When the dog days of summer hit, many of us are faced with water bans that limit our ability to water our lush gardens. We find ourselves carefully monitoring the water level in rain barrels and hoping for the next rainfall. What if we started to incorporate plants that simply need less water? In this online Massachusetts Horticultural Society lecture on April 15 at 7 pm, Jen Kettell will share the effects of drought on woody plants and describe plant adaptations for dealing with drought. Most importantly, she will introduce you to a new palette of plant material that will decrease your water use while increasing species diversity and beauty in your home landscape. 

Jen Kettell is an arborist and horticulturist serving the New England area. She is a recent graduate of the American Society for Consulting Arborists (ASCA) Academy, an advanced professional training for experienced arborists. As the owner of Radiant Leaf Consulting, she shares her passion for horticulture through the training she provides to both homeowners and green industry professionals.

Currently, she is a consultant for The Trustees’ public gardens, and a guest lecturer and trainer at the University of Massachusetts, the Arnold Arboretum, and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). In addition, she collaborates with other professionals through volunteer appointments on the Landscape Advisory Committee for the Wakefield Estate and Arboretum and the Board of Directors at Stearns Organic Farm.

Prior to starting Radiant Leaf Consulting in 2013, she worked as a staff horticulturist at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum for more than ten years, and served on the board of directors for the International Society of Arboriculture’s local chapter for five years.