Education Sessions

Tuesday, August 11 | 3:00 - 5:00pm

New Plants Showcase by Diane Blazek
3:00 - 3:45 pm 

National Garden Bureau (NGB) has been presenting new plant varieties from their members for the past 35 years. Now more than ever, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the new products that various breeding programs are bringing to the market. This year, Diane Blazek, Executive Director of NGB walks you through a wide array of new plants and points out their most appealing traits and the breeding trends they represent. These plants were supposed to be introduced at spring and summer industry events for sale to consumers in spring 2021. So you will be one of the first garden communicators to see these varieties by participating in this webinar. 

Meet the Moderator
Diane Blazek 

Diane Blazek, Executive Director of All-America Selections® and National Garden Bureau. For more than 30 years, Diane has been immersed in gardening both personally and professionally. She brings a passion to the subject based on a history in the field of horticulture publishing as well as a love for gardening and culinary exploration. Growing up on a small family farm in northern Missouri, Diane spent years helping her parents plant, tend and harvest a large home vegetable garden. As the president and publisher at Ball Publishing for 15 years, she led the way in connecting the commercial side of the industry with consumers via the live focus groups called Consumer Buzz Live! Diane also managed Ball Publishing’s entry into consumer garden book publishing. Since December of 2009, Diane has been leading both All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau through an exciting period of growth as they establish themselves as inspirational resources in the minds of garden communicators, public gardens, growers, garden retailers and home gardeners. All-America Selections has doubled in size with the addition of trials for Vegetative Ornamentals and Herbaceous Perennials, an expanded website, more Display Gardens and an ever-increasing social media presence. National Garden Bureau has also more than doubled in size with the addition of new programs, social media, therapeutic garden grants and new membership categories. With both organizations, the connection to the consumer is of topmost importance and by using that connection, she provides direction and insights to the industry as well as to GardenComm, an organization for Garden Communicators where she serves as a National Director.

Breakout Sessions 3:45 - 4:15 pm ET 

Mind Your Gaps: Your Digital Audit Action Plan by Katie Elzer-Peters

4:15 - 500 pm ET

Fine-tuning your digital platform is more important now than ever before. Katie Elzer-Peters from Garden of Words will show you how to assess the current state of your business and teach you the steps needed to take it to the next level. This session will cover free tools to help you identify problem areas online, the best ways to close any gaps, and how to create content to convert your online audience into paying customers. Learn how to leverage the written word online, including long-form blogging, copywriting to “sell” through email, and engaging Instagram captions. Audience members will get practical tips and actionable steps to implement immediately, so they can set up their businesses for long-term success.

Katie Elzer-Peters has been gardening since she could walk, a hobby—turned career—nurtured by her parents and grandparents. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Horticulture from Purdue University, and a Master of Science in Public Garden Management from the Longwood Graduate Program at Longwood Gardens and the University of Delaware. After school, Katie served as a horticulturist, head of gardens, educational programs director, development officer, and manager of botanical gardens around the United States. Katie has authored nine books for Cool Springs Press, and she serves as the Editor in Chief of The Designer, the quarterly journal of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. Katie is a frequent contributor to Green Profit and writes web and print content for growers, breeders, and retailers in the green industry. She has ghost written several books for a variety of publishers. She helps GWA members create websites, set up digital online courses, and helps authors self-publish their books. Today, Katie lives and gardens with her husband and dogs in the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina, (zone 8) where she owns The Garden of Words, LLC, a marketing firm specializing in green-industry clients. When not working, Katie is an obsessive reader and art appreciator.