An LGF Spring Preview, Inside and Out
With Vincent Simeone and Dennis Schrader
Saturday, March 23, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
There’s newness in the air this spring – the Garden is going into its fourth season as one of the must-see attractions of the North Fork, and its new conservatory is under construction. We a re pleased to welcome back perennial favorite Vincent A. Simeone, who will lead an eye-opening outdoor tour of a garden on the threshold of spring; then move indoors with Landcraft Environment’s co-owner, LGF’s co- founder, and plant explorer Dennis Schrader to preview the Landcraft private plant collection – a display of tropical plants from around the world – created and curated for decades by Dennis and Bill Smith. Simeone will highlight the wonders of landscape emerging from rest, while Schrader will inspire the plant collector in all of us.
*Participants will receive a signed copy of Simeone’s book, “Sustainable Gardening: Grow a Greener, Low Maintenance Landscape with Less Resources” OR “Wonders of the Winter Landscape.”
**Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available! 3 credits each for International Society of Arboriculture Certified Professionals; Certified Nursery and Landscape Professionals; and NYS Registered Landscape Architects through Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County. Sign-up sheets are available from each provider day of event.
VINCENT SIMEONE has worked in public horticulture for 37 years at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in New York where he is currently the Director. He received an AAS degree in ornamental horticulture from SUNY Farmingdale, a BS in ornamental horticulture from the University of Georgia, and a master’s degree in public administration from CW Post. Vincent studied under well-known professors Dr. Michael Dirr and Dr. Allan Armitage. Over the last 15 years, Vincent has assisted Armitage with garden tours through Southern England, Northern France, Southern Germany, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Sweden. Vincent specializes in woody plant id, culture, use and selection of superior varieties and is an experienced lecturer, instructor, and horticultural consultant. He has spoken to many groups nationwide and has appeared on several garden shows including Martha Stewart Living and HGTV.
Dennis Schrader is co-owner of Landcraft Environments, a leading wholesale greenhouse growing operation, located in Mattituck, NY and Ridgley, Maryland. The business currently has over 6 acres of greenhouse growing space, and additional acreage of outdoor growing structures, producing hundreds of thousands of plants each year. Landcraft ships their plants to garden centers, public gardens and garden designers throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. In addition to Landcraft Environments, Dennis’ garden design accomplishments range from penthouse gardens in Manhattan to large-scale commercial and estate landscapes on Long Island and throughout the Northeast to tropical gardens in Florida, Hawaii, California and Costa Rica.
Dennis has participated in lecture tours across the country appearing at botanical gardens and horticultural societies. He graduated from SUNY Cobleskill NY where his majors were Environmental Design and Horticulture. He is an advisor to the NYBG School of Horticulture and a member of various garden committees. Dennis has written numerous articles on gardening for national and international magazines and two books: Hot Plants for Cool Climates and Extraordinary Leaves with the photographer Stephen Green-Armitage. In 2020, Dennis and husband Bill Smith founded the Landcraft Garden Foundation.