opportunity to enjoy the work of a world-renowned garden architect and plantsman as we follow him through “Five Seasons, the Gardens of Piet Oudolf.”
Come enjoy the comfort of the modern auditorium at Pacific NW University to watch and hear what they have to say. Visit with an assortment of exhibitors who share in your love of gardening year-round. Enjoy lunch, and get a chance to take home lovely gifts from local artisans.
Interesting and professional speakers
Exhibitors
Art and Floral Gift Raffle
Lunch
Creating a Habitat for Eastern Washington Butterflies in Your Garden
I will talk about the butterflies that visit gardens in eastern Washington and how to optimize the appeal of your garden to these most beautiful pollinators, both by providing favored nectar plants for adults but also host plants so that they may breed in your garden. Of course, I will also talk about the conservation and local status of everybody’s favorite, the monarch butterfly and how this iconic pollinator can be the perfect garden butterfly.
David began his entomological career as an eight-year-old in England by rearing caterpillars at home. A University degree in Zoology was followed by a PhD on Monarch Butterfly Biology in Sydney, Australia where he worked for 23 years as an agricultural entomologist for the New South Wales government. In 1999, he moved to Washington State University, developing biological control systems for insect and mite pests of grapes and hops, but he never forgot his butterfly roots. In 2011, he co-authored with Dave Nunnallee, “Life Histories of Cascadia butterflies” that David Attenborough called magisterial. He followed that in 2017 with “The Book of Caterpillars” and his most recent book “The Lives of Butterflies” was published in January 2024. Since 1999, as a faculty member of the Department of Entomology at WSU, he has researched the breeding ecology and migration of monarchs in the western US. He has also published biological studies on a number of WA butterflies including some that advance butterfly conservation on farmland.
Honey Bees Aren’t the Only Bees in the Garden
Like a lot of gardeners, bees spend their summers hard at work. Honey bees must gather pollen and nectar to sustain their colonies during the winter. Honey bees, however, are unique. They are the only bees that live in colonies year-round and the only bees that make honey. In this talk, I will share the life histories of some of our native bees and explain how gardeners can help protect them throughout all four seasons of the year.
Julie Banken is a certified bug lady with graduate degrees in both entomology and education. She loves the insects as much as the plants in her yard, and it is her mission to inspire others to feel the same. She has taught science in the classroom and outdoors, and enjoys being able to continue to teach as a Master Gardener for Chelan and Douglas Counties. Julie is also a volunteer Xerces Society Ambassador and is especially interested in learning more about native plants and the insects they support. Look for her gardening column published monthly in the Wenatchee World.
Five Seasons, the Garden of Piet Oudolf
Piet Oudolf was born in 1944 in Haarlem, Netherlands. Since 1982, he has lived and worked in Hummelo, a tiny village in east Netherlands, where he started a nursery with his wife Anja, to grow perennials. His garden has since become renowned for its radical approach and ideas about planting design.
Oudolf also co-founded Future Plants, a company specialising in selecting, growing, breeding and protecting plants for landscaping and public areas. Oudolf`s recent projects include No. 5 Culture Chanel, Paris, France; The High Line, New York NY; Lurie Garden, Millennium Park, Chicago IL; Serpentine Gallery, London, England, and the Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy.
Oudolf is also a successful author, having co-written numerous books such as; “Planting: A New Perspective” (2013); “Landscapes in Landscapes” (2011); “Gardening with Grasses” (1998); “Designing with Plants and Planting Design” (1999); “Dream Plants for the Natural Garden” (2000); “Planting the Natural Garden” (2003), and “Planting Design: Gardens in Time and Space” (2005). In his 35-year career, Oudolf has achieved international acclaim, and has recently been awarded an Honorary Fellowship from RIBA for developing radical ideas in Planting Design (2012) and the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation Award (2013).
Exhibit Hall
Visit with folks who share your interest in gardening.
When: Saturday, October 25, 2025 – 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: Pacific NW University, 2000 University Parkway, Yakima, WA
9:00 – Check in and browse exhibits
10:00 – Dr. David James
11:00 – Break
11:30 Julie Banken
12:30 – Lunch
1:15 – Raffle Drawing
1:30 – Piet Oudolf video
2:45 – Close
Cost: $60
Included in your registration:
- All 3 presentations
- Box lunch
- Raffle ticket for one of our valuable prizes (additional tickets available for purchase)
Thank you to all who have contributed to this event!
WSU Extension Master Gardener Program
Pacific NW University of Health Sciences
Master Gardener Foundation of Yakima County
THANK YOU, GIFT DONORS: John Barany , Debbie Sundlee, Diana Pieti, and Carol Barany