10:00 aM - Speaker Presentation:  

Speaker: Kathy Connolly

“Leave the Leaves, Save the Stems: Wildlife-Friendly Winter Landscapes That Work for People, Too”

This year’s speaker, Kathy Connolly, is a landscape designer who specializes in naturalized designs, low-impact landscape techniques, and native plants. She has helped design and install multiple meadows and meadow-gardens and has managed her home meadow for over 25 years. She gives more than 30 talks and workshops annually for conservation organizations, master gardeners, museums, libraries, land trusts, and garden clubs. Topics include meadows, site preparation, native plants, invasive plants, and pollinator encouragement, among others. 

Since 2013, Kathy has published upwards of 150 articles on landscapes, plants, and land care in Connecticut publications. She is active in the Connecticut Invasive Plants Working Group, which awarded her its Leslie J. Mehrhoff Award at the 2022 symposium for her efforts on the topic of invasive plants.  

Kathy has a master's degree in ecological landscape planning and design from the Conway School in Northampton, MA. She completed the advanced master gardener program and is an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional through the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut.

More information about her work can be found at her website: www.SpeakingofLandscapes.com