September 22 – September 25
Registration is now open for the 2026 IPPS Eastern Region Conference, taking place September 22-25, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Michigan!
The educational program will include sessions on Plant Breeding & New Plant Development, New Technologies and Innovations, and Herbaceous Perennials & Native Plants. Our keynote speaker is Dr. Tom Ranney presenting on Garden Innovations: Breeding Plants for Flair and Fortitude.
Conference regulars like the Welcome Reception, Silent Auction, and New Plant Session will take place at our beautiful host hotel, the Amway Grand Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids. Details about the Tuesday Pre-Conference Tour and Thursday Conference Tour can be found below! Register today to secure your spot and lock in the early rate.
Full Conference Registration Pricing (by Sept. 2/after Sept. 2):
- 4-day member pkg (includes Pre-Conference Field Tour): $600.00/$650.00
- 4-day non-member pkg (includes Pre-Conference Field Tour): $775.00/$825.00
- 3-day member pkg: $525.00/$575.00
- 3-day non-member pkg: $700.00/$750.00
A La Carte Options (by Sept. 2/after Sept. 2):
- Tuesday Pre-Conference Field Tour only – member: $125.00/$175.00
- Tuesday Pre-Conference Field Tour only – non-member: $150.00/$200.00
- Wednesday only – member: $220.00/$270.00
- Wednesday only – non-member: $300.00/$350.00
- Thursday Field Tour only – member: $320.00/$370.00
- Thursday Field Tour only – non-member: $350.00/$400.00
- Friday only – member: $110.00/$160.00
- Friday only – non-member: $125.00/$175.00
Monday, September 21
| 2:00–7:00 PM | IPPS Eastern Region Board of Directors’ Meeting (Fine Arts Rm, 1st Floor) |
| 7:00–9:00 PM | Registration (North Concourse, 2nd Floor) |
Tuesday, September 22
| 7:00–7:55 AM | Registration (North Concourse, 2nd Floor) |
| 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | Pre-Conference Tours (Buses depart from hotel lobby) |
| 3:30–5:00 PM | Poster Session Set-up (Governor’s Room, 2nd Floor) |
| 3:30–5:30 PM | Registration (North Concourse, 2nd Floor) |
| 5:30–7:00 PM | Welcome Reception (Imperial Ballroom, 1st Floor) |
| 7:00 PM | Dinner on your own |
Wednesday, September 23
| 7:30–11:00 AM | Registration (North Concourse, 2nd Floor) |
| 7:30 AM | Silent Auction opens for bidding (Governor’s Room, 2nd Floor) |
General Session: Plant Breeding and New Plant Development
Moderator: Rachel Conley — Senator Vandenberg Room, 2nd Floor
| 8:00–8:15 AM | Welcome and Introductions Steve Foltz, President, IPPS Eastern Region |
| 8:15–8:45 AM | Garden Innovations: Breeding Plants for Flair & Fortitude Dr. Tom Ranney, Professor, NC State University, Mills River, NC |
| 8:45–9:15 AM | NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program’s Process of Breeding & Developing Tough New Trees Connor Hagemeyer, Research Specialist, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND |
| 9:15–9:45 AM | In Vitro Techniques for Plant Breeding Dr. Mark Bridgen, Professor, Cornell University, Riverhead, NY |
| 9:45–10:05 AM | IPPS Eastern Region Awards Presentation Shelby French, Recognition Committee Chair |
| 10:05–10:25 AM | Break & Silent Auction Bidding |
| 10:25–10:55 AM | The Golden Age of Plant Breeding Tim Wood, General Manager, Spring Meadow Nursery, Grand Haven, MI |
| 10:55–11:25 AM | Around the World in Search of Shrubs: Sourcing and Developing New Woody Plants Dr. Judson LeCompte, Product Development Manager, Spring Meadow Nursery, Grand Haven, MI |
| 11:25–11:55 AM | The Plant Trials Happening at Secrest Arboretum, OSU Paul Snyder, Operations Manager, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH |
| 11:55 AM–1:00 PM | Lunch (included in conference registration) & Silent Auction Bidding |
General Session: New Technologies and Innovations
Moderator TBD — Governors Room, 2nd Floor
| 1:00–1:30 PM | Using Generative AI for Nursery Growers Dr. Paul Fisher, Professor, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL |
| 1:30–2:00 PM | Jumping Worm Treatments in Container Production Dr. Brandon Miller, Assistant Professor, Minnesota State University, Saint Paul, MN |
| 2:00–2:30 PM | Transplant Success of Container-Grown Trees Dr. Bert Cregg, Professor, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI |
| 2:30–3:00 PM | Environmental Conditions (Daily Light Integral and Root-zone Temperature) During Vegetative Woody Propagation Olivia Liebing, Graduate Student, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH |
| 3:00–3:30 PM | Coffee Break & Silent Auction Bidding |
| 3:30–4:00 PM | Supplying Landscape Plants for Middle Eastern Resort Projects Peter Lewis, Nursery Director, Wynn Al Marjan Island, Ras al Khaimah, UAE |
| 4:00–4:30 PM | Applications of Drones in the Nursery Jim Robbins, Owner, Ornamental Hort Solutions, Little Rock, AR |
| 4:30–4:45 PM | Report on the 2025 IPPS International Tour in the UK Brayden Johnson, 2025 IPPS Foundation Travel Award Recipient |
| 4:45–5:00 PM | 2027 IPPS Eastern Region PREVIEW! Maryland! Alan Jones & Matt Palmieri |
| 5:00–6:00 PM | Cocktail Hour with final Silent Auction bidding (bidding ends at 6 PM) (cash bar) |
| 6:00 PM | Dinner on your own |
| 8:00–9:30 PM | Auction item pick-up |
Thursday, September 24
| 7:00–7:55 AM | Registration (North Concourse, 2nd Floor) |
| 8:00 AM–9:00 PM | Conference Tour, Dinner & Live Auction (Buses load from hotel lobby) |
Friday, September 25
| 7:00 AM | IPPS-ER Foundation Board Meeting (Room TBD) |
| 7:30–11:00 AM | Registration (North Concourse, 2nd Floor) |
General Session: Herbaceous Perennials & Native Plants
Moderator TBD — L.V. Eberhard Center Room 215
| 8:00–8:15 AM | Announcements Steve Foltz, President, IPPS Eastern Region |
| 8:15–8:30 AM | 2027 International Tour Preview Clive Larkman, Larkman Nurseries Pty Ltd |
| 8:30–9:00 AM | Advanced Practices for Bulking and Toning Finished Perennials Laura Robles, Regional Product Manager, Walters Gardens, Zeeland, MI |
| 9:00–9:30 AM | Increasing Perennial Propagation Yields and Quality with the Use of Bonded Media Matt Fredrickson, Vice President of Greenhouse Operations, Hampshire Farms, Hampshire, IL |
| 9:30–10:00 AM | Exciting, New Native Perennial Plants for the Garden Steve Castorani, Owner, North Creek Nurseries, Hockessin, DE |
| 10:00–10:20 AM | IPPS Eastern Region Annual General Meeting |
| 10:20–10:40 AM | Coffee Break |
| 10:40–11:10 AM | Adventures in Native Plant Trialing and Propagation Dani Parisi, Manager of Bowyer Nursery, Native Plant Program, Bowyer Farm, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, OH |
| 11:10–11:40 AM | Mycorrhiza in Woody Cutting Production Robert Kuszmaul, Owner, D&B Plants, Richmond, MI |
| 11:40 AM–Noon | New Plant Forum Rachel Conley, Broken Arrow Nursery, Hamden, CT |
| 12:00 PM | IPPS Eastern Region Board of Directors’ Meeting (Room TBD; lunch included) |
Meeting adjourns — see you in Maryland 2027!
DeGrandchamp Farms
76241 14th Ave, South Haven, MI 49090
DeGrandchamp Farms is a family-owned farm in southwest Michigan with a long history of producing high-quality blueberries and cranberries. The business includes commercial fruit production, a large-scale blueberry nursery, fresh fruit packing, and a retail market. During the visit, attendees will tour the Black River Nursery to observe the propagation of blueberry cultivars from tissue culture through greenhouse production and container finishing. The tour will showcase the nursery’s production systems, irrigation and fertility practices, and quality control measures, while also providing an overview of how the nursery integrates with the farm’s broader fruit production and marketing operations.
Farmhaus
9265 Kenowa Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49534
Attendees will get to experience an 80-acre fruit orchard that grows apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, and pumpkins. They will hear about the production process for these crops for their U-Pick operation and for supplying Farmhaus Cider. Time will be allotted to check out the bakery/store.
Spring Meadow Nursery
12601 120th Ave Grand Haven MI 49417
Established in 1981 by Dale and Liz Deppe, Spring Meadow Nursery has grown into a leading wholesale propagation nursery specializing in shrubs, vines, and small trees. Located in Grand
Overnight accommodations are available at the conference host hotel at a discounted group rate of $199 plus taxes and fees per night. This rate is available until Sept. 2, 2026 or when the block fills.
To reserve your room, please use the booking link below or call (616) 774-2000 to make a reservation that includes dates earlier or later than the dates of the conference.
Parking is available for overnight guests of the Amway Grand Plaza in our adjacent parking ramp at the current rates ($45 for self-parking and $49 for valet parking as of 6/25/26). Overnight parking does have unlimited in and out privileges, but parking in the hotel ramp is not guaranteed.
The hotel does not provide a shuttle, so Uber or Lyft are your best options for travel from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.
IPPS offers various opportunities to receive recognition for your company as a sponsor of regional and international events and the website. We appreciate your support!
