About the Symposium

Horticulture is evolving at a remarkable pace, driven by new plants, innovative techniques and fresh perspectives that are reshaping the field. The 2026 Southeastern Plant Symposium offers a unique opportunity to explore these developments, connect with industry leaders and deepen your understanding of modern gardening.

Designed for plant lovers, gardeners and horticulturists alike, this two-day event brings together a passionate community focused on cultivating beautiful, thriving landscapes.

Discover, Learn, Connect

Join us in Raleigh, North Carolina, or attend virtually via Zoom for an engaging look at the future of horticulture. From under-the-radar plant genera poised for wider recognition to new rhododendrons and Asian species being trialed in the Southeast, the symposium highlights both emerging plants and time-tested favorites. Topics range from hardy members of the ginger family and shade-loving ferns to innovative perennial selections and the diverse native flora of the Southeastern United States.

Additional sessions examine how gardens and plant collections shape human experience, draw on lessons from horticultural history and offer practical tools for discovering and understanding regional plant diversity.

Connect with nurserymen, garden designers, researchers, botanical garden professionals and fellow enthusiasts while gaining practical insights and fresh perspectives. Through expert-led sessions and thought-provoking presentations, you will leave inspired and better equipped to transform the landscape.

Can't attend in person? The symposium will be livestreamed via Zoom, and all registered participants will receive access to recorded sessions after the event, so you won’t miss a moment.

Speakers and Presentations

Two Days of Amazing Speakers — Speakers are listed alphabetically by last name. To see a detailed schedule, view the Southeastern Plant Symposium Agenda.

"Still fit at forty" — Tony Avent

Owner, Juniper Level Botanic Garden, Raleigh, North Carolina

JLBG was created to complement the JC Raulston Arboretum, with more of a focus on perennials and landscape design. Forty years and 93,000 plants later, JLBG is regarded as one of the world's most extensive in-ground plant collections. We will take a look back from its humble beginnings as a weedy tobacco field, through its transition to a botanical garden.

Tony is the founder of Juniper Level Botanic Garden and Plant Delights Nursery. He is a garden communicator, plant breeder, plant explorer, passionate plantsman, and horticultural contrarian. He is an NC State graduate, J.C. Raulston student, and former, long-time volunteer at the JC Raulston Arboretum. He is a husband to Anita, and father of four felines and 27,000 different plants.

"Almost famous: Famous families’ lesser-known genera and species on the cusp of stardom" — Ed Bowen

Partner, Issima, Little Compton, Rhode Island

Many of the most popular plants in horticulture represent but a small sampling of the taxa contained within their genus and family. Yet, those unrepresented genera and species often have desirable ornamental attributes that otherwise lend themselves to mass commerce. This talk will survey breeding and selections in Podophyllym (Berberidaceae), Hydrangea (Hydrangaceae) and Sanguisorba (Rosaceae).

Ed Bowen has had a nano-nursery in Little Compton, Rhode Island for the last 25 years. Initially he operated as the sole proprietor of opus, a specialty nursery focusing on unusual herbaceous plants, especially newer European selections from junkets abroad. For the past 10 years, he has been in partnership with Taylor Johnston in issima, which began as an expansion of the ethos via cut flowers, but which COVID necessarily transformed into a mail order specialty nursery. The focus remains on the under-cultivated and garden-worthy, and continues to favor unusual hardy plants.

"Vintage matters: How North Creek’s past informs its path forward" — Steve Castorani

President, North Creek Nurseries, Landenberg, Pennsylvania

North Creek's 38-year journey has been shaped by early mentors, forgotten cultivars, and lessons learned from old catalogs. This talk reflects on how those experiences and an early shift toward native plants that provide ecosystem services continue to guide North Creek's commitment to resilience, diversity, ecological function, and to "plants that stand the test of time."

Steve graduated from the University of Delaware where he studied Plant Science and Education, earning a bachelor's degree in plant science. In 2015, Steve received a Certificate of Applied Horticultural Business Management from Texas A&M University. Prior to this, Steve attended and graduated from Girard College in Philadelphia. Currently Steve is the CEO, President and co-founder of North Creek Nurseries, a progressive nursery business specializing in perennial, fern, and ornamental grass plug production with an emphasis on Eastern regional native plants. In 2004, Steve co-created the American Beauties Native Plant® brand, which distributes plants to independent garden centers throughout the United States. Steve has served on many boards and has been recognized with numerous awards for his service to the horticulture industry. Steve also co-owns an independent garden center, Gateway Garden Center in Hockessin, Delaware, with his wife Peg.

"The Spheres — a place for plants and people" — Ron Gagliardo

Horticulturist, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica / Atlanta, Georgia

Since early 2018, The Spheres have not only been a place for Amazon employees to work and refresh but also for the public to visit and enjoy a high-level horticultural experience. With novel life support systems and a need to balance the needs of plants and people, this was quite the botanical experiment. We revisit the germination of this iconic building and share successes and challenges.

Growing up in Florida, Ron developed a lifelong passion for natural history. After graduate school at NC State in Botany, he joined the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 1993 developing plant collections, managing the micropropagation lab and more. In 2013, Ron began a journey with Amazon charged with delivering the horticultural experience in The Spheres, a unique, plant-rich and people-friendly building for Amazonians to work and refresh. This became the foundation for a program that has expanded throughout the Amazon footprint. Wanting to explore a tropical climate, Ron passed on the keys to The Spheres and departed for Costa Rica to live full time. Currently Ron is consulting, continuing his goal to connect people with nature.

"A brief conspectus of the hardy Zingiberidaceae" — Dan Hinkley

Plantsman and Owner, Windcliff

The species and hybrids of many members of the Zingiberidaceae, including Hedychium, Globba, Roscoea, Alpinia and Zingiber bring an extraordinary breadth of ornamental interest to Zone 7 — 10 gardens across North America though they remain undeservedly underused. From his collection work in the Himalayas, China, Vietnam and India, Hinkley has amassed a sizable collection of species that he successfully cultivates in his garden Windcliff in Indianola, Washington State. He will discuss some of his favorites during this presentation while illuminating the significant differences in growth habits and time of flower between the sultry Southeast and the maritime summer coolness of the Pacific Northwest.

Daniel Hinkley is a plantsman, author, lecturer, nurseryman and horticultural consultant. He earned a B.S. in Horticulture and Horticulture Education from Michigan State University and an M.S. from Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington. His first garden, Heronswood, near Kingston, Washington is now owned and operated by the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe and is open to the public throughout the year. His current garden, Windcliff, just a few miles from Heronswood, sits on a high bluff overlooking the Salish Sea. For forty years, Hinkley has traveled the globe to similar climates to observe and preserve plants that deserve recognition as possible new additions to landscapes worldwide. He has written four books and has been recognized by his peers in receiving numerous awards for his work, including the Liberty Hyde Bailey award from the American Horticulture Society, the Scott Gold Medal from the Scott Arboretum and the Veitch Memorial Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society.

"A selection of new rhododendrons and other Asian plants to trial in the Southeast" — Steve Hootman

Executive Director of Horticulture & Curator, Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, Federal Way, Washington

I will discuss new species and new introductions of rhododendrons and other interesting plants that have recently been found in the mountains and forests of the Asian continent. In the modern era of botanical expeditions, a great deal of new material from Asia has been added to our growing palette of garden-worthy plants. I will discuss the plants, history, geology and climate of some of these regions and how this all relates to the possibility of some of these plants being successfully cultivated in climates such as those found in the Southeast.

Steve Hootman is the Executive Director of Horticulture & Curator of the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way, Washington. He has worked at the RSBG since 1992 and has participated in or led at least thirty expeditions into the remote regions of the world looking for rare and new taxa of rhododendrons and other plants. Steve is considered one of the world's authorities on the genus Rhododendron as well as woodland gardening and has introduced many dozens of rhododendrons and other ornamental plants into cultivation.

"Horticultural Black Hole, or Not: Gardening in Zone 9, Gulf Coast, America" — Todd Lasseigne, Ph.D.

Executive Director, Bellingrath Gardens and Home, Theodore, Alabama

When I first met J. C. way back in the 1990s and he knew that I was from Louisiana, he mentioned that the Gulf Coast was a "horticultural black hole" — so much potential, so little realized. I concurred. In 2020, after living away from the Gulf Coast for 30 years, I returned and settled in at one of the region's most storied gardens, Bellingrath Gardens & Home. I'll talk about where this garden comes from, where it's at currently, and where it's going, horticulturally speaking, of course.

Over the past six years, Todd has worked at Bellingrath Gardens & Home to create a new master plan, rejuvenate its 30-year "Magic Christmas in Lights" holiday festival, and invest nearly $4 million toward new initiatives and deferred capital maintenance projects. With this newfound energy and excitement, BGH is enjoying record attendance numbers and capital investment. Bellingrath Gardens & Home is Alabama's oldest public garden, first opening to the public in the spring of 1932. BGH's future is being built on major public events, cutting-edge horticulture, and a renewed commitment to plant collections. Todd is an NC State doctoral horticulture grad and a highly respected plantsman, horticulturist and public garden leader. He lives with his wife (Heather) and four cats in Grand Bay, Alabama.

"Ferntastic ferns and where to find them" — Fay-Wei Li, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

With a lineage stretching back 360 million years, ferns were already ancient by the time the first flower bloomed — and yet they're still thriving. This talk takes you inside the hidden world of fern diversity, from delicate filmy ferns with leaves just one cell thick, to towering tree ferns, sun-baked desert survivors, and tiny aquatic floaters with an outsized role in Earth's climate history. Along the way, discover how DNA sequencing upended everything we thought we knew about fern relationships, and why these ancient plants are anything but evolutionary relics.

Fay-Wei Li is a plant evolutionary biologist and associate professor in the Department of Biology at Duke University. Growing up in Taiwan, a subtropical fern paradise, he went on to pursue his Ph.D. at Duke University, where he and his advisor Kathleen Pryer named a new fern genus Gaga after Lady Gaga — a discovery that landed his research in the pages Rolling Stone. He is the co-author of the book Ferns: Lessons in Survival from Earth's Most Adaptable Plants, an illustrated deep dive into 400 million years of frond-filled history. His lab at Duke University uses the modern tools to unravel all the weird biology of ferns and bryophytes.

"Plant Exploration in the Land of the Rising Sun, Arunachal Pradesh, India" — Scott McMahan

Vice President, Horticulture & Collections, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia

During this lecture, McMahan will describe the work being done by the Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG) and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) in the far northeastern corner of India. McMahan made his first trip to India in 2003 and has been working there frequently since 2015. In 2023, ABG and BSI signed the first "Memorandum of Understanding" the government of India has ever signed with an NGO, focusing on plant exploration and documentation, conservation of magnolias and a visiting scholar exchange program. This lecture will discuss the scouting and collecting trips made by McMahan in November 2025 and April 2026 in conjunction with researchers from BSI in the states of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Scott was born and raised in Decatur, Georgia. He has a Bachelor's degree in English from Wofford College (Spartanburg, South Carolina) and an Associate's Degree in Horticulture from Spartanburg Community College. Scott was the propagator for a large wholesale grower for five years as well as the nursery manager at the Atlanta Botanical Garden for several years before opening his first nursery. In 2003, Scott left ABG to open a nursery business in north Georgia called McMahan's Nursery. In the fall of 2009, Scott helped to opened another retail nursery called Garden*Hood in downtown Atlanta. Between 2009 and 2016, Garden*Hood won multiple local awards including the "Best of the Big A" in the AJC and Creative Loafing's "Best Garden shop." In 2016, Scott sold much of his ownership in Garden*Hood and closed McMahan's Nursery in order to accept a full-time position as the Manager of International Plant Exploration at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. With this new position, Scott oversaw plant exploration, collection and evaluation at ABG as well as a visiting scholar program created to promote the exchange of knowledge and plants with other botanical institutions around the world. In early 2026, Scott accepted the role of Vice President of Horticulture and Collections at ABG. Since 2001, Scott has made more than 50 overseas scouting and collecting trips for ABG to China, Vietnam, India, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Bhutan and Mexico. Scott lives in Decatur, Georgia with his wife Kristie and two daughters, Lily and Olivia.

"The Inspiring and Brilliant Legacy of Elizabeth Lawrence" — Andrea Sprott

Former Curator, Elizabeth Lawrence House & Garden, Charlotte, North Carolina

Elizabeth Lawrence (1904-1985) was a literary and horticultural rock star. She was one of this country's most beloved writers of garden literature, yet few know her as a remarkable designer. I will share what I learned about Elizabeth through my time as curator of her Charlotte property, and how this amazing woman has inspired and changed my own perspective on gardening and garden design.

From November 2010 through March 2024, Andrea was responsible for managing the Elizabeth Lawrence House & Garden in Charlotte, NC — which included around 1,700 taxa in its living collections and thousands of research documents in its archive collections as well as interpreting Lawrence's legacy for the public. Primarily a self-taught horticulturist and former "plant-aholic," Andrea is now focusing on redesigning her two-acre property (which she shares with her infinitely patient husband and not-as-patient two dogs) using much of what she learned from studying Elizabeth Lawrence. She is also gathering research — albeit slowly — for a future book about Elizabeth Lawrence. Andrea is a member of the Azalea Society of America, Society for Louisiana Irises, and North American Rock Garden Society, and is a past Board member of the Southern Garden History Society.

"Potential to thrive: Sarastro’s perennials for the Southeast" — Kata Wallace

Owner, Sarastro Stauden, Ort im Innkreis, Austria

This talk explores distinctive perennials grown and some also introduced by Sarastro, highlighting lesser-known species and selections with possible adaptability to the Southeastern United States. It examines their characteristics, garden performance, and what makes them worth trialing in new climates. The presentation also reflects on differences in perennial use, nursery practices, and garden culture between Austria and the Southeastern United States. Expect a curated look at unusual, beautiful, and promising perennials — along with an honest perspective on their potential and limitations.

Kata Wallace is an Austrian horticulture professional with international industry experience. She holds a master's degree in Spanish and economic geography from the University of Vienna. She gained hands-on training in the United States, including a one-year internship at Plant Delights Nursery with Tony Avent. She went on to work at Hoffman Nursery as a garden coordinator and production supervisor, and later at Walters Gardens as a product manager for the Southeast region. What began as a short internship developed into eight years of professional horticulture experience in the United States. She has since returned to Austria to join Sarastro Stauden, where she is preparing to take over the family-run perennial nursery known for its extensive and rare plant collections.

"The diverse flora of the southeastern United States and floristic tools for its exploration" — Alan Weakley, Ph.D.

Director, UNC-CH Herbarium; Team Leader, Flora of the Southeastern United States Project; Adjunct Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

We will explore the rich and relictual flora of the Southeastern United States, and the factors that shaped its evolution. We are still exploring that flora, naming new species, learning about their characteristics and conservation needs in a changing and human-dominated landscape. At the Southeastern Flora Project, we are developing current, accurate, convenient, and effective tools to identify and learn about the plants around us.

Alan Weakley is a plant taxonomist, ecologist, and conservationist specializing in the Southeastern United States. He has worked as a botanist and ecologist for the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program and as a regional and chief ecologist for The Nature Conservancy and NatureServe, and currently serves as Director of the UNC-CH Herbarium (a department of the North Carolina Botanical Garden), teaches as Adjunct Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and the Highlands Biological Station, and serves on the NatureServe Board of Directors. He is the team lead of the Flora of the Southeastern United States, issued in a number of platforms, including the five FloraQuest apps.

"Fifty years of planning and planting at the JC Raulston Arboretum" — Mark Weathington

Director, JC Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, North Carolina

The JC Raulston Arboretum is celebrating its Golden Anniversary this year! We'll take a look at the history of the JCRA through the plants we've grown (and killed) over the past half century. As J. C. said, "You aren't stretching yourself as a gardener if you aren't killing plants."

Mark Weathington is the director of the JC Raulston Arboretum and professor of the practice in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University where he is passionate about connecting people to plants. He is the author of Gardening in the South, the Complete Homeowner's Guide and writes for most major horticulture magazines. Mark travels the world searching for plants to expand the diversity of our gardens when he is not at the JCRA or at home gardening with his dogs.

Registration

In-Person Attendance

• Early Registration (ends Sunday, May 3, 2026): $250.00.
• Regular Registration (Monday, May 4 through Sunday, May 31, 2026): $300.00.
• Late Registration (Monday, June 1 through Wednesday, June 3, 2026): $350.00.
• Optional Thursday Evening Dinner & Presentation: $100.00.

Registration for in-person attendance includes presentations, networking breaks and lunch on Thursday and Friday, as well as access to recorded sessions after the symposium.

The Thursday evening networking reception and dinner presentation is optional and requires an additional fee. Select the dinner option when registering. Additional guests may be added for the dinner only. Symposium registration is required to attend all other sessions.

Online Attendance

• Symposium Registration: $200.00.

Online attendance includes a livestream of Thursday's and Friday's presentations and access to recordings.

Cancellations and Refunds

Cancellations must be requested before May 22, 2026. Refund requests by that date will be issued minus a 15% cancellation fee. No refunds will be issued after May 22, 2026 for cancellations, no shows, unused registrations or dinner reservations.

NC State University & NC State Extension employees

NC State University and NC State Extension employees may not use P-cards (University credit cards) to cover the registration fee for this event.

To set up an interdepartmental sales transaction, please email jcraprograms@ncsu.edu with your department name, your bookkeeper's contact information (name, email and phone), the fund number and the amount to be charged.

Location

The symposium will be held at the Hilton Raleigh North Hills, located at 3415 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27609.

All sessions on Thursday and Friday, as well as the Thursday evening dinner presentation, will take place at the hotel.

Hotel Reservations

To make a reservation, visit the Hilton Raleigh North Hills website. The group rate will be automatically applied when booking through the link.

Reservations may also be made by calling 1-800-HILTONS. Be sure to reference the group code SEPS26 and specify the dates to receive the group rate.

The group rate is available through Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

Student Scholarships

Thanks to the generosity of Ball Horticultural Company, Healy Horticulture, Plantworks Nursery and an anonymous donor, the JC Raulston Arboretum and Juniper Level Botanic Garden are pleased to offer 16 student scholarships to this year's Southeastern Plant Symposium.

Applicants must be actively working towards a degree (associate, bachelor's or graduate level) or have graduated in 2026. Scholarships cover full registration, including Thursday's dinner presentation, as well as one night of accommodations at the symposium hotel for students outside the Raleigh-Durham area.

This is an opportunity to connect with leading horticulture professionals, explore emerging trends and gain insight that can shape your career.

Apply by May 10, 2026.

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities

Gain visibility and connect with attendees by becoming a symposium sponsor. Opportunities are available for the annual Southeastern Plant Symposium hosted by the JC Raulston Arboretum and Juniper Level Botanic Garden.

For questions or more information, contact Amy Beitzel at amy_beitzel@ncsu.edu or 919-515-1680.

Events like this are only possible through the support of fellow horticulturists. Sponsorships help us continue sharing exciting discoveries in the world of plants. Proceeds support the missions of the JC Raulston Arboretum and the Juniper Level Botanic Garden Endowment.

Our thanks to the 2026 sponsors who make the symposium possible:

Thursday Dinner Sponsor

Networking Reception Sponsor

Break Sponsor

Lanyard Sponsor

Student Scholarship Sponsor

Continuing Education Credits

NC Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board

The North Carolina Landscape Contractors' Licensing Board (NCLCLB) has approved this symposium to provide continuing education for landscape contracting under N.C.G.S. 89D.

Both in-person and online attendees are eligible for 5 total landscape credit hours. Online participants will be required to attend the presentations live to receive credit. No credit will be given for watching recordings after the event.

North Carolina Board of Landscape Architects

The North Carolina Board of Landscape Architects (NCBOLA) has approved this symposium for 8.25 continuing education hours.

Rare Plant Auction

The Rare Plant Auction has earned legend status in the horticulture community, and this year's event promises to be our biggest and best auction yet. When the auction goes live on Tuesday, June 2, hundreds of plants will be available for bidding. New plants will be added regularly, including the days of the Southeastern Plant Symposium, so be sure to check the listings each day.

The Rare Plant Auction opens at noon on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 and will close at 3:45 pm EST on Friday, June 5, 2026.

Auction proceeds benefit the JC Raulston Arboretum and the Tony & Anita Avent Juniper Level Botanic Garden Endowment. Funds supporting the JC Raulston Arboretum are managed by the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Tax ID 56-6049304.