Events
you are Invited
Gardening Symposium
28 March 2026
Please join us for a day full of engaging speakers. Sakonnet Garden is excited to present in Rhode Island:
“THE ART OF BIODIVERSITY GARDENING”
Hanna Packer • ULI LORIMER
FERGUS GARRETT
This years symposium we bring you three speakers who will open a conversation about the art of biodiversity gardening. Our goal in selecting these diverse and complimentary individuals, is to foster thought about your own gardens and your own gardening aspirations. Perhaps you will learn that the nurturing of biodiversity is more complex than merely selecting natives over non natives, and that design and beauty in a garden can encourage biodiversity as a direct result or a by-product. In a world where we seem to have little control, Sakonnet Garden hopes that you take away something from this day which will encourage you to be more deliberate in how as gardeners you can make a difference in however small a way intention leads you in the garden.
Note: The Garden will not be open during the symposium.
TIMES:
8:30 | Sign in, Coffee, Chat with the Speakers
9:15 | Introduction
9:30–12:00 | Morning Speakers
12:00–1:00 | Lunch (sign up for box lunch or local options)
1:00–2:30 | Afternoon Speaker and Informal Meeting Afterward
LOCATION:
Wilbur & McMahon Schools, 28 Commons St, Little Compton, RI 02837
Iin person tickets are sold out at this time. Please join the symposium digitally
Digital Tickets*:
*Digital Tickets: Once your ticket has been purchased you will receive an email with a link to download your digital ticket. Download links are sent immediately but expire 24 hours after purchase for security purposes, please download your ticket at this time. Your digital ticket will include a one time link for the Zoom presentation on the day of the event.
A reminder email will be sent to the email address provided upon purchase within 24 hours of the seminar.
Hanna Packer
Hanna Packer, APLD, is an award-winning landscape designer and Principal of Hanna Packer Design Inc. in Great Neck, New York. Trained in both Landscape Design and Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. Hanna creates sophisticated, functional landscapes ranging from private gardens to large-scale commercial projects. Her work has been widely recognized and featured in publications including Architectural Digest and Dwell.
Uli Lorimer
Uli Lorimer serves as the Director of Horticulture for the Native Plant Trust, a leading non-profit dedicated to preserving the native flora of the Northeastern United States. In this role, he oversees the acclaimed Garden in the Woods in Framingham and Nasami Farm in Western Massachusetts, which focuses on native plant propagation and research. Uli’s impressive career includes positions at the National Arboretum, Wave Hill, and as the Curator of Native Plants at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. His publications include Tough Natives for Tough Places and A Native Plant Reader. His latest work, The Northeast Native Plant Primer, reflects his deep commitment to native plants and their ecological value. Uli currently writes the Ask the Gardener column for the Boston Globe, sharing ecological horticulture guidance with the region.
Fergus Garrett
Fergus Garrett VMH is an English plantsman, horticultural educationalist and Chief Executive of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. He is described as one of the most influential living garden designers and horticultural educators in Britain today. Fergus, known for his dynamic approach to planting and his commitment to biodiversity, shares insights from his decades of experience, offering a unique perspective on the art and science of gardening.
Save the date for the 5th annual plant fair
Sakonnet Plant Fair V
2 May 2026
The famed rural plant fair!
Meeting House Lane, Little Compton, RI 02837
Visit the Garden
Additionally you can now sign up to visit the garden for the season when it opens on 1 May—Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until October. Register here to book dates to visit: