9 a.m. this morning
Cece Fabbro, a Steering Committee member since The Native Plant Center's inception in 1999, is its current Chairman. Professionally, she is a nature and wildlife photographer. Her work has appeared in books, magazines (local and national including "Wildflower," the magazine of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center), and newspapers. Her images can be found in both public and private collections, and viewed on her website, http://www.cecefabbrophoto.com/. In 2008, one of her images was a top winner in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. Other awards include those from the National Wildlife Federation and the North American Nature Photography Association. Other community activities include: Board member of the Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon, and member of Teatown Lake's Wildflower Island Steering Group. 
Now that You've Ordered Plants ~
Ursula LaMotte was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators in 1995 and served for 6 terms. She was the Chair of the Committee on Technology and was a member of the Budget and Appropriations, Environment, Energy, Families and Education Committees. Prior to serving as a County Legislator, she was appointed by the County Executive in 1988 to the Westchester County Planning Board and was appointed by the Governor in 1989 to the State Conservation Corps. She was the Bedford Town Supervisor from 1984 to 1987 and also served two terms as Bedford Town Councilwoman. An expert on environmental issues, Ursula is currently a member of the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation and previously served on the Pound Ridge Conservation Board. Ursula has a long and distinguished record of community service. She has served on the Board of the Visiting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley and as President and 1st Vice-President of the United Way of Northern Westchester. She is a Board Member of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester, the Children's Aid Society of New York, Friends of John Jay Homestead and serves on the President's Council of the Northern Westchester Hospital. Ursula has been a resident of Westchester County for 47 years. She has lived in Bedford for the past 37 years and prior to that she lived Pound Ridge for 10 years. She is married with three grown children and six grandsons. She attended Smith College, earned a BA degree in history from Pace University and is a Member of the History Honor Society. 
Carolyn Summers is an adjunct professor for Continuing Education at Westchester Community College and a technical assistant to The Native Plant Center. She holds a Landscape Architecture degree from City College of New York and works with government and non-government organizations on environmental/landscape projects. Carolyn maintains native plant demonstration gardens that she has created on her two family properties. Her first book hits the shelves in April.
Today's Committee Member:
Brad Roeller is Manager of Outdoor Gardens at the New York Botanical Garden. A 1973 graduate of Cornell University; B.S. in Environmental Conservation.
His work experience includes: 1973 to 2009 worked at the Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum of the New York Botanical Garden. From 1984 to 2009 served as Manager of Grounds, Display Gardens & Visitation at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (formerly Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum). July 2010 until present, Manager of Outdoor Gardens at the New York Botanical Garden.
Areas of interest: Low maintenance perennials; investigating and evaluating environmentally sound gardening and landscaping practices; testing a wide range of landscape plants for Northern gardens; gardening with native plants; deer resistant plants and methods of minimizing deer damage; ecologically-driven and sustainable landscaping.
Supplemental information:
Brad has been a featured speaker at many large industry forums. He has presented at New England Grows annual conferences; the Perennial Plant Association’s annual meetings; UConn’s Perennial Plant Conferences; Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists annual meeting; NYS Turf & Landscape Association annual conferences; UMaine’s annual Garden Day conferences; NYS Turf & Landscape Association annual meetings; Empire State Green Industry Shows annual conferences; and Northeast Organic Farming Association annual conferences.
Brad’s broad body of horticultural work and knowledge has made him one of the most popular lecturers with regional garden clubs. He has been a featured speaker at several GCA and Federated Garden Clubs zone conferences.
Brad has been published in several magazines including Fine Gardening and Audubon, as well as dozens of newspapers, including the NY times and the Wall Street Journal, and other periodicals.
Brad has been an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden for over 25 years; the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies since it’s inception in 1983; and the Berkshire Botanical Garden for the past several years. He has participated in numerous professional forums, especially with his work with whitetail deer, organic landscape care, landscaping with native plants and his life-long work with perennials and trees and shrubs.
Brooke Beebe retired in 2008 from her position as the first Director of The Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY. In November, 2009, she joined Teatown Lake Reservation’s Board of Trustees. She is a member of Briarcliff Manor’s Conservation Advisory Council as well as ELLA (Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance). In June, 2009, she was awarded the 2009 Conservation Award from the Rusticus Garden Club in Bedford, NY.
We seem to have a lot of people interested in the Plant Pre-Sale and lectures this Spring. Not that I'm surprised, native plants are a hot topic, and well worth the investment, not only to your property value, but also to the environment. I hope to hear from a lot more of you.
I thought some of you may need clarification on the Annual Plant Sale, so here it is . . .
The Native Plant Sale is held in 2 parts ~
Pre-Sale and Regular Sale: 
Pre-Sale (order now and pick up plants between April 20 -24)
Welcome Back to The Blog!
venues, including Holly Hunt/Chicago, the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, and David Winter Works on Paper. In addition to her art, Heather has written on garden subjects for various publications, and has taught at the New York Botanical Garden. She has been a volunteer assistant curator of the herbarium at the Bruce Museum, a Pen Women in both Arts and Letters, and an active member of The Native Plant Center.
#1 Aquilegia canadensis - Wild Columbine DR DT BF H - One of the most popular wildflowers with a profuse show in April-May of red & yellow flowers shaped like little Japanese lanterns. Though individual plants can be short-lived, it self-sows prolifically. Average soil, part shade, 12" tall.
#11 Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot The first harbinger of spring, snow-white petals surround deep gold centers. Deep green, deeply notched leaves make an excellent groundcover, but may become summer dormant if too dry. Red sap oozes from cut roots, hence the common name. Moist soil, light shade, 6-12” tall.
#23 Monarda punctata - Spotted Bee Balm DR DT H - This annual bee balm relative sports fragrant whorls of snapdragon blossoms layered on straight stems. Blooms have lavender bracts over soft yellow flowers with purple spots. Self-sows in sunny, well-drained gardens alongside companions like blazing star & penstemon. Average to dry soil, full sun, 12-18” tall.
#28 Aster laevis - Smooth Aster - DR DT BF Give blue-violet “daisies” a starring role in meadows and sunny borders in the summer and into fall. Lovely blue green leaves clasp the upright stems, which rarely if ever require staking. Average soil, sunlight shade, 1-3’ tall.
#33 Liatris spicata - Dense Blazing Star - DR DT BF BD H - Purple, tufted flower heads are arranged in a long, dense spike blooming from the top down. The protruding styles give the flower an overall feathery appearance. A Monarch butterfly magnet. The linear, grass-like leaves form attractive basal clumps and extend up the flower stalk. Moist to average soil, sun, 3-4' tall.
#37 Dryopteris marginalis - Evergreen Woodfern - DR - A tall, handsome, vase-shaped fern with deep green leathery evergreen fronds (leaves). Moist soil, part shade-shade, 1 - 3' tall.
# 40 Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Bearberry - DR DT BD - This charming, woody groundcover thrives in harsh conditions. Small glossy leaves, flowers in April-May followed by red berries. Closely resembles non-native cotoneaster. Slow growing but durable once established. Average to dry soil, full sun, 4” tall.
#41 Parthenocissus quinquefolia - Virginia Creeper - DT BD - A woody deciduous climber that is often used to decorate trees, buildings and as a groundcover. This plant attaches with self-adhering suckers (not roots) that do not infiltrate structures. Small greenish flowers in spring are followed by dark blue fruit that are relished by birds. Elegant, medium green, 5-parted leaves turn blazing red in very early autumn. Average to moist soil, sun to full shade, 30’+ if given support.
#46 Asarum (Hexastylis) shuttleworthii - Evergreen Ginger - DR Native to the southeast, this handsome evergreen (in mild winters) forms clumps of rounded to heart-shaped aromatic leaves which are usually mottled with silvery gray markings. Small vase-shaped, purplish brown flowers with reddish purple spots in spring. Average, well-drained soil, part to full shade, 6-8" tall.
#54 Senecio aureus - Golden Ragwort * DR DT - Cheerful yellow daisy-like blossoms light up the early spring shade garden and will also bloom in full sun, given adequate moisture. After the spring show, glossy evergreen basal rosettes slowly spread to make an attractive groundcover. Moist to average soil, part sun-shade, 12-18” tall.
