Programs

Kim’s Lecture and Workshop Topics

All programs are designed for libraries, schools, botanical gardens, landscape and design professionals, garden shows, garden clubs, private groups, and special events.

Spangled Dawn ~  Gloucester, Massachusetts

The Pollinator Garden

Following the rhythm of the seasons, celebrated landscape designer Kim Smith presents a stunning slide show and lecture demonstrating how to create a welcoming haven for bees, birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Native plants and examples of organic and architectural features will be discussed based on their value to particular vertebrates and invertebrates. Pollinator plant list handout included with workshop. (1-1.5 hours)

Butterfly Gardening

Author, illustrator, and designer Kim Smith presents the necessary elements for creating a sheltering haven for butterflies. Native plants and well-behaved non-native plants will be discussed based on their value to attracting specific butterflies. When we create in our own back yards a habitat designed for adult Lepidoptera and their caterpillars, we give back, one garden at a time, the gifts of grace and beauty we receive from nature. This lecture and slide presentation will help you gain a deeper understanding of the interconnected world that we human beings share with plants and butterflies and how to translate that information to your own garden. Butterfly gardening plant list handout included with workshop. (1-1.5 hours)

Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities!

This inspiring presentation by author, illustrator, photographer, and noted landscape designer Kim Smith is based on the book of the same name, which she wrote and illustrated. Kim reveals how to create the framework, a living tapestry of flora, fauna, and fragrance that establishes the soul of the garden. Using a selection of plant material that eliminates the need for pesticides and herbicides, and guided by the plants forms, hues, and horticultural demands, Kim reveals how to create a succession of blooms from April through November. This presentation is as much about how to visualize your garden, as it is about particular trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and annuals. Illuminated with Kim’s photographs and illustrations, and citing poetry and quotations from Eastern and Western cultural influences, this presentation engages us with an artist’s eye while drawing from practical experience. Plant list handout included. (1-1.5 hours)

The Fragrant Garden

The air impregnated with the scents of flowers and foliage imbues a memorable atmosphere in the garden, playing the subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle role of strengthening the the ambiance we wish to create. Through photographs, examination of historical precedent, and discussion of specific plant varieties, celebrated landscape designer Kim Smith provides the key elements for creating a fragrant garden. Fragrance -elusive, emotionally colored, and so entirely related to experience – welcomes us as we walk though the pathways of our garden. List of the most highly scented plants is included.  (1-1.5 hours)

Your Garden as Habitat

Noted landscape designer Kim Smith presents  the necessary elements for making your garden a haven for bees, birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Once you begin to think about your garden as welcoming food source and shelter, it will influence all your horticultural decisions. Kim will help you assess your existing garden to create a more life-sustaining ecosystem. Native plants and examples of organic and architectural features will be discussed based on their value to particular vertebrates and invertebrates. Bring photos and sketches of your outdoor space to class for comment and discussion.  Through lectures, photographs, and supplemental reading you will gain a deeper understanding of the interconnected world that we human beings share with plants and wildlife and how to translate that information to your own garden. Native plant list included with workshop.

Garden Photography

This stimulating presentation by celebrated butterfly and garden photographer Kim Smith is based on her photo/journal work for regional and national publications and her acclaimed photography exhibits. Bring your camera and questions and Kim will guide you in capturing the beauty of the flora and fauna found in the garden. (1-1.5hours)

Children’s Program: Through a Butterflies Eyes

Did you know that a caterpillar has six pairs of eyes and many noses? Did you know a butterfly tastes with it’s feet? And that it’s proboscis is a long double drinking straw that must zip together upon emerging from it’s chrysalis? We’ll learn all about how a butterfly sees flowers, butterfly and caterpillar anatomy, where to look for butterflies and caterpillars, and how to attract butterflies, moths, and caterpillars to your backyard.

For Young and Old: Beauty on the Wing ~ Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly

Each living creature is bound to earth by many strands, weaving the intricate design in the web of life. The Monarch butterfly’s migration is a marvel of the most intricate behavior. Through photographs and discussion, Beauty on the Wing tells about the life cycle of the individual butterfly within the species grander annual life cycle, illuminating the wholeness of the life story of the Monarch butterfly. Set within the stage of a garden and the surrounding meadows and shoreline of the North Shore, this presentation can be tailored to fit all age groups. (1-1.5 hours)

Male Hackberry Emperor