2026 Annual Symposium
**Registration for Day 2 closes at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 22**
** Zoom link for tickets purchased after 12:00 p.m. on Saturday will be sent at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday**
Join us for the 31st Annual GNPS Native Plant Symposium, Native Landscapes, Living Landscapes! This year’s speakers will show how native plants bring vibrant life and beauty in both natural and managed landscapes and highlight ways you can design and plant sustainably in your yard. The Symposium is virtual. Presentations are spread across two days and each session will be recorded for future playback.
Program Schedule
Saturday, February 21, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Steve Sanchez (9:00 a.m.) – Sustainable Practices in Commercial Landscape Designs. Steve will examine what the specific needs are in commercial landscape design, what obstacles challenge more use of native plants and what actions can be taken to change the tide.
- Dr. Richard Ludwig (10:00 a.m.) – Stunning and Sustainable: Can We Have Both? Beauty must be emphasized as we create environmentally-friendly landscapes. To do this, one must take an artistic as well as horticultural approach to the design.
- Ann Litrel and Charles Seabrook (11:00 a.m.) – Georgia Natural Wonders: Inspiration for Native Plant Gardens Across the State. Co-authors Ann Litrel and Charles Seabrook will showcase inspiring native plant habitats from their new book, “35 Natural Wonders of Georgia to See Before You Die” and discuss their unique communities of wildlife, birds and plants, and how they might inspire and guide efforts to create native plant gardens.
Sunday, February 22, 2:00 – 4:30 p.m.
- Jill Gorman (2:00 p.m.) – Increasing Invertebrate Diversity Through Native Plants. Learn how to use native plants in a home garden to attract and support hundreds of species of important pollinators and other invertebrates.
- GNPS Chapter Highlights (3:00 p.m.) – Updates from our 9 chapters across Georgia.
Scroll down to read more about our speakers.
Tickets
GNPS members: $18 per day / $30 for both days
Non-members: $20 per day / $36 for both days
If your GNPS membership has lapsed, you will see the non member fee during registration. To receive member pricing, renew your membership first and register for the Symposium once you receive your renewal email confirmation.
Click here to register. The virtual meeting link(s) will be sent to ticket holders the evening before the program.
Registration will close at the following times/dates:
- 8:00 a.m. Saturday, February 21 – Last chance to register for Saturday event
- 1:00 p.m. Sunday, February 22 – Last chance to register for Sunday event
Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors!
Steve Sanchez
As a Principal at design firm, HGOR, Steve promotes the increase of natural canopy in our urban areas and considers it an essential part of every project. He has helped introduce several selections of native species into the industry to ensure our built canopy is also a functioning part of the living ecosystem. His creative designs have emphasized meeting social needs within a framework of environmental responsibility.
Dr. Richard Ludwig
Dr. Ludwig is a 40+ year career educator named Instructor of the Year at Gwinnett Technical College, Educator of the Year by the Georgia Green Industry Association and Technical Educator of the Year by Georgia Commercial Flower Grower’s Association. He’s the former host of GardenSmart, a national PBS television show, garden specialist for Southern Living magazine and national spokesperson for MiracleGro potting soils.
Ann Litrel
Ann Litrel is a nationally published artist whose paintings of botanical and wildlife subjects have appeared on prints, books, stationery, and textiles. As a writer and illustrator, she has collaborated on three books and has been a monthly columnist for a range of publications on topics of art, ecology, community and history. Litrel’s passion for arts and community led her to cofound the Woodstock Arts Center, an award-winning, multidisciplinary arts center on a four-acre campus. She spearheaded a campaign in her HOA-controlled neighborhood of 1400+ houses to become the first Certified Wildlife Habitat Community in Cherokee County in north metro Atlanta.
Charles Seabrook
Charles Seabrook retired from the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 2005 after thirty-four years as a science and environmental writer. He continues to write on a freelance basis his popular weekly column, Wild Georgia, which runs every Sunday in the AJC’s Living section. He is the author of three books: Red Clay, Pink Cadillacs, and White Gold: The Kaolin Chalk Wars; Cumberland Island: Strong Women, Wild Horses; and The World of the Salt Marsh: Appreciating and Protecting the Tidal Marshes of the Southeastern Coast (Georgia).
Jill Gorman
Jill is “just an average home gardener” who has a passion for nature. Over the past 10 years, she has taught herself how to support vast ecosystems in her own yard by planting the right native plants. With the help of iNaturalist, she has identified over 550 invertebrate species that call her garden home. She uses her Facebook page, Jill’s Butterfly Garden, and her website, www.jillgormanphotography.com, to share her gardening journey and knowledge. She also has a passion for plant propagation and gives away thousands of native plant seedlings every April at her gardening workshop.
