Native plants are beautiful, drought-resistant, and beneficial to wildlife, but how do you make them look their best in your home landscape? Learn design principles and native plant selection in this free two-part workshop sponsored by conservation@home, Illinois Extension of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Forest Preserves of Cook County. Register at https://go.illinois.edu/NativeLandscapes
Many gardeners know that a lot of native perennials grow well in shady sites. However, there are quite a few that also thrive in full sun. Instructor Duncan Himmelman will help participants discover a selection of sun-loving species that will delight the eyes, enhance any garden, and support an abundance of native wildlife on January 20 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. online. This webinar is offered by Berkshire Botanical Garden ($15 for members, $20 for nonmembers) and registration is required by visiting www.berkshirebotanical.org
Duncan Himmelman earned his doctorate at Cornell University and taught horticultural science at the college level for 24 years. He recently retired as the education manager at Mt. Cuba Center, a public garden in Delaware devoted to native plant advocacy. He continues to enjoy teaching, designing landscapes and promoting ecologically focused gardening practices.
The American Horticultural Society invites you to hear a virtual presentation on January 19 at 2 pm Eastern with Noel Kingsbury, PhD, author and garden designer, on New Nature for a Climate Change Future.
In a world of dramatically changing climate, garden and landscape design must conserve biodiversity as well as provide habitat for humans. Renowned author and garden designer Noel Kingsbury will guide participants in discovering models and approaches to accomplish these gardening goals. We will look at the range of nature-inspired planting created in recent years, captured in powerful images by leading photographer Claire Takacs, while examining how and why these designs and plant choices support nature.
Noel Kingsbury is an internationally known innovator, writer, and teacher in the fields of gardening and planting design. His doctoral scholarship analyzes the long-term performance of perennials, which he continues to research and disseminate in practitioner workshops. Kingsbury has published 25 books, including New Perennial Design that launched a movement in naturalistic planting design, and four publications with Dutch designer Piet Oudolf.
$10 for AHS members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at https://ahsgardening.org/lifelong-learning/new-nature-for-a-climate-change-future/
As horticulturists and landscape designers, we need a strong foundation in the cultural history and theory of landscape to fully understand our work in the garden. In this four part online Native Plant Trust course, we will explore Eastern and Western garden design, including long-practiced principles that encourage sustainable and ecological approaches in the landscape design field. This history survey on Tuesdays, January 23 – 30 and February 6 – 13 from 6 – 8:30, will include visual presentations, readings, projects, and discussion. Staci Jasin instructs. $150 for NPT members, $180 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/history-and-principles-landscape-design/
In Not Your Mother’s Garden, Deborah Chud takes her audience on a photo tour of her dramatic Piet-Oudolf-style New Perennial Garden and describes the design principles underlying it. Many of the plants are unfamiliar – even to experienced and knowledgeable gardeners. These “New Perennials” constitute a special canon of plants that exhibit qualities valued by members of the New Perennial Movement – pioneers in the shift toward naturalist landscape design. What’s new about New Perennials and what can they do for you? Walk through her garden with her to find out. This online presentation sponsored by New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill takes place Thursday, January 25 at 7 pm Eastern, and is $10 for NEBG members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org.
Deborah Chud is a retired Massachusetts physician turned garden maker, consultant, and educator, who specializes in coaching home gardeners (in-person and virtually). Her years of research on the world’s most famous New Perennial gardens (including New York’s High Line, Chicago’s Lurie Garden, the Oudolf Meadow at Delaware Botanic Garden, and Oudolf Garden Detroit) have generated a unique database of New Perennial plant combinations and fostered the creation of her own highly unusual New Perennial garden.
In 2022, Rhode Island Plant Society (RIWPS) began ReSeeding Rhode Island, an initiative to increase the availability of ecotypic seed and plants within the state. In this online Native Plant Trust session on January 25 from 5 – 6, you will learn from ReSeeding Rhode Island’s seed collector Shannon Kingsley about ecotypes and ecoregions, proper protocols for collection of wild seeds, and the types of species collected and grown by ReSeeding RI. Shannon will also delve into her experiences collecting wild seeds, the initiative’s partnerships with its wild seedbed growers, and the developing educational aspects of the project.
Please note: We do not make video or audio recordings of classes or programs available after the fact, because we believe education is interactive, with instructors and students building a community and culture of learning. Some programs may be recorded strictly for instructor-training purposes. Please visit this page to review this and other FAQs about our policies.
$15 NPT members. $18 nonmembers. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/reseeding-rhode-island/
Explore how native gardening can address climate challenges in our next Wild Ones national webinar on January 25, “Cultivating Change” with author and activist Lorraine Johnson.
Learn about the pivotal role of gardening as an act of stewardship in the face of climate and ecological challenges. Discover the profound connections between individual gardens and the broader world and learn how these green spaces can serve as catalysts for positive ecological and social change. Join Wild Ones for a practical and insightful discussion on gardening’s positive impact on the environment and our future. The free webinar begins at 7 pm Eastern time.
Lorraine Johnson has been researching and writing about environmental issues for three decades. She is a community activist and advocates for protecting, supporting, and growing the urban forest. Johnson is a former president of the North American Native Plant Society and served on the national board of Wild Ones.
Johnson is the author or editor of 14 books, including City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing and Tending the Earth: A Gardener’s Manifesto. Her most recent book was coauthored by Sheila Colla, A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators. Through her books, articles, presentations, and community projects, she strives to advance the understanding that everything and everyone is connected and that, through our actions, we all have a role to play in making this world a better place for all life. Register at www.wildones.org
The birds that populate the Arnold Arboretum rarely have to go far to find water. In the deserts of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, it’s a different story, and the sandgrouse that lives in these arid environments has developed a fascinating adaptation to stay hydrated: these birds have a unique ability to absorb and hold water inside of their feathers. But how do their feathers hold water so efficiently? Dr. Lorna Gibson, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, has found the answer. Join Dr. Gibson on January 16 at 6:30 pm for a lecture to learn about these fascinating birds and the science behind them. For registration for either the virtual or live option, click HERE.
We look forward to the coming year in horticulture. Let’s help make 2024 a year of environmental awareness. Nature heals.
