Native Plant Seed Saving Masterclass in The Sharon Fen With Botanist Heather Liljengren

Saturday, September 26, 2–4pm | Sharon, CT

Hollister House Garden hosts an off-site field day at The Fen in Sharon, a native seed farm and regenerative land project rarely open to the public, led by botanist Heather Liljengren. Set within expansive, species-rich meadows on a calcareous fen (a rare, peat-accumulating wetland powered by a constant supply of cold, oxygen-poor groundwater rich in calcium and magnesium bicarbonates), the workshop offers direct instruction in a working landscape shaped by seasonal rhythms and careful stewardship—a different kind of setting than a typical garden classroom.

Liljengren brings 17 years of experience in native seed collection, field botany, and ecological restoration across New England and the Mid-Atlantic, including more than a decade as a supervising seed collector and Ffield taxonomist with the Greenbelt Native Plant Center of NYC Parks, where she managed the seed bank and collection program for restoration projects citywide.

Now based in Washington, Connecticut, she runs LocalLand Consulting LLC, working with land trusts, farmers, landscape design firms, and homeowners to restore and steward native plant communities across the region. Participants will learn to recognize seed maturity, collect seed responsibly, and clean and prepare native seed for planting.

The Fen itself is stewarded by Matt Sheehan, whose hands-on work centers on the land's native plant communities. Located in Ecoregion 58, the farm produces native plant seed, craft willow, elderberry, and other perennial crops, functioning as a working example of regenerative land stewardship. Sheehan is opening the property specifically for this field day.

The Fen, Sharon, CT. Registration at Hollister House Garden.