2025 Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Presentations – Final Speakers

The Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Symposium is growing nearer by the day. I know you have been waiting patiently since last month to see the final five presentations which have been expertly crafted and brought to you by the JCMGA Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Working Group. The wait is over, here they are!

Registration is open. Have you reserved your virtual spot? Join us October 17, 18, 24, and 25 from the comfort of your home via Zoom and dream your summer garden into being.

 

Oregon Butterflies and the Native Plants That Host Them   

Presented by Lynn Kunstman

North American insects have evolved to feed on native plants. If we want to increase the number and variety (abundance and diversity) of butterflies in our yards and gardens, we need to nurture those plants on which their larvae feed. Each family of plants hosts a specific suite of butterflies with whom they share evolutionary relationships. In some cases, a single Genus of plant hosts a specialized lepidoptera species – as with milkweed (Asclepias) and the monarch butterfly. This presentation will show you Oregon’s beautiful native butterflies and the plants that support them. Get ready to add some winged color to your yard by choosing native plants!

Lynn Kunstman began gardening with her parents in Lafayette, California as a young child. She has a degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University and, after moving to Ashland in 1986, obtained a Master of Science in Education from SOU. After teaching middle school special ed and science for 22 years, she retired to Medford, where she grew a huge vegetable garden; harvesting and preserving food crops year-round. She became a Master Gardener in 2012, and a Master Food Preserver in 2013. Most recently her focus has been on gardening for wildlife and pollinators. Lynn is the Master Gardener Speaker on the monthly gardening show Garden for Life on Jefferson Public Radio. Her quarter acre lot in Medford is certified as a Monarch Way Station, a Pollinator Garden, and a Wildlife Habitat. In 2023 she was named Oregon State Master Gardener of the Year. She established and runs the native plants nursery at Jackson County Extension Campus. She also rears, tags and releases monarch butterflies as part of a citizen science effort through University of Washington.

 

What’s Your Garden Future? Talking Climate Change with Oregon’s Gardeners

Presented by LeAnn Locher

Across Oregon, gardeners are noticing the impacts of climate change and adapting their practices in creative and meaningful ways. In this session, we’ll share what we’ve heard from hundreds of gardeners—what they’re seeing, what they’re doing, and what support they need most. We’ll also introduce the Garden Future campaign, a statewide effort to support climate-resilient gardening with practical tools, resources, and community connections. Join us to explore how your garden can grow a more resilient future.

LeAnn Locher is an award-winning communications strategist with more than 20 years of experience spanning national agencies, nonprofit consulting, and higher education. At Oregon State University Extension, she serves as the lead communication strategist for the Master Gardener program, where her work has earned national recognition for public engagement and outreach. LeAnn is the strategist behind Garden Future, a statewide initiative that explores how Oregon gardeners are experiencing and responding to climate change. Her work focuses on co-creating a climate-resilient gardening culture grounded in science, community values, and practical action. She is the Statewide Outreach Coordinator for the OSU Extension Master Gardener program.

 

 

From Soil to Soul: Regenerative Veggie Gardening

Presented by Rhianna Simes, M.S. Ed.

Grow Regeneratively: Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy You. We will cover how to incorporate veggies into a beautiful garden and landscape that feeds your family, tips on what grows well, seed selection, and ideas for season extension. If you are what you eat, you want to grow something really good! Come learn how!

Rhianna Simes (wry-anna sims) recently retired from 10 years as an instructor at the Oregon State University Extension Service, where she developed the Land Steward program, and coordinated the Master Gardener program for several years. Rhianna earned a Master of Science in Education and Botany from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, as well as a certificate in Plant Pathology from OSU. Rhianna lives with her husband and two young children outside Phoenix, OR. They operate their own certified organic farm called Verdant Phoenix Farm & Nursery (verdantphoenix.com), which specializes in organic plant starts, willow basketry, perennial food, healthy soil and natural farming. Rhianna is also a nonprofit consultant and grant writer with Growing Assets for Nonprofit Excellence.

 

 

The Basics of Limnology: Water Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, and Wellness Benefits from Water Features

Presented by Zach Wooldridge

In my presentation I will discuss the positive effects of water and being near water, and the wellness that the sound of water can bring. I’ll also discuss how water gardens and hydroponics improve upon and bolster our traditional gardens.

Zach Wooldridge is the owner of Neptune’s Ponds and Water Gardens. He has over 20 years of construction experience, getting his start in excavation and large-scale farm ponds. He currently designs and builds custom water features including Koi ponds, swim ponds, waterfalls and backyard oases. He’s not just a builder – he’s an artist at heart and is known for creating peaceful, nature-inspired beautiful spaces. In his free time he enjoys playing pickleball and spending time with his wife and 3 kids.

 

Lawn Alternatives

Presented by Lucretia Weems

Are you curious about changing some or all your landscape to something beyond the traditional grass lawn? Join us in exploring several sustainable and attractive options and learn more about the growing Unlawning Movement.

Classically trained in the UCLA Landscape Architecture program, Lucretia Weems has been gardening and designing landscapes in the Rogue Valley for over 20 years. She has been taking out lawn in her own homes for even longer!