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Jenny Elder Fitch Memorial Lecture: Digging Deeper into Ecological Horticulture

Date: Sun, Nov 1, 2026

Time: 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM

Venue: North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill

Price: Free

Category: Classes

Join us for this year’s Jenny Elder Fitch Memorial Lecture as Uli Lorimer with the Native Plant Trust explores the questions and challenges shaping ecological horticulture today. Successful gardens are being asked to be both beautiful and to provide ecological function. Welcoming more native plants into designed spaces has been shown to provide great benefit for humans and wildlife alike. Environmentally conscious garden decisions are based on assumptions that native plants better support ecosystems, that genetic diversity is essential, and that native cultivars may not be as functional as species. This talk will explore the assumptions and the challenges to those assumptions. What role does the nursery industry play in providing the right kinds of information for gardeners to make informed decisions? Do maintenance practices influence biodiversity, and how do science and research factor into these assumptions?

Raleigh Mom Club — Raleigh, NC

Classes · Chapel Hill

Jenny Elder Fitch Memorial Lecture: Digging Deeper into Ecological Horticulture

When
Nov 1
Sun, Nov 1, 2026
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Ages
Check ages with the venue
Price
Free
chapel hillfree

The Jenny Elder Fitch Memorial Lecture: Digging Deeper into Ecological Horticulture is an educational presentation by Uli Lorimer of the Native Plant Trust focusing on the science and challenges of native plant gardening. What to Know: This free event takes place on Sunday afternoon at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. While the content is geared toward adults and older teens with an interest in science or gardening, younger children will likely find the lecture format difficult to sit through. This lecture makes a productive Sunday outing for parents looking to transition their home landscaping to better support local pollinators and birds before the winter planting season ends.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a cost to attend the lecture?
No, this educational event is completely free to the public.
Is this event suitable for young children?
This is a seated academic lecture best suited for adults and teenagers rather than toddlers or young kids.

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Directions

Plan Your Visit

Schedule

Jenny Elder Fitch Memorial Lecture: Digging Deeper into Ecological Horticulture runs Sun, Nov 1, 2026, 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM.

Getting There

North Carolina Botanical Garden is at 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, Chapel Hill, NC. Open in Google Maps.

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What to Bring

Nothing but the kids — this one's free, with no tickets to buy.

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