Paula Reynolds Photography

Lecture Series

YOU’RE INVITED TO LADEW'S Spring Lecture Series 2026
Inspiring lectures offered in-person & virtually

Ladew’s Spring Lecture Series will feature distinguished speakers offering insights and inspiration to gardening enthusiasts of all ages and abilities.
The presenters will take you on a journey through their explorations of garden design concepts, plant selections, growing techniques, history, photography, floral arranging, and environmental sciences.

 Cost per lecture:
In-person: $30 Ladew member | $40 non-member (includes pastries, coffee and tea from the Ladew Café)
Virtual: $15 Ladew member | $20 non-member 

 Series Discount: 
Sign up for all five Spring Lectures and enjoy one free! 

In-person: $120 Ladew member | $160 non-member (includes pastries, coffee and tea from the Ladew Café)
Virtual: $60 Ladew member | $80 non-member

"For groups/organizations interested in watching a lecture virtually, please contact Caroline Graf at cgraf@ladewgardens.com" 

Register: In-Person Series
Register: Virtual Series

Presentation:
Lectures will be presented in-person and virtually through Zoom. They will be recorded and available for all paid registrants to view later.

For questions, contact Caroline Graf at 410-557-9570, x 261 or cgraf@ladewgardens.com.

Thursday, March 12
10:30 AM  |  in-person and virtual (refreshments begin at 10 AM for in-person attendees)
Honoring Baltimore’s Native Past, Present, and Future
with Dr. Ashley Minner Jones

Register In-person
Register virtual

The area known as Baltimore is part of the ancestral homelands of the Piscataway and the Susquehannock peoples.  Currently, the largest group of Native people living in Baltimore are citizens of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Join us as Dr. Ashley Minner Jones (Lumbee Tribe) will share about her practice as a community-based visual artist and public scholar working in collaboration with Baltimore's American Indian community to honor their collective past, present, and future. 

 Dr. Ashley Minner Jones is a community-based visual artist and folklorist from Baltimore, Maryland. Her interdisciplinary practice is deeply rooted in place—usually within the context of the U.S. South—and is focused on honoring and celebrating everyday people.

https://ashleyminnerjones.com/

Thursday, March 19
10:30 AM  |  in-person and virtual (refreshments begin at 10 AM for in-person attendees)
The Art and Artistry of Chanticleer: A Focus on the Art and Whimsy 
with Dan Benarcik, Horticulturist

Register In-person
Register virtual

Horticulture is imperative at Chanticleer, but it is not the only thing that sets the garden apart from other public gardens.  It is also the efforts of the staff that make the garden unique. This talk highlights the artists and their work in the garden that creates a whimsical atmosphere. 

 Dan Benarcik has horticultural experience from numerous gardens and nurseries including Chanticleer, Mt. Cuba Center, and Lotusland. Dan also has experience in public speaking and writing. Articles written by Dan can be found in Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Martha Stewart Living, and Rodale’s garden books. 

https://danbenarcik.com/about

Thursday, March 26
10:30 AM  |  in-person and virtual (refreshments begin at 10 AM for in-person attendees)
Life with Flowers
With Frances Palmer, Artist

Register In-person
Register virtual

Join Frances Palmer as she takes us through her second book, Life with Flowers: Inspiration and Lessons from the Garden. Organized into six seasons, the book highlights the flora that comes to life in each period.  Chapters for each of these seasonal “waves” includes profiles on her favorite varieties, with flower-specific gardening how-to’s and arranging techniques.  

 A celebrated author, ceramicist, gardener and photographer, Frances Palmer trained as an art historian at Columbia University and for the past 38 years, has focused on the process of changing ideas into form in her functional work—handmade ceramics. 

https://www.francespalmerpottery.com/

Special Lecture Ticket: Breakfast Bites with Frances Palmer 
$75 per person. (Member discounts do not apply. Not included with the Lecture Series.)
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Breakfast bites and refreshments in the Ladew Cafe with sponsors and lecture guests.
With this special ticket guests will be able to mingle and meet Frances Palmer. Guests will also receive a copy of Life with Flowers and have the opportunity for Frances to sign your book prior to the lecture.

Special Lecture Ticket: Breakfast Bites with Frances Palmer 

Breakfast Bites with Frances Palmer 
Sponsored By:
Lagniappe Antiques

Thursday, April 2
10:30 AM  |  in-person and virtual (refreshments begin at 10 AM for in-person attendees)
The History and Impact of the American Lawn
with Paula Becker, Outreach Ecologist for Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Register In-person
Register virtual

The American Dream has often been described as private property, with a house, a lawn, and a picket fence.  We’ll explore how we got to that vision and the impact culture has on our own choices.  We’ll consider possible other ways to manage the lands we occupy and simultaneously improve our health and the health of our communities.  Spoiler alert: we can blame the ancient Romans for so many things. 

 Paula Becker has been an ecologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for over 30 years.  Her duties through the years include volunteer coordination and outreach for the State’s non-game and endangered species program, as well as rare species surveys and habitat restoration. 

Thursday, April 9
10:30 AM  |  in-person and virtual (refreshments begin at 10 AM for in-person attendees)
Art is a Verb
with Justin Roberts, Ladew Garden’s 2026 Sculptor-in-Residence

Register In-person
Register virtual

Join Justin Roberts, 2026 Sculptor-in-Residence, as he discusses his ideology of process over product. He will explore how actions create an impact by fostering connections and stimulating our senses through engaging the world around us. Justin will explain how using a creative process fosters connections between animals, people, and nature, which is exemplified in his exhibit. Following the lecture, Justin invites participants to join him in the Ladew meadow for a closer look at his willow sculpture exhibit, “The Network.”

 Justin Roberts completed an apprenticeship under master craftsman, George Bard, to learn the art of willow furniture.  Justin has completed artist residencies with the Bernheim Forest and Arboretum and The Josephine Sculpture Park and has been a featured speaker for the Furniture Society of America and the National Basketry Organization. 

https://stickbender.com/

THANK YOU TO OUR LECTURE SERIES PARTNER
Muffin & Sam Dell