Learn about gardening and floral techniques and many horticulture-focused hot topics in this new and exciting speaker series at the Flower Show! Taking place in the Convention Center, towards the Grand Hall and just past the escalators, our "classroom without walls" offers daily programming that is free with your Flower Show ticket. 

Each "Know to Grow” session is not just a glimpse into the horticultural community; it is a lively and engaging area of the Flower Show designed to inspire generations. Speakers will cover relevant and forward-thinking subjects that resonate with the global horticultural community and beyond. 

Programs will occur daily at 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. On the final Sunday, March 10, programs will be at 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm.

Monday, March 4, 2024 Schedule

How to Get Started in Bonsai

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Speaker: Bob Mahler is the former Curator of Bonsai at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the current VP of the Pennsylvania Bonsai Society. Bob owns a bonsai studio north of the city and has decades of bonsai experience in the States and abroad.
Presentation: Curious about bonsai? Bonsai professional Robert Mahler will discuss the fundamentals of bonsai and the basics of how to get started. There will be a Q&A following the talk.

Working Towards Equity with Tree Planting

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Speaker: Asha-Lé Davis joined the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) in 2021 to pursue her passion for empowering people to grow tree canopy in their communities. Since joining, she has helped grow the PHS Tree Tenders program in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties to over 60 active groups that have planted 3,000+ trees. She is a Trees Specialist and recently took on the role of facilitating the educational workshops within the program. Before her work at PHS, Asha-Lé was introduced to the necessity of healthy urban tree canopy through her work with TreePhilly. Asha-Lé is a PHS Tree Tender leader in her community, East Parkside, using her knowledge to educate her neighbors about the benefits of tree planting and care.
Presentation: Planting trees through the PHS Tree Tenders Program is more complex than just the number of trees we plant per season. We consider the tree canopy to have the most impact when we have done thoughtful plantings to help close the equity gap. During this presentation we will highlight the historical significance of the local landscape, what it looks like today, and where we can go in the future with thoughtful planting and community engagement. 

The Archaeology of Food from Garden to Table

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Speaker: Katherine Moore, Ph.D., is the Mainwaring Teaching Specialist for Zooarchaeology in the Center for Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM) at the Penn Museum, and a Practice Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Penn. A native of Delaware, she first visited the Penn Museum with her family in 1966, taught her first Penn course in 1999, and taught the first course in CAAM in 2014. She works on ancient animal bones that are the remains of food, pets, pests, and herd animals, untangling the multiple roles that animals have played in the lives of people. She is the co-curator of Penn Museum's "Ancient Food and Flavor" exhibition.
Presentation: Meet Katherine Moore, Ph.D. of Penn Museum and co-curator of the Ancient Food and Flavor exhibition. Hear how the research into ancient plant and animal remains from archaeological sites tells us about the kitchens and gardens from the past. Case examples will range from a village in Switzerland 6,000 years ago to the kitchen quarters of a historic house in South Carolina. Hear the presentation and see the pop-up display of Ancient Food & Flavor during the Flower Show.