Scott Arboretum & Gardens

Perennial Plant Conference
2026-10-16 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Detroit) | Lang Performing Arts Center, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA, United States
The Perennial Plant Conference was started in 1983 to bring together locally, nationally, and internationally recognized experts on perennials for a day-long conference with an educational focus. This year’s conference features presentations about deer-resistant design, super tough native plants, design process and challenges, cut-flower perennials, gardens as social infrastructure, and the design of herbaceous plantings.
This conference is co-sponsored by Chanticleer, Longwood Gardens, Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and Scott Arboretum & Gardens.
Visit www.perennialplantconference.org to learn about the topics, presenters, and to register.
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Lecture: When Trees Testify: Living With and Learning From Trees
2026-11-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Chang Hou Hall, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA, 19081, United States
Co-Sponsored with:

Join us for a compelling talk with biologist and author Beronda L. Montgomery as she discusses her new book, When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History and America’s Black Botanical Legacy. Drawing from science, ecology, and lived experience, Montgomery invites us to reconsider trees not simply as background elements of the landscape, but as dynamic, communicative beings that offer insight into resilience, interdependence, and adaptation.
In this thoughtful presentation, she explores how trees “testify” through their growth patterns, responses to stress, and relationships with surrounding ecosystems—revealing lessons that extend beyond the natural world into how we understand community, care, and survival. Blending scientific research with reflective storytelling, Montgomery encourages audiences to slow down, observe more deeply, and reconsider what it means to learn from the living world.
A reception with the opportunity to purchase When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History and America’s Black Botanical Legacy and book signing will follow the lecture.
Join us before the event for an in-person tour of Scott Arboretum & Gardens.
Early access registration opens on September 14 for members of the sponsoring organizations.
Members of the Scott Arboretum & Gardens will receive an email with registration details.
Registration will open to the public on September 28.
Program Details

Due to limited seating, only in-person registrants can attend the live event.
There will be no live stream available, but those registered will receive access to the recording.
Registration is free.
Email us if you have accessibility needs for this program.
For more information, review our program and event policies or call the Scott office at 610-328-8025

About the Presenter
Beronda L. Montgomery, PhD, is a writer, science communicator, and professor. Her research group investigates how photosynthetic organisms adapt to changes in their external environment. Her scholarship extends beyond biology and into studying mentorship and faculty development to develop evidence-based strategies to foster equity and inclusion in academia. In 2020, Montgomery was one of the co-founders and co-organizers of the first Black Botanists Week. A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, she was named one of Cell’s 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America.
