Join us this Saturday, March 29th for our annual Spring Festival! Learn more here!
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Wilcox Nursery’s Annual Spring Festival
March 29th, 9:00AM – 3:00PM
Mark your calendars! Our annual Spring Festival is right around the corner!
Expect a day full of craft vendors, environmental organizations, food and drink, speakers and plenty of activities for attendees to enjoy! Full list of vendors and activities (and their prizes) soon!
Meet our 2025 Speakers!
Registration is free, but space is limited!
Dr. Joyce Fassbender
Presenting at 9:30AM
Bring Back the Pollinators:
The importance of our native pollinators, the threats they experience, and the simple steps that we can take to support them.
Wildflower gardening has become very popular in recent years, but to be successful, and sustainable, there are many things to consider when building residential and small commercial meadows in Florida. Troy will teach attendees how to tackle such a project from inception to completion, and how to keep meadows functioning properly and looking beautiful for many years. Attendees will see and learn from multiple examples of wildflower gardens and meadows Troy has built over the years.
Dr. Joyce Fassbender is an entomologist in the Biological Sciences department at Florida Gulf Coast University and an Ambassador for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. She has taught classes in biological sciences and entomology at the college level for over 20 years. Her research interests include insect biodiversity, pollinator/plant interactions, and carrion-feeding insect biodiversity and nutrition.
Join us at 9:30 AM to learn how to bring back the pollinators! 🌿🐝
Troy Springer
Presenting at 10:30AM
Meadow Making on a Small Scale
Wildflower gardening has become very popular in recent years, but to be successful, and sustainable, there are many things to consider when building residential and small commercial meadows in Florida. Troy will teach attendees how to tackle such a project from inception to completion, and how to keep meadows functioning properly and looking beautiful for many years. Attendees will see and learn from multiple examples of wildflower gardens and meadows Troy has built over the years.
Troy began rural farm and ranch mowing and tractor work at a young age and continued in the green industry until founding Springer Environmental Services in 2005, with an emphasis on eco-friendly landscape practices. Most projects use 100% native plants, with combined native plant use of over 95% on all projects. Troy is particularly known for building high end wildflower meadows and has developed his own techniques for building and maintaining them. A high percentage of annual sales are maintaining high end landscapes in both residential and commercial properties.
Maintenance projects range from urban landscapes, to restoring natural areas for private landowners. Springer Environmental Services’ design build projects range from small installations under $5,000.00 to projects over $100,000.00. Some of the most notable projects have no irrigation systems installed. Troy has been active in the Florida Native Plant Society for over fifteen years, including both his local Suncoast Chapter and serving on the society’s state board, chaired the FNPS 2012 annual conference in Plant City, and received a Green Palmetto Award from FNPS for service. Troy also served as a FANN Board of Director for 9 years, and still actively serves on FANN committees.
🌿 Join us at 10:30 AM to learn how to create and maintain a thriving wildflower meadow—right in your own backyard! 🌸✨
WK Preservation Group
Presenting at 11:30AM
West Klosterman Preserve
Florida Master Naturalist, Sanne Kure-Jensen, will discuss the endangered and threatened species as well as the imperiled ecosystems with a virtual tour of the West Klosterman Preserve. Sanne has over 30 years’ experience in land management, land trust and public garden oversight. As a Florida Water Steward, retired horticultural writer and landscape designer, Sanne has offered educational workshops at conferences, libraries and garden centers. Topics included Ecological Landscape Design, Welcoming Wildlife, Organic Land Care Practices, and Beekeeping. Sanne Kure-Jensen and her husband have lived in Tarpon Springs since 2016.
Sean Patton
Presenting at 12:30AM
Lakeside Living: Native Plants & Native Fish For A Native Florida
Florida has hundreds of thousands of intricately connected manmade and natural aquatic bodies, forming a living network of ecological relationships. No matter what size or shape they take, these habitats all have one thing in common – they are absolutely vital to the wellbeing of our communities, human and non-human alike. From flood prevention to water filtration and purification, there are countless functions which our aquatic ecosystems perform to keep our environment healthy and resilient.
Unfortunately, they are also suffering the most from development and degradation. Luckily, if you’re a Florida resident, you probably live within a half mile of one of these landscapes. By restoring native plants to these areas, you can filter pollutants, reduce harmful algae blooms, and improve water quality and clarity– all from within your neighborhood. In this presentation, Sean Patton, owner of Stocking Savvy and co-author of “Florida’s Aquatic Butterfly Gardens” will give you the tools you need to have habitat restoration at your fingertips.
💧 Join us at 12:30 PM to discover how you can restore Florida’s aquatic ecosystems—right from your own neighborhood! 🌱🌊