October Society General Meeting + Pumpkinfest – Speaker: Nathan Langley

Join us for our next public meeting at the Parkside Centre on Durham Street in Sudbury. Doors open at 1:15 pm for socializing and light refreshments. Please bring your own coffee mug or travel mug.

The meeting at 2 pm will feature our guest speaker, Nathan Langley who will speak about Garden Design. Scroll on to read Nathan’s biography.

Pumpkinfest Theme: “Fabulous Fall”

We will also be featuring Pumpkinfest, our annual pumpkin carving and design show. It is an excellent opportunity for you to show your skills in pumpkin carving and floral arranging. See the show categories below for more information:

Floral Design

1. “A Wonderfully Warm Welcome” – seasonal door decor (wreath, swag, etc.)
2. “A Burst of Colour” – table centrepiece in warm, fall colours
3. “Pumpkin Squash” – an arrangement in a small pumpkin or other gourd

Pumpkin Carving

1.  “Jack-o-Lantern” – the traditional look of the carved face
2. “Rocky Horror Picture Show” – the more horrid, the better

Photography

1. Golden gems (bloom or blooms close up)
2. Pumpkins! (in any setting)
3. Tools of a gardener
4. Fiery maples
5. An autumn harvest
6. A Jack-o-Lantern (carved)
7. Front yard or entranceway decorated for Halloween
8. Chinese Lanterns (the orange seed pods)

Youth Classes

1. “Boils & Ghouls” – a carved and/or decorated pumpkin

Guest Speaker: Nathan Langley, Garden Designer

Nathan’s Biography

Nathan Langley is a garden designer, writer, and photographer serving the Greater Sudbury and French River areas. His presentation will examine a front yard / backyard garden design of his that was completed earlier this year in the south end of Sudbury, and will cover how to design a garden all the way through to installation.

Nathan grew up in the Cariboo-Chilcotin interior of British Columbia, Canada. Hiking and biking among the Douglas Firs and Lodgepole Pines, Nathan developed a deeply rooted connection to nature. His career began at the University of British Columbia where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology, specializing in botany. It was here that he learned about the intricate world of plants and how they function. During this time, he also began learning about plant germination and basic care while working in the UBC Botany Department’s greenhouse.

After completing his undergraduate degree, Nathan accepted a job working as a horticulturist at the UBC Botanical Gardens and Nitobe Memorial Garden. While at the Garden, Nathan continued to develop his skills in plant identification and care as he learned from experienced botanists, curators, and horticulturists who looked after numerous plant collections from all over the world. After moving to Ontario, Nathan worked as a seasonal horticulturist at the University of Guelph Arboretum while earning a Master degree in Landscape Architecture. Once finished, Nathan worked as a sessional instructor at the University of Guelph, as well as a project manager and landscape steward for a landscape restoration / redevelopment project on a 6-acre property north of Guelph, Ontario. 

Nathan moved to Sudbury, Ontario in the fall of 2018, and spent the 2019 season as the Landscape Designer at the Azilda Greenhouses. In 2020, Nathan began offering design services to the Greater Sudbury area with Gardens by Nathan (www.gardensbynathan.ca).