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The Flower Show

Grow Smarter with Monthly Gardening Insights

Know to Grow is a monthly webinar series that brings gardening knowledge straight to you. Whether you're an experienced grower or just getting started, each session is packed with expert insights and fresh inspiration moderated by PHS Vice President of Horticulture, Andrew Bunting. Join for just $20 per lecture or become a PHS member (starting at $5/month) and attend every session for free!

January 14, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Cherron and Amma Thomas – “Healthier Houseplants with Cherron and Amma Thomas of Plant and People”
Learn how to fertilize, re-pot, and choose the best soil and lighting to bring out the healthiest growth in your indoor plants, especially those that need a little extra attention. This inspiring mother-daughter duo will share their favorite techniques and time-tested tips for improving plant health and vitality so you can enjoy happier, longer-living plants at home.

A fresh look at the ecological and horticultural roles of non-native plants! Have you ever gotten into a discussion about the “goodness” or “badness” of a non-native plant? How about a lecture on why native-only landscapes are the only correct direction for horticulture to go? Join horticulturist David McKinney for a thoughtful discussion on the value and complexity of non-native plants in our landscapes. While native plants are essential to ecosystem health, many non-native species also provide important benefits including supporting pollinators and offering habitat for wildlife.

André Michaux was one of the most accomplished scientific explorers of North America before Lewis and Clark, known for his major contributions to botany and horticulture. During his decade-long American sojourn, he established a botanical garden and introduced countless native plants to Europe. Yet Michaux also found himself thrust into the middle of a vast international conspiracy. This fascinating talk blends political intrigue with botany and highlights a little-known chapter where early American horticulture and global ambition intersected.

Andrew Conboy

Presentation: “Everyday Actions for Greener Communities”
Andrew is a local urban forester and ISA-certified arborist who is passionate about trees, native plants, and the natural world. Through his social media platforms and his ecological restoration non-profit, the Community Canopy Project, he hopes to encourage a deeper integration of nature into the spaces where we live, work, and play. His user-friendly content on social media platforms (@Andrew_The_Arborist) aims to educate and inspire people to reconnect with the natural world around them.

Dee Hall Goodwin

Presentation: “The Giving Garden: Cultivating Native Flowers to Transform Your Cutting Garden and Community"
Dee Hall Goodwin, a Norfolk, Virginia-based floral designer and urban flower farmer, blends eco-consciousness and artistry through locally grown, seasonal blooms. Inspired by her grandmother’s garden in St. Lucia and her childhood in Brooklyn, Dee founded Mermaid City Flowers to celebrate nature’s beauty while supporting community-sourced farming. As the founder of the Tidewater Flower Collective and Black Flower Farmers, Dee champions sustainable practices and diversity in floriculture. Her work has been featured on PBS, and in publications including Black Flora, Garden and Gun, and Country Living, reflecting her dedication to floristry as a blend of art, nature, and heritage.

David McKinney

Presentation: “Looking at Non-Native Plants with Fresh Eyes”
David McKinney is a horticulturist, ecologist, entomologist, and plant physiologist currently working as the curator at the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens where he manages 160 acres of gardens, prairie restoration, and native woodland. Originally from Colorado, he received three degrees in horticulture from Colorado State University while also coordinating extensive perennial trials and demonstration gardens. He is passionate about native plants, and the interactions between plants and wildlife. On top of his curatorial work David is an award-winning writer and speaker, recently receiving the Emerging Perennial Professional Award from the Perennial Plant Association and Kenneth Post Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science.

Andra Nus

Presentation: “Meet the Pawpaw: A Native Fruit Tree with a Tropical Twist”
Andra Nus is the owner of Sleepy Gap Pawpaws, a pawpaw nursery and orchard outside of Asheville, NC. She has three decades of horticultural experience in gardening, garden design, nursery management and plant breeding.

Patrick Spero

Presentation: “Botany and Betrayal: André Michaux, Thomas Jefferson, and the Conspiracy of 1793 with Patrick Spero”
Patrick Spero is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Philosophical Society and a scholar of early American history. Dr. Spero is the author of four books on the era of the American Revolution. They are Frontier Country: The Politics of War in Early Pennsylvania (2016), which was named a staff pick by the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2017, Frontier Rebels: The Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765-1776 (2018), winner of the Philadelphia Athenaeum’s Literary Award and a finalist for the Journal of the American Revolution’s best book of the year, The Scientist Turned Spy: Andre Michaux, Thomas Jefferson, and the Kentucky Conspiracy of 1793 (2024), and The Other Presidency: Thomas Jefferson and the American Philosophical Society (2024). He is also co-editor of The American Revolution Reborn: New Perspectives for the 21st Century (2016), a book that one reviewer said “will surely secure a place in the historiographical pantheon.” In recognition of his scholarly and administrative accomplishments, he is an elected member of the Royal Historical Society (2023), the Academy of Arts in Science in Lyon France (2023), the American Philosophical Society (2023), and the American Antiquarian Society (2023).

Cherron and Amma Thomas

Presentation: “Healthier Houseplants with Cherron and Amma Thomas of Plant and People”
Cherron Thomas is from Tennessee where growing food and caring for plants was a way of life. She's a seasoned plant wellness entrepreneur and passionate grower. Amma Thomas, is an herbalist and lifelong gardener who started at just three years old and is the COO of Plant and People. She frequently teaches plant classes and manages their plant stand at the Clark Park Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. Amma and Cherron’s passion for plants and wellness shows in their desire to share and educate the community about wellness through plants. This dynamic mother-daughter duo is behind Plant and People, an award-winning plant shop and community hub in Philadelphia. Known for going above and beyond, they offer easy-care houseplants, thoughtful gifts, eco-friendly products, educational workshops, and corporate services to inspire sustainable living and build community connections.

Cherron and Amma began Plant and People in 2020, as a shared vision to create a sanctuary for the community. Rooted in a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of nature, wellness, and community. Plant and People has grown to be a treasured institution. Plant and People has become a space for creativity, learning, and growth. From seasoned plant enthusiasts to new plant parents visit Plant and People in West Philly, or online at www.plantandpeople.com and social media (@plantandpeople).

Kevin Zuidervliet

Presentation: “Top Native Trees and Shrubs for Your Garden”
Kevin is a 2013 graduate of Susquehanna University with a degree in Student Development in Higher Education. After graduation he traveled to Australia and New Zealand where he worked on organic farms for 6 months. This sparked an interest in gardening and horticulture. When he returned to the states, he joined AmeriCorps VISTA at Bucknell University where he ran the Lewisburg Community Garden, which is still thriving today. After AmeriCorps, he was accepted into the Professional Horticulture Program at Longwood Gardens. He worked another three years at Longwood Gardens as a Nursery Horticulturalist, growing woody plants. After working at Longwood Kevin joined Octoraro Native Plant Nursery’s team as the Head Propagator in 2021. In January of 2025 Kevin and his wife transitioned into owning Octoraro and he is currently the Owner - Grower there.

Know to Grow