2025 Plant Geek Day

Wednesday, September 10, 2025
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston

Event resources

Registration Flyer

A great educational opportunity for all nursery and landscape professionals within the green industry!

Two MCH credits available to event attendees.

Event sponsors

Event Agenda

8:00am
Registration Opens, Coffee Served

Our morning begins simply with: assorted pastries, assorted teas, fresh brewed coffee (regular and decaf) and coffee accompaniments

8:30am
Welcome & Recognition of New MCHs for 2025

Join us as we welcome attendees and speakers while recognizing the newest MCHs of 2025 from the Feburary 12th & August 6th exams.

8:45am
Tower Hill Welcome

Learn more about the New England Botanic Garden. We will also touch on the maintenance and care of a heavily traveled garden.

9:00am
Educational Tours

Attendees will be broken up into three groups (each tour is approximately 20 minutes) to explore these themes:

Tour A: Gas to Electric—New England Botanic Garden is the first botanic garden in the country with a Green Zone Certification. Join Robert Graham to learn more about this transitional journey to becoming more sustainable.
Tour B: Ramble—Designed for the young and the young at heart, The Ramble celebrates the idea that gardens can be about beauty, inspiration, and playfulness all at the same time. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities of horticulture in a children’s garden that includes universally accessible pathways.
Tour C: Winter Garden—The Winter Garden showcases plants that have winter interest, such as evergreen foliage, appealing bark, berries and cones, or striking structural forms. A multi season garden that hosts frogs and tadpoles in Domitian’s pool is embellished with conservatory plants in the summer, night lighting and a multi-use space.

11:00am
Plant I.D. Trivia Scavenger Hunt

Explore the gardens, have fun and get a bit “Plant Geek” competitive as we challenge your trivia & plant I.D. knowledge.

11:45am
Lunch

Deli platter options include: roast beef, turkey, ham, bacon, with swiss & cheddar cheeses, assorted breads and rolls, greens, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo, mustard, hot peppers, garden salad & potato chips

12:30pm
Apple Orchard Tour & Apple Tasting

Explore the apple orchard’s historic collection of 119 heirloom apples represented by 268 trees.

1:45pm
Winners Announced & Wrap Up!

Join us for the wrap up where will taste test a selection of vintage apples and announce the winners from our Plant I.D. Trivia Scavenger Hunt.

Attendee Pricing

Register on or before August 25 and save $20 per attendee!

Pricing

MNLA member $75 ($95 after 8/25/25)
MCH non-member $85 ($105 after 8/25/25)
Non-member $95 ($115 after 8/25/25)

Registration includes coffee & a light lunch. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunches and beverages as well.

Pre-registration is required, no walk-ins:

We will be unable to accommodate walk-in registrations for this event. All attendees MUST be pre-registered on or before September 8, 2025.

Sponsor Opportunity Details

Pricing

Plant Geek Sponsor: $500

All sponsors receive logo on signage and conference materials, the opportunity to forward information to be shared with attendees, as well as a mailing list of attendees. Sponsors will also receive two (2) free registrations to participate on the day or to share with a customer.

DISCLAIMER: Although every reasonable effort is made to provide the speakers, topics, and sessions listed, some changes or substitutions may occur. Speakers and sessions are subject to cancellation or change up to and including the day the session(s) are scheduled to be held. Changes or cancellations are made at the discretion of MNLA and may be done without notifying attendees. If sessions are changed or canceled no refunds should be expected. Submission of the registration form acknowledges acceptance of this provision.

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Please note: All registrations are transferable within a company; they are however non-refundable.

What is an MCH?

A Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist (MCH) is the ultimate resource for growing in Massachusetts. They’ve invested the time to learn and qualify as experts in the field and include nursery professionals, landscape contractors, fine gardeners, designers, land managers, tree care professionals, and turf pros.

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