Adam Black is a lifelong plant enthusiast with a passion for the rare, unusual and esoteric. He combines his experience in the fields of botany and horticulture by promoting diverse landscapes while also collaborating with various gardens and universities documenting and collecting imperiled plant species for the purposes of research and conservation.  Currently assistant curator and head of propagation at Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and Arboretum in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, he previously served as director of The John Fairey Garden (formerly Peckerwood Garden) in Hempstead, Texas where he assisted with the transition of this internationally-acclaimed private garden into a public garden.  Originally from Florida, he formerly managed the forest pathology and forest entomology laboratories at the University of Florida and with his late wife owned a collector-oriented mail-order nursery that introduced many new plants now preserved in botanic gardens and in general horticulture from Adam’s international and domestic explorations.

The Complex Subject of Plant Adaptability: Clues from nature, Surprises in our gardens

September 7^th, 11.15

Removed from nature and forced to grow in our landscapes, some plants adapt well to challenging garden conditions, others will fail without exacting site parameters. What makes one plant more adaptable than another?  Learn the various ways we seek new, durable options for our landscapes based on observations in habitat as well as through garden trials that can prosper in harsh urban conditions while remaining resilient to the increasing effects of climate change.

Changing our Landscapes to Deal with Rough Times

September 8^th, 15.45

We need to increasingly consider adjusting our landscapes to favor plant selections that will not become gradually stressed with an unstable climate. Do we simply need to find new, durable species, or do we also need to rethink how we grow these plants in urban settings? Will the diversity of species we are able to grow decrease as environmental factors continue to shift?