Autumn Joy 2026
Fall Symposium
Great Native Plants for an Autumn Garden
Keynote by Duncan HImmelman, PhD.
Duncan Himmelman, PhD, is the former Education Manager at Mt. Cuba Center. a renowned botanic garden committed to the conservation of native plants and their habitats. He earned his doctorate in Ornamental Horticulture at Cornell University, taught college for 24 years, and has contributed to a number of horticultural publications. Duncan has designed landscapes for both private and public clients in New York City, Toronto, and Chicago.
Break Out Sessions: Choose Two
Ground Covers as Lawn Alternatives
More information coming soon
Container Yourself: Potted Plants for the Home and Patio Garden
While gardening has benefits and treasures for all, not everyone has the amount or kind of space needed to garden in the ground. Containers can provide portability, convenience, and the ability to adjust the environment to a plant’s individual needs (and vice versa). Join Escher Cattle for a discussion of a condensed history of container plants and their benefits,overview of ther needs and care in indoor and outdoor spaces, and some common pitfalls,pests and diseases they face.
Growing Figs on Cape Cod
Master Gardener Rich Trimble will take participants through a year in the life of a Cape Cod fig tree. He will share tips for successfully growing subtropical figs here in zone 7 as well as information about the different varieties of fig trees, and the unique relationship with the fig wasp in their native environment. Rich will bring a fig tree or two and have a Q&A period following his presentation.
Growing Mushrooms
Chase Freeman is a software engineer turned mushroom farmer. Together, he and his wife Brianna operate the Cape Cod Mushroom Company. A North Texas native, Chase migrated north after Briannna (born and raised in Sandwich) convinced him to trade the plains for the shoreline, where he has grown to love the landscape of the Cape. Chase found his way into mushroom farming through Unicorn Bags, the industry standard for growing gourmet varieties, where he helped build the manufacturing pipelines behind their operational visibility. He now applies that same engineering mindset to Sporeline, a platform he is building to track the full lifecycle of mushrooms from spore to harvest.
The Fall Symposium takes place at the 204 Cultural Municipal Building, 204 Sisson Road, Harwich, MA. Refreshments and beverages will be available after check in, beginning at 8:30 a.m..
Symposium fee: $30. Online registration opens mid-August, 2026.
Symposium registration includes keynote presentation and your choice of two break-out sessions, plus coffee and light refreshments. Space is limited; please register early. no ticket sales at the door.
