The lecture series sponsored by the Snohomish County Master Gardener Foundation features eight knowledgeable gardeners, authors and subject matter experts sharing their expertise on a variety of gardening subjects. The presenters are chosen by their intriguing topics, educational value and entertainment. Doors open at 9:00 am. The lecture begins at 9:30am – 11:30am, it is located in the Weyerhaeuser Room at the Everett Train Station. Schedule Changes:If for some reason, a lecture must be cancelled and rescheduled, that information will be posted above the line below. This might occur due to WEATHER or if a SPEAKER has to cancel at the last minute or has a change in his/her schedule.
The 2027 Speakers:
Hydrangeas: Frumpy or Fabulous
January 15, 2027
Few plants deliver the floral punch that hydrangeas do, but sometimes they can be over-the-top or leave you wanting more. From giant, voluptuous blue mophead blooms to delicate tasteful lace cap flowers, it is hard to know if you should love or distain these old-fashioned shrubs.
Join Richie Steffen, executive director of the Elisabeth C Miller Botanical Garden, as he shares his journey with this diverse genus. He has developed a collection of over 170 cultivars ranging from old favorites to the newest cultivars to hit the market as well as an array of various species. Hear what is the best of the best and what roles this water-thirsty plant can play in a time of waterwise gardening. Richie will have is book available for purchase (cash or check): “Plant Lover’s Guide to Ferns”.
Speaker Profile: Richie Steffen loves plants, although his friends may say this is an understatement. During his career in horticulture over the last 40 years, he has grown thousands of plants and is still looking for more. Currently serving as the executive director of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden near Seattle, Richie oversees the operations of the garden and its main educational program, Great Plant Picks. Great Plant Picks is committed to building a comprehensive palette of outstanding and reliable plants for maritime Pacific Northwest gardens and sharing information on these exceptional plants with the gardening public.
Richie is known for his entertaining lectures and beautiful photography and is a noted horticultural personality. Along with his husband Rick, they also garden on a 10-acre property just south of Hansville.
More Peonies, Please! Different Propagating Techniques
January 29, 2027
The current resurgence in peonies is no accident. Until recently, their omission from modern garden design had persisted for nearly half a century, but that’s rapidly changing as gardeners discover the exceptional qualities of newer varieties that have been specifically developed for today’s smaller, low maintenance gardens.
These aren’t your grandmother’s peonies! Join Lorē as she shares tips and techniques for propagating peonies including how to grow peonies from seed, how to hybridize new varieties, and how to clone peonies using root crown division, tissue culture and grafting woody tree peonies. In addition, Lorē will briefly discuss how hybridizing impacts stamen transformation in peonies to create new flower styles. She will also share a brief history and update about the ongoing development of the exciting new Itoh intersectional peonies. Bring your questions and get ready to learn how to successfully propagate and grow more of these incredibly beautiful and majestic landscape aristocrats!
Speaker Profile: Lorē is a well-known member of the garden community in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband Jim own and operate Rarity Gardens, a small perennial nursery specializing in Hosta, daylilies and especially peonies. A nurseryman’s daughter, Lorē has been growing and propagating a wide variety of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants since childhood. She studied botany at the University of Michigan and currently grows nearly 1,000 different peony cultivars. A long-time member of the Pacific Northwest Peony Society, Lorē is also Past-President of the American Peony Society where she was instrumental in establishing evaluation criteria and judges’ training for the Society’s Award of Landscape Merit selection process. Her mission is to introduce gardeners to modern peonies as the perfect choice for both the landscape and vase. More Peonies, Please!
Garden Escapes: Favorite Garden Plants in Natural Areas
February 12, 2027
Take a virtual field trip to natural areas that have issues with invasive garden plants. Learn about ecological consequences, management options, and garden alternatives.
Speaker Profile: Holly Zox has been teaching in the horticulture department at Edmonds College for 17 years, and working as a field biologist on contract with the Tulalip Tribes for 20 years. The focus of Holly’s career has been wetland science, habitat restoration, native plants, and invasive species.
Gardens are all about color. From flowers to fruit to foliage, we gardeners select a palette of plants based on the colors we like, while excluding those we don’t care for. But plants don’t create color for our benefit.
In this lecture, Dr. Ross Bayton delves into the science of color, revealing how plants produce it and how they use it to communicate. Speaker Profile: London-born botanist and gardener Dr. Ross Bayton gained his PhD at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, studying the classification of tropical palms. He’s the author of several books on horticulture including New Trees: Introductions to Cultivation (with John Grimshaw), Plant Families: A Guide for Gardeners and Botanists (with Simon Maugham), and most recently The Gardener’s Botanical: An Encyclopedia of Latin Plant Names, as featured in the New York Times. Formerly the Gardening Editor of the UK’s best-selling gardening periodical, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, he is now the Director of the world-renowned Heronswood Garden in Kingston, Wa., and is developing a 5-acre garden at home in nearby Bremerton.
This presentation will provide botanical and horticultural background on the successful cultivation of raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry, with a focus on growing conditions and practices relevant to northwestern Washington.
Speaker Profile: Lisa Wasko DeVetter is a Professor of Horticulture and leads the statewide Small Fruit Horticulture program at Washington State University’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon. Her research and outreach program focuses on maximizing productivity, fruit quality, and on‑farm efficiencies while protecting the natural resources essential to small fruit production in the Pacific Northwest. Key areas of work include pollination services, end‑of‑life management of agricultural plastics, machine‑harvesting technologies, and nutrient management.
Join Susie Egan for an engaging look at trilliums, one of the most treasured woodland wildflowers. This talk covers their natural history, botany, and practical tips for growing them successfully in the Pacific Northwest.
Featuring beautiful photography and insights from decades of hands-on experience, this presentation will inspire gardeners to incorporate these elegant plants into their own shaded landscapes.
Speaker Profile: Susie Egan is the owner and curator of Cottage Lake Gardens, a three-acre botanical garden in Woodinville, Washington, known for its collection of rare woodland plants. Over the past 30 years, she has developed the garden intoone of the few places where more than 50 species of trilliums can be grown together.
A sought-after speaker, Susie has presented to garden clubs and horticultural organizations locally and internationally, sharing her passion for woodland gardening and plant exploration. She has also traveled extensively throughout North America and Japan to study trilliums in their native habitats.
Colorful, Unusual, Delicious and Rare: Discover the Most Flavorful and Beautiful Vegetable Varieties for Kitchen Gardens. Growing edibles in your garden give you the opportunity to grow varieties that you will never find at the grocery store.
The Pacific Northwest is home to an extraordinary array of seed companies, many of whom are dedicated to preserving heirloom varieties and breeding new varieties that are regionally adapted to our climate and beautiful, productive and tasty. In this seminar, vegetable gardener and author of Grow Cook Eat: A Food-Lover’s Guide to vegetable gardening will share West Coast seed sources and highlight exceptional varieties—from rare heirlooms to new regionally adapted varieties. You will discover vegetable that thrive in your garden and taste wonderful in your kitchen Willi will be selling copies of both of her books and can accept cash, check, card or Venmo.
Speaker Profile: Willi began her career at Organic Gardening magazine, where she worked her way up from editorial intern to West Coast Editor. While living in Seattle she became an active participant in the urban agriculture movement, earning her Master Gardener certification and serving for six years on the board of directors of Tilth Alliance – a nationally recognized nonprofit that teaches people to cultivate a healthy urban environment and community by growing organic food.
Willi writes about kitchen gardening and seasonal cooking and has taught gardening and cooking classes around the PNW, including teaching stints with James Beard Award-winning chef, Matthew Dillon. She has also hosted an online garden-to-table cooking show, GROW.COOK.EAT., and she served as the vegetable gardening expert on Seattle’s NPR station, KUOW. Her garden has been featured in SUNSET magazine and she has written for VEGETARIAN TIMES and APARTMENT THERAPY. Willi currently lives and gardens with her family in Portland, Oregon.
Season Pass (includes all 8 lectures): $110.00 per person – Purchase on-line at the link below, available August – January Single Tickets (for one lecture): $30.00 per person – Purchase on-line: Starting January 1st, must be received before 6pm the Wednesday before the desired lecture. – May be purchased at the door.
Will I get a payment confirmation?
– Payment confirmations for Check and Credit/Debit Card advance season ticket purchases are sent by e-mail using the email address you provide. – If confirmation of check or credit card payment has not been received within 2 weeks, please contact us using the CONTACT US below.
Is there a break during the lecture?
There will be a break in the lecture around 10:30. Complementary light snacks, coffee and tea are available. Restrooms are on the same floor.
How do I purchase tickets?
Season passes may be purchased in advance online, using a debit/credit card or PayPal by using the link above. This page also includes instructions for purchasing with a check. Single tickets can be purchased on-line starting January 1st. They can also be purchased at the door. Debit/credit and check are allowed.
Can I watch the Winter Speaker Series on Zoom?
This is an in-person only event. The Series is not recorded.
What is the accessibility at the venue?
Elevator to 4th floor The venue has 160 seats Wheelchair accessible
Are there special accommodations available?
WSU Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and special needs who contact the WSU – Snohomish County Extension Registrar at 425-338-2400, 6705 Puget Park Drive, Snohomish, WA 98296, at least four weeks prior to the event.
Are you unable to use your ticket?
If you can’t use your ticket for the Winter Speaker Series, consider donating it to new interns. Contact Jackie Trimble jackie_trimble@hotmail.com for information.
WSU Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national or ethnic origin; physical, mental or sensory disability; marital status, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era or disabled veteran. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and special needs who contact Snohomish County Master Gardener Program Coordinator Mary Watts at WSU-Snohomish County Extension, 6705 Puget Park Dr, Snohomish, WA 98296, phone 425-338-2400, e-mail mary.watts@wsu.edu, at least four weeks prior to the event.
