ERIE CO., N.Y. — The Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Erie County Master Gardener Program will host its 2026 Education Day: ‘Celebrating Gardening’ on Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.
Location: Classics V Banquet Center, 2425 Niagara Falls Blvd, Amherst, NY 14228
Our topics and speakers:
Understanding Cultivars, Nativars, and Native Species
Dan Segal, Plantsman Nursery and Greenhouse
Segal, founder of Plantsman Nursery and Greenhouse in Ithaca, NY is a leader in the field of environmental sustainability using native plants. He is founder of the Ithaca Native Plant Landscape Symposium held annually in March. Segal will speak on understanding the differences between native species, cultivars, and nativars and their impact on genetic diversity and ecological resilience in our gardens and properties.
Flowers in Your Landscape
Nell Gardner, Flower Fields
Locally known for her work in the restoration of the gardens of the Frank Llyoyd Wright-designed gardens of the Darwin Martin House and Graycliff, Gardner has developed a deep understanding of the natural world and its relationship to flower gardening, landscaping, and historical restoration. Through her hard scrabble farm upbringing in Nova Scotia to studying at Cornell University, Gardner brings expertise and quality to the fields of Horticulture and Agriculture, seeing nature as an integrated whole, a system that needs balance. Gardner will speak on working with nature to produce floral landscapes of beauty and bounty.
The Good, Better, Best Approach to Urban Green Space Management
Carl Schimenti, Cornell University
Schimenti is an Urban Environmental Scientist at Cornell University specializing in the safe and healthy management of turfgrass and urban green spaces. His work bridges research and practice in natural and built systems. Schimenti will share good, better, best approaches to urban green space maintenance emphasizing cost-effective strategies that deliver results, while acknowledging other practices and technology that can help steward these areas. He will discuss common maintenance practices for our home landscapes such as mowing, irrigation, fertilization, and pest control, and provide updates on the availability of new technologies such as electric equipment and autonomous mowers.
Cost: Advanced registration is required. Space is limited.
General Public: $65; CCE Erie Master Gardener Program Volunteers: $50; Out of County Master Gardener Volunteers: $55.
Registration fee includes continental breakfast and hot buffet lunch. The registration fee is non-refundable.
Note: the CCE Erie Master Gardener Program offers an annual garden-themed basket auction during the event. There is also an opportunity for interested businesses to provide sponsorship for our event. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please reach out for more information.
For more information, contact Jolie Hibit at (716) 652-5400, x176, or [email protected].
Register at https://erie.cce.cornell.edu/events.
Registration is not complete until payment has been received.
For persons needing accommodations, please contact Sharon Bachman at 716-652-5400 x 150 or [email protected] five business days prior to the event.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County (CCE Erie) uses local experience and research-supported solutions to build stronger communities. CCE Erie provides educational programs to county residents in Agriculture and Food Systems; 4-H Youth Development; Nutrition and Community Health; Environment and Natural Resources, Sustainable Energy and Climate Change; and Consumer and Economic Vitality.
—Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County
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