Landscape Therapy Workshop 5/2/26

Chickadee photo by Stephen Waycott/Getty Images

Cohosted by Perfect Earth Project and Third House Nature Center

Join Perfect Earth Project's Edwina von Gal, Third House Nature Center's Ed Johann, and Vicki Bustamante of Third House Nature Center and Warrens Nursery for a landscape therapy session where we'll dive into the fascinating relationship between plants and wildlife and what we can do in our yards. Come with questions!

May 2, 2026
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Third House Nature Center
1929 Montauk Hwy
Montauk, NY 11954

After the workshop, Ed and Vicki will lead us on an (optional) walk around Amsterdam Beach State Park. No additional registration required.

Tickets are free. Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome.

Space is limited.

Thank you to the Peconic Estuary Partnership for funding this event.

Vicki Bustamante

Vicki Bustamante has amassed more than 45 years of experience across multiple sectors within the horticultural field. She co-owns and operates Warren's Nursery, where she is responsible for managing 47 production greenhouses and six tree farms. She focuses on the propagation and cultivation of local genotype native plant species, which are utilized in ecological restoration projects, including landscape rehabilitation, revegetation efforts, and the development of rain gardens. As a field botanist, Vicki is currently engaged in a floristic survey of the Montauk region, conducting a comparative analysis of species composition and distribution in relation to Norman Taylor's seminal 1923 study. Since 2021, she has served on the Board of Directors of the New York Flora Association. She also is Vice President at Third House Nature Center, Inc., where she leads a long-standing internship program, mentoring a select group of high school seniors in field-based studies of plant taxonomy, invasive species ecology, ornithology, and ecosystem dynamics within Montauk County Park. She conducts weekly field sessions throughout the academic year to support experiential learning and ecological literacy among these young emerging scholars.

Ed Johann

Ed Johann has been the President of Third House Nature Center since 2002. He began actively birdwatching in 1963 when he was 15 years old. At Third House in Montauk, he leads trail walks and hosts classes on beginning birdwatching for people of all ages.

Edwina von Gal 

A leading voice in sustainable gardening and landscape design, Edwina von Gal founded Perfect Earth Project in 2013 to promote nature-based, toxic-free land care for the health of people, their pets, and the planet. As principal of her eponymous landscape design firm since 1984, Edwina created landscapes with a focus on simplicity, sustainability, and beauty for private and public clients around the world. Her work has been published widely, including in The New York Times, Vogue, and Architectural Digest, and the award-winning book Fresh Cuts. In 2024, she was named one of the top 50 Creatives in America by Wallpaper* magazine. She has served on boards and committees for a number of horticultural organizations and currently serves on the board of What Is Missing, Maya Lin's multifaceted media artwork about the loss of biodiversity, Longue Vue's National Council, and is a member of the Native Plant Trust's Council. Her awards include the LongHouse Visionary Award from LongHouse, the New York School of Interior Design's Green Design Award, the Isamu Noguchi Award, and Guild Hall's Academy of the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award for the Visual Arts. Photo by Sophie Griffin.