The Zookeeper's Wife

SEPTEMBER 5, 5:30 P.M.
Eleventh Annual William H. and Jane Torrence Harder Lecture

Diane Ackerman, Author of The Zookeeper’s Wife and Cultivating Delight: A Natural History of My Garden

Diane Ackerman’s presentation, based on her new book, The Zookeeper's Wife, will relate the extraordinary efforts of two Polish Christian zookeepers who, horrified by Nazi racism, capitalize on the German government’s obsession with pureblood animals and primeval forests to save over 300 people.

Warren Hall Auditorium, B45, Cornell University Garden reception at Plantations Botanical Garden (off Plantations Road) to follow.

Tremble, Bloom and a Slow Fade to Brown

SEPTEMBER 19, 7:30 P.M.
Class of 1945 Lecture

William Cullina, Author and Director of Horticultural Research for the New England Wild Flower Society

Gardening is not just about flowers. It is also about the celebration of the cycles of growth and death, changing moods, seasons, and the interplay of light. William Cullina’s talk will focus on underused native perennials with enduring interest through the year. Plants that provide structure and temporal drama—be it their emerging leaves, flowers, fruits, or their dramatic exits—will be featured.

Statler Auditorium, Cornell University

Fragrance in the Garden

OCTOBER 3, 7:30 P.M.
Nineteenth Annual Audrey Harkness O'Connor Lecture

Holly Shimizu, Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden

Holly Shimizu’s presentation will focus on the horticultural aspects of fragrance, such as what fragrant plants to grow, where to best grow them, how to blend and combine them, and specific aspects of the essential fragrant garden collection. Current research in the area of fragrance will also be covered.

Statler Auditorium, Cornell University

Paradise Transformed: Private Gardens for the 21st Century

OCTOBER 17, 7:30 P.M.
Twenty-fifth Annual William J. Hamilton, Jr. Lecture

Guy Cooper and Gordon Taylor, International Landscape Designers, Authors, and Television Presenters.

These award-winning authors, whose acclaimed classic Paradise Transformed covers 50 gardens by 27 designers, will discuss contemporary private gardens in the United States, Japan, Australia, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, and Spain.

Statler Auditorium, Cornell University

Climate Change and our Gardens, Farms, and Natural Landscapes

NOVEMBER 7, 7:30 P.M.

David Wolfe, Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University

The climate in the northeastern United States is changing. Climate change may bring new opportunities, but it will also pose new risks and challenges for gardeners, farmers, and land managers. David Wolfe will present a variety of ways in which gardeners can help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

Statler Auditorium, Cornell University

Reconstructing the Desert Gardens of Nagaur Palace, Rajasthan, India

NOVEMBER 28, 7:30 P.M.

Kathryn L. Gleason, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Cornell University

Within the stout walls of Nagaur Fort, built in the 5th century and now a UNESCO Heritage Site, delicate pavilions provided both open and secluded garden settings for the royalty that lived there. Set in a desert, these gardens thrived through the creation of a sophisticated rainwater harvesting system. Kathryn Gleason’s talk will focus on Cornell’s role in the archaeological excavation of the gardens and water systems, and the current efforts to restore them.

Statler Auditorium, Cornell University

All lectures will be held in the Statler Auditorium on the Cornell University campus, except for the first lecture, which will be held in Warren Hall on the Cornell University campus. Ample free parking is available after 5 p.m. in the parking garage on Hoy Road, just a short walk away. Handicapped access is available at the back of the Statler. For additional information, please visit our website at www.plantations.cornell.edu or call 607-255-2400.