Celebrating 30 Years of Plant O Rama!

There’s no doubt about it, Plant-O-Rama was a huge hit this year, with the greatest attendance we’ve seen in recent years despite January’s recent snow storm. This year the Plant O Rama committee was pleased to organize an inspirational speaker line up featuring local and international based practitioners. Our speaker program video is still available for purchase on Eventbrite through February 20th, 2025.

James Hitchmough gave a presentation on Evaluating the Complexity and Diversity of Designed Herbaceous Plantings.

Over the past 30 years there has been much progress in imagining and creating plantings that are spatially, temporally, and taxonomically complex; and in some parts of the world these plantings have become the zeitgeist. Though exemplary for supporting biodiversity and delivering high levels of aesthetic appeal, they can also be more demanding to design, implement, and successfully manage into perpetuity. James will explore where we are with these planting genres and how we can maximize the benefits and minimize the potential negatives.

Joseph Charap and Sara Evans spoke on their work at Green-Wood Cemetery in The Graveyard Shift: Choosing Curiosity Over Control.

For generations, Green-Wood maintained the lawn-dominated landscape most Americans recognize – neat, controlled, unchanging. But it came at a cost. This presentation examines how Green-Wood has begun choosing curiosity over control: disentangling our historic character from harmful 20th-century landscape practices. Through memorial meadows, reforestation, and reconsidering invasive plant management, we’re discovering that honoring the dead means protecting the living world they left behind.

The speaker program ended with an engaging panel discussion Gardens: Nurturing Plants, Communities, and People  where panelists Andrea Parker, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Jennifer Beaugrand, The Bronx is Blooming, Lisa Bloodgood, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, and Tonya Gayle, Green City Force spoke to how urban green spaces remain community focused, accessible to all and provide pathways to meaningful employment in the green industry.

Plant-O-Rama remains one of the best places to meet local green industry trade representatives for both wholesale and retail consumers. This year we welcomed 38 exhibitors who provide high quality goods and services to the local trade.

32 organizations exhibited at the growing Career Fair. Individuals had the opportunity to meet with employers and educational institutions regarding opportunities.This was a record turn out of exhibiting organizations showing that the future is bright for green industry career seekers.

The Seed Swap was expanded to include the events first ever Book Swap and had generous donations from North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Domino Park and many others. Visitors could share, trade, and take seeds and books for the season to come.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden team gave four amazing tours of the facility showcasing the diverse offerings of the garden. Kate Murphy gave a tour of the tropical pavilion. Leonard Paul gave a tour of the general conservatory. Rhonda Patillo gave a tour of the warm temperate and desert pavilions. Nina Brown gave a tour of the Conservatory Gallery Show, Notice/Know/Kin.

As part of the 30th anniversary program attendees gathered for cake and photos, reflecting on the past years of this fun annual event.

We are grateful for the long-time support and partnership of the wonderful team at Brooklyn Botanic Garden for continuing to host Plant-O-Rama. 

Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the 30th Annual Plant-O-Rama!

• Presenting Sponsor: Atlantic Nurseries
• Hospitality Sponsor: New Moon Nursery
• Keynote Sponsors: Emmas Garden, North Creek Nursery, Pleasant Run Nursery
• Happy Hour Sponsor: Proven Winners Color Choice Flowering Shrubs
• Supporting Sponsors: Landcraft Environments and Town and Garden