Boston Flora

Tag: ecological design

  • Wednesdays, December 1 and December 15, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Advanced Ecological Design Workshop with Larry Weaner

    Demand for high performing, ecology-based landscapes is increasing faster than the availability of the specialized knowledge needed for practitioners to achieve them. This intensive course will be comprised of two sessions that are three hours each. This design workshop will provide concrete, real-world guidance for selecting and arranging native plants in the landscape (gardens and restoration projects), as well as provide attendees with the opportunity to employ these techniques through an assignment between the first and second sessions.

    Participants will receive login-protected access to an extensive digital manual that documents all aspects of the program, including plant selection criteria, plant recommendations, ecological process-based management specifications, and guidance for maximizing the aesthetic and experiential appeal these landscapes can provide.

    This program is geared toward landscape professionals, including but not limited to landscape designers, landscape architects, and horticulturists.

    COURSE GOALS:
    By the end of the course, participants should be able to:

    1. Examine and translate into design the ecological patterns of native plant communities.
    2. Understand the ecological processes that are relevant to native landscape design including, but not limited to, ecological processes such as disturbance, succession, and competition, and plant proliferation strategies.
    3. Understand how to arrange and select native plants to foster ecology-based landscapes that are aesthetically embraced by clients in a variety of landscape settings including gardens and restoration projects.

    COURSE SCHEDULE:
    Note: Each session will have 3 session hours plus two 15-minute breaks. $190. For complete information visit www.ecolandscaping.org.

  • Tuesday, March 21, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Designing with Plant Communities in Mind Live Webinar

    Ecological plantings are gaining popularity, but also face challenges due to environmental conditions and cultural expectations. When these plantings fail, it discourages future ecological landscaping efforts. We won’t solve this problem if we continue to design as if it we were painting on canvas, perceiving plants as individual objects in space. It is time for a new approach: a plant community based approach that evolved from the world of ecological science. Join Claudia West on Tuesday, March 21 on line at 12:30 EST as she explains how plants fit together in the wild and how we can use this knowledge to create landscapes that are resilient, beautiful, and diverse. This presentation will provide information that is practical as well as inspiring.  This Ecological Landscape Alliance live webinar is free to ELA members, $10 to nonmembers.  See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-designing-with-plant-communities-in-mind/#sthash.pB873Ube.dpuf

    Claudia West is the ecological sales manager at North Creek Nurseries, a wholesale perennial grower in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. Ms. West holds a Master’s Degree of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. In her current role, Ms. West works closely with ecological design and restoration professionals, offering consultation services from initial project planning stages to adaptive management strategies after project completion. Her work is centered on the development of stable, layered planting designs and the desire to bring American native plants back into our landscape. Together with co-author Thomas Rainer she recently published her first book Planting in a Post-Wild World, which promotes a new approach to ecological planting design.