You won't want to miss any opportunity to hear Catherine speak on the topic of native plants. She'll captivate you with her knowledge of native plants and their history. She's a veritable "matchmaker" - helping you to determine which plants are best for which properties and habitats, which attract birds and butterflies, and which will provide beauty and blooms with the least amount of caretaking. Her easy, approachable and entertaining style puts everyone and everything (even the plants) at ease.
Jane Kirkland
Author and Publisher | Take A Walk® Books, Stillwater Publishing www.takeawalk.com
Education is an important part of our mission at Yellow Springs Farm. We want to teach people everywhere about the benefits of native plants and sustainable landscape principles. We sometimes focus on practical, 'how-to" instructions, but also enjoy working with groups eager to hear about history, science, or even colorful, creative design. If your business, club, school, conference, or organization is seeking a speaker for an upcoming event, we will be happy to tailor a presentation to your needs.
Catherine Renzi is an active speaker at flower shows, native plant conferences, garden clubs, universities, and continuing education programs around the Middle Atlantic. Ms. Renzi offers format of options ranging from conversational talks for small groups where interaction and questions are key, to multimedia presentations using PowerPoint that will hold listeners' attention even in a large auditorium.
We prefer several months advance notice advance, but we will do our best to accommodate dates with shorter notice. Our pricing is flexible to suit your budget. Fees are based on time spent and cost of travel. Handouts are offered by request.
Past and upcoming venues featuring Catherine Renzi and Yellow Springs Farm
- The Philadelphia Flower Show: PA
- Connecticut Horticulture Society: CT
- Native Plants Conference at Millersville University, PA
- Morris Arboretum; Philadelphia, PA
- Main Line School Night: PA
- Green Valleys Association: Pottstown, PA
- Frelinghuysen Arboretum; Morristown, NJ
- Barnes and Noble: Exton, PA
- A variety of local and regional clubs
Some titles of recent presentations
- Native Plants in America: Past, Present and Future
- Kinetic Colors: Gardening with Native Plants for Blooms and Butterflies
- Woodland Restoration
- Gardens for Life: An Introduction to Gardening with Native Plants
- Beyond the Field Guide: Including Native Plants in Elementary School Learning Experiences
Biographies: Catherine and Al Renzi
Yellow Springs Farm is the culmination of my lifelong interest in art and nature," says Catherine Renzi, former architectural and gift product designer. "In my eyes gardens are works of art. Color, form, shape, and line describe a wildflower meadow or a favorite shrub, as well as a European masterpiece. As a native plant grower, I am privileged to participate in creating beauty each and every day."
Catherine points out, however, that the beauty of native landscapes is more than superficial-the beauty is functional, supporting biodiversity, protecting water resources, and creating habitats for wildlife.
Catherine and her husband, Al Renzi, propagate, grow, and sell many species of unique and hard to find native plants at Yellow Springs Farm in Chester Springs, PA, a former dairy farm. Their nursery offers educational events and helps homeowners learn about using native plants as part of a larger plan for conservation, whether they own one acre or 100 acres.
A visit to Yellow Springs Farm reveals the Renzi's appreciation and application of natural beauty. Whether it's the young grape vines gracing the hill behind the 18 th century farm house, the beautifully preserved springhouse on the banks of the pond, or the bucolic innocence reflected in the eyes of the YSF Nubian dairy goats, Dorothea and Rosebud, Rena and Rebecca, beauty here, is a way of life. Yellow Springs Farm, under the watchful care of Catherine and Al Renzi, is a stellar example of biodiversity and responsible land stewardship.
Ms. Renzi is ideally equipped to speaking on a range of conservation and restoration topics to small groups and large. She studied architecture and finds her training in design and art history helpful in creating gardens using native plants to provide an aesthetic appropriate to the site and characteristic of the local region. Al Renzi is an integral part of the Farm and brings undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology and microbiology to plant propagation using organic and sustainable methods. In their "past lives," the Renzis were both entrepreneurs. Catherine was formerly a financial planner and also started and managed two design businesses. Al ran the family's clothing store before launching a small biotech consulting firm and having a lengthy career in the biotech industry. Together their mix of arts and science makes for productive teamwork.
Catherine has an A.B. in Art/Architecture from Smith College and a Master's degree in History of Art from the University of Pennsylvania. She became interested in landscape and conservation through a lifelong passion for growing food, flowers, and raising all sorts of plants and animals. Catherine volunteers for various arts and conservation organizations in a fast-growing area of Chester County, Pennsylvania. She is a popular public speaker and prolific writer.
For media and speaker inquiries, please contact
Kae Tienstra
Publicity Director
610-395-6298
