Events

WOL held its first quarterly member meeting of 2025 at a new venue, the St. Matthews Library.  Our speaker, Renee Frith, presented on an important topic: "Challenges Faced by Our Keystone Trees in Today's World--and What it Means for the Native Plant Gardener" 

Renee Frith serves as Director of Horticulture and Sustainable Landscapes for Bernheim Forest and Arboretum. Renee holds a BS in Horticulture from Auburn University School of Agriculture and is a Certified Arborist recognized by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). For over 20 years Renee has dedicated her career to the natural environment. She has served in roles such as Consulting Arborist in Florida, Curator of Woody Plants at Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Virginia, and Director of Greening Programs for The Delaware Center for Horticulture. Renee’s career mission is to regenerate our land and wants humans to stop getting in the way and start getting on board to help in these efforts.

After questions, we had a short socializing period with light refreshments (most homemade) contributed by our members. 

WOL also gave away bare-rooted seedlings of one native tree and one native shrub, Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) and Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana).  These seedlings were purchased and sourced from Kentucky State Forestry.  This continues a “tradition” we started in 2024.  Members had to reserve seedlings using a Google Form.