Eva does Zoom and in-person lectures, demos, workshops, and presentations.
Contact Eva for pricing at 215-870-6520 or at [email protected]
Lectures, Demos, and Workshops to chose from...or ask for another topic
Talks That Relate to Eva Monheim's Book Shrubs & Hedges
Designing with Shrubs for Fall and Winter Interest
You should get just as much enjoyment from your fall and winter garden as you do in the spring and summer. By making the right selections of plants, you can extend the beauty in your garden during the time when most plants are not blooming. We will discuss the tips and tricks for selecting plants that have winter bloom and plants that have beautiful foliage for winter interest. You will definitely want to walk through your garden in all seasons when you put these techniques to use in your landscape.
Shrubs & Hedges
Shrubs and hedges are the subject of my latest book. We will explore a vast array of topics including a brief history of shrubs, how they are named, what makes a shrub dependable, the differences between hedges and hedgerows and why these two forms of landscaping are important for habitat and humans, how to purchase shrubs and what to look for, propagating shrubs, attracting pollinators and other wildlife, and shrubs for riparian areas and rain gardens.
A book signing is optional.
Shrubs & Hedges - The Ecological Role They Play
Shrubs and hedges play critical roles in the environment depending on where they are located and who is interacting with them. An example are the interaction of birds with shrubs during migration or plants that are critical for water absorption. This talk covers many other environments to consider when planning and planting shrubs and hedges.
Selecting Shrubs for Four Seasons of Interest
This lecture gives great ideas for the four season landscape which includes attracting birds and pollinators, interesting bark and bloom, and fruiting shrubs too! There is nothing better than maximizing the landscape year round.
Shrubs & Hedges: The Workhorses of Our Landscape
Most people don't realize that shrubs play a critical role for stabilizing streambanks, preventing erosion, and keeping silt from entering our waterways. What about that dry - xeric slope? Yes, there are plants for that too! Attendees to this presentation can have their questions answered on what works well where.
Shrubs for the Birds, Bees, and Wildlife
When we plant shrubs for wildlife we wind up being a keen observer of nature. Watching and learning the eating habits of birds and other animals can help you make better choices for your garden. You may even benefit too by planting shrubs that accommodate both people and wildlife. Let's explore this together!
Other Topics Covered
A Whirl-Wind Tour of English Gardens
Public and private gardens are included in this tour, that will inspire a creative spark for your gardening. Beth Chatto's Garden, Hidcote, Kiftsgate, and the list goes on. There's a lot to see in this one-hour tour.
Aspect and Form - A Partnership in Design
Location, location, location can determine how much energy you use in your home by the aspect or position of your landscape plantings. Plants can be used as wind blocks and cooling agents for reducing energy usage and creating new microclimates for other species to survive. This is a wonderful presentation for city or country dwellers.
Assisted Plant Migration Helps to Expand Our Native Plant Palette for Climate Change
How can we help plant species to move northward as temperatures rise? The disruption of our highways and other man-made structures inhibits plant movement, including buildings and heavily paved surfaces. In this talk, we look at the role humans play in helping to move plants as well as helping animals to move more freely to aid in seed dispersal.
Testimonials for this Talk
Learn about the amazing opportunities to introduce critically important shrubs to make our yards stopovers for many species. Plants as Food sources are the key to improving biodiversity. Mary Ellen L.
Incredibly insightful. Eva is a fantastic speaker. Really great energy. Wonderful information. I’m inspired! Jody S.
Inspiring and great to hear about eco-friendly, actionable ways I can improve my native garden. Attendee
Eva Monheim’s presentation was a very valuable resource and guide to specific trees, bushes and other plants you can introduce to keep your garden, and the pollinators that depend on it, thriving despite climate change. Jonathan G.
Beautifully Designed Food Forests for Improving Habitats and Migratory Flyways
Did you know that there are four major migratory flyways in the U.S.? Some of the plants along these flyways can be found growing from Maine to Florida, and others are specific to certain states. Looking at USDA maps for plant selections can help you enhance the migratory flyway for birds and other animals. This is a deep dive into plant selection that you might never have thought about when planting your garden and selecting plants.
Testimonials for this Talk
Lots of ideas for layering woodland areas. Perfect for me as I am establishing a new large garden in a migratory area. Cindy F.
I am working on bringing as many native plantings as possible, and this helps tremendously. Thank you. Lisa B.
Interesting seeing the plants in their native environment rather than in a place where a human placed them. Attendee
Building a Home or Community Garden
Creating a home or community garden can be rewarding and healthy for all involved. Learn an easy, fail-proof way to begin the process while enjoying the social aspect of the activity. There is no need to till or do backbreaking work to make your garden a success. Start in the morning and have a garden to plant in in just a few hours. The how-to process will surprise you. (Lecture in person or on Zoom or Workshop)
Care of Fruit Trees
We will look at planting, tools, and early care of fruit trees and then look at the techniques to provide a continual source of fruit over time to make your plants the most productive they can be.
Color in the Garden
Have you ever heard of forest bathing? In Japan this is a custom and a way to rejuvenate the soul. Walking amidst the color green, is healing and restorative. Now think of applying all colors to the garden to create a healing space that will enliven all your senses. (Lecture in person or on Zoom)
Container Gardening
This presentation/workshop provides information on container selection – soil options, and of course, plant opportunities for the consumer. Consider grouping pots and then changing them as they continue to bloom or go out of bloom. A myriad of options awaits the imaginative gardener. (Lecture in person or on Zoom or Workshop)
Creating a Woodland Garden
Learn how to transform an area of your landscape into a woodland oasis. If you already have a grove of trees or are thinking of planting one, this presentation will help you make the proper selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. I will discuss the process involved in woodland gardening from garden planning to soil preparation, planting, and ongoing care. My process is something you can integrate at your own pace. Learn what to plant to provide year-round interest from early-blooming bulbs to shrubs with colorful berries in fall and winter. You'll learn how to attract wildlife too! (Lecture in person or on Zoom) I talk about Miyawaki too!
Dependable Perennials for Low-Maintenance Gardening
Sitting in the garden after a long day's work is something to celebrate. If weeds seem to take over your garden and you can't enjoy the view, it's time to rethink how you garden. Perennials can provide quick cover by suppressing weeds, providing masses of colors, while working harder for you. From early masses of spring ephemerals to the last mums and asters in the fall, you can reduce overall maintenance by having the right plants.
Designing for Fall and Winter Interest
Fall and winter play off each other - one overly dramatic and the other overly sublime. We will explore the uplifting colors of fall while finding equally interesting plant specimens for winter's gray days. From brilliant bark to flowering beauties, to strong structure - we will explore the perfect plants for your garden. A complete plant list will accompany the talk, so you have a great takeaway for your next garden center or nursery outing.
Espaliers - An Age-Old Pruning Technique That is an Art Form
Learn the various types of espaliers to increase productivity with fruiting trees or to increase blooms on woody plants. Espalier has a long history dating back to Egyptian times and into the Middle Ages. Learn the various techniques to enhance your garden. Ideally, attendees would have a plant provided for creating an espalier to take home.
Food Forests to Attract Birds, Furry Friends, and Humans too!
Creating beautifully designed food forests and shrubby borders attract a myriad of animals to visit our gardens. One shrub with varying cultivars can feed birds six months or more - planning is key. Knowing what to plant will make you a more conscious gardener for improving habitat and migratory flyways.
Fragrant Gardens
Fragrances stimulate memory and turn an ordinary garden into an extraordinary one. Explore the possibilities when we use fragrant plants as markers for time and space.
Front and Backdoor Gardening
The most important person you need to impress is yourself. When your home looks good – you feel great every time you enter or leave your home. Learn tips on how to design and change entryways to provide seasonal color and drama.
Gardening for Wildlife
Starting out with small changes in your garden will enhance your environment to welcome wildlife. You’ll be amazed at how your life will change as you begin to share your garden space.
Gardening in Small Spaces
Just because you have a small space, doesn’t mean that you can’t have a wonderful landscape filled with a diversity of plants to create a special retreat. We will explore the many possibilities for small space gardening.
Gardening in Winter: A New Twist
Most people don't consider the winter garden to be much to look at, but if it is planned well, there can be a full range of bloom and color throughout the bleak winter months. Come join me for a talk on the fourth gardening season (winter) and the myriad of plants.
Hand-tied Bouquets and Vase Arranging
How many times have you brought flowers home and tried to arrange them in a vase that you have sitting on a shelf?
I will show you the tricks of the trade for vase arranging and hand-tied bouquets. The techniques are centuries old.
Pruning – Accentuating the Natural Beauty of Shrubs
We will discuss the structure of shrubs, and then I will demonstrate the pruning techniques to maintain a shrub’s natural, shapely beauty.
Pruning Shrubs 101
Did you know that some shrubs can be completely pruned by just pruning out the oldest canes? Knowing the secrets to shrub growth habits helps to determine how the shrub will be pruned. All shrubs are not pruned the same way as in the the preverbal meatball shape. Like you and I we each have our own talents and so do shrubs. Their talent or growth structure helps to determine their place in the landscape.
Pruning Small Trees 101
This presentation takes you through the process of pruning a small tree, discussing the placement of the tree, and how to create a small tree out of a large shrub. Learning the proper techniques of pruning will empower you to see the landscape in a different way and will provide skills for life.
Rain Gardening
Instead of trying to divert water off your property – keep it to intensify your landscape. Using rain in combination with water-loving plants – the two will create lush areas of diversity and color even during drier periods. The natural cooling effect of these areas will provide oases to enjoy all summer long.
Riparian Buffer Restoration
Learn how you can help restore natural barriers along stream banks and help prevent flooding in your own backyard – while increasing interest in the landscape. This class is great for greening groups and large and small parcel property owners with streams and/or ponds.
Sustainability in Your Garden
What does sustainability really mean in the landscape? Creating sustainable landscapes means less work for you and more work for the plants. Ideas include no-mow lawns, rain capture and reuse, easy ground covers, plants that need minimal pruning, plant diversity, new native cultivars that attract more wildlife, and bring greater activity to areas that were once visually lifeless. Once you have established a good plant palette, you can sit back and enjoy the results.
The "Quiet" Communication Between Trees and Other Plants
Just because we can't hear trees and other plants communicating doesn't mean they are not communicating. All living beings communicate; we just have to find out the mode of their communication. In the case of trees, they are "talking" all the time. In fact, the complexity of their communication acts much like the synapses in the human brain. The vast, thread-like roots of fungi are called mycorrhiza - an underground communication system.
Touring Italy - The Tuscany Region
Visiting a myriad of gardens in Tuscany will wet your appetite to take a trip through this exceptional region within the big boot of Italy. Both public and many private gardens are on this amazing tour.
Tree Health Care for Your Property
Tree health care is critical for a beautiful and stress-free environment around your home. Know what to look for when checking your trees and when to call in professionals. Good tree health starts by looking at the roots, checking the trunk, and looking at the canopy of your trees. Once you have a handle on this, you will feel confident when calling a professional to handle the big maintenance tasks.
Visiting Pennsylvania's Natural Wonders
Did you know that Pennsylvania has remains of the last ice age in our protected ecosystems? We will explore Tannersville Bog, Darling Preserve, and other treasures and will talk about their importance to the Northern Region of Pennsylvania.
Visiting South Jersey's Natural Wonders
In this talk we will explore White's Bog and Cranberry fields, Warren Grove Bombing Range, and other areas of interest that provide a range of plants that are not often seen. Have you ever explored the Pine Barrens after a fire? Fire ecology is fascinating to witness. These areas are fragile ecosystems and need our understanding and care.
Window Boxes
They say that when window boxes appear on houses, it is a sign of a very healthy community. We explore the diversity of options using window boxes and how to plant them for year-round enjoyment.
Wreaths - For All Seasons (Check out these photos from a previous workshop!)
From a historical perspective, wreaths have been used for hundreds of years. After you make a wreath with me, you will appreciate the labor of love that goes into the centuries-old tradition.
Apple Tasting - (November through March) (Check out these photos from a previous class!)
How many apples have you tried and were able to discern the subtle flavors? This workshop was developed for my Food Crops class while teaching at Temple University. After seeing how much my students loved this workshop - I am offering it up for groups. Get ready to have fun and laughter at the daunting apple selection. You will never eat an apple the same way again. Recommended for adults and children.
(Other tastings are available for your group, including tomato tasting, oranges, and grapes in season)
I will also talk about products to make from the various fruits we try.
Gardening with Children*
Once you get a child hooked on gardening, they are a gardener for life. The following are workshops designed for children that will provide endless hours of fulfillment and joy for any child.
*Creating a Terrarium – Each child creates their own terrarium. They learn about this micro-environment and learn how much this small area is like our Earth.
*Planting Seedlings - Sprouts – Children learn to save and plant seeds and learn how to transplant seedlings for their gardens. Learning how to care for seedlings encourages stewardship.