Boston Flora

Tag: Ecological Landscape Alliance

  • Wednesday, November 28, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Low Maintenance Gardening

    While native plants are said to be well-adapted to New England, that doesn’t mean just any native will do. Though trilliums and lady slippers are beautiful, they rarely thrive in built landscapes without considerable care. The good news for landscape designers and gardeners is that there is a long list of native plants that are strong performers in a designed landscape and perform well. Choosing certain species can produce built landscapes that require little care after they’ve been established. Join Dan Jaffe at Garden in the Woods on November 28 from 10 – noon to learn about plants that thrive and spread on their own, and even weed the garden. Dan Jaffe is the propagator and stock bed grower at New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) in Framingham, Massachusetts. He earned a degree in botany from the University of Maine and an advanced certificate in Native Plant Horticulture and Design from NEWFS. After interning at Garden in the Woods, Dan worked for a year as Plant Sales Coordinator at the Garden. The program is sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance and is $26 for members, $32 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/class-low-maintenance-gardening/

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  • Friday, December 7, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – 2018 Ecological Plant Conference

    Brooklyn Botanic Garden is host to the Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA) third annual Ecological Plant Conference at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, New York. Join us on December 7 from 8 – 5 as five plant masters discuss a few valuable plants at length, from native perennials to under-story heroes to top performing trees. Cultivation, propagation, behavior, and ecological function will be highlighted, with an emphasis on plant communities. Presenters will delve into the interactions between individual plants and the complex interactions among plant communities, as well as interactions with the plant’s environment.

    Noted plant masters Carol Gracie, Andi Pettis, Laura Hansplant, Bill Logan, and Don Leopold will lead this rare opportunity to delve into the world of plants.

    This conference is an opportunity for professional gardeners, horticulturists, landscape architects, and designers to explore deeply the cultivation of the plants professionals in the Northeast work with every day. Speakers will share their expertise with plant selection, pruning techniques, and long-term plant care, offering the necessary information to grow and create healthy, dynamic, and beautiful plant communities. Morning coffee and catered lunch are included with registration. $119 for ELA members, $139 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.ecolandscaping.org.

    The High Line’s Urban Nature: Tenacious Plants for Tough Places
    ~Andi Pettis

    The High Line’s renowned plantings are inspired by the natural landscape that grew wild there, before the elevated rail line was transformed into a New York City public park.
    In this talk, Andi Pettis will present some of the toughest plants growing on the High Line, both the cultivated species and some of the plants that grew wild on the rail tracks, spontaneously and without any care or thought from human beings. She will explore how we can study the spontaneous nature in urban environments in order to glean lessons about the tenacity of plants, and how we can apply those lessons to our ecological landscapes.

    Pioneering Higher Ground – Explorations in Designing Rooftop Habitats
    ~Laura Hansplant

    Why can native volunteer plants thrive on green roofs while the same intentional plantings fail? How can rooftop landscapes support urban habitat with the same resilience as sedum roofs? What lessons can we learn for on-ground landscapes? Rooftop environments offer unique opportunities for urban habitat. The ecology of these plant communities parallels natural, thin-soil environments but also presents some important functional differences. In this session, Laura Hansplant compares alternative design approaches to establishing meadows on green roofs based on observations of plant community dynamics and tracking plant performance at pilot projects over the past fiver years.

    The Thousand Year Wood: Past, Present and Future of People and Oaks
    ~William (Bill) Bryant Logan

    Oaks and people have been intimately related since the Mesolithic, at the latest. Bill will sketch the long history of that relationship, including the many things that oak taught us. We will look from Japan, to Europe, to California, considering the intimate relationship between people and oaks. He will look at the present possibilities for planting and maintaining oaks in the landscape, considering the preferences of different species and where they are best placed in the landscape. Finally, Bill will examine the current threats to oak trees from newly-arrived pathogens and discuss how these potential problems should adjust the way we plant and care for oaks.

    Native Wildflowers – Beyond Their Beauty: How They Integrate into the Environment
    Carol Gracie

    Although the beauty of local wildflowers enhances our enjoyment of the outdoors in summer, a look behind the flowers’ beauty reveals the important roles that they play in the ecology of our northeastern environment. Carol Gracie look at how the plants have adapted to their habitats, their role as a food resource for insects, their methods of dispersal, and some of their uses by humans as medicines, foods, and dyes. Our native wildflowers also provide easy-care beauty in our home gardens.

    Native Plants and Natural Plant Communities for Difficult Sites
    ~Donald (Don) J. Leopold

    An expert on native species, Don Leopold will go into depth of native herbaceous and woody species that are no maintenance, long-lived, adapted to extreme conditions (e.g., salinity, alkalinity, drought, shade), attract wildlife (especially birds and butterflies), are deer-proof, and/or produce food for people. Native species for the most challenging sites will be highlighted. The ecological role of these species in their natural communities and how these assemblages of species can be used for home gardens as well as urban projects and larger scale restoration of degraded industrial landscapes will also be covered.

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  • Thursday, November 15, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – Examining Nature as Medicine: Designing Landscapes that Improve Quality of Life and the Human Psyche

    The Ecological Landscape Alliance Mid-Atlantic Conference on November 15 at Winterthur from 8 – 5 explores the intersection of ecological landscape design and its effect on human beings. Sometimes referred to as Social Landscape Design or Ecological Psychology, emerging research is taking a closer look at the interaction of people and landscapes. Join ELA for leading-edge research, compelling case studies, and practical strategies to consider in your future designs.

    In both urban and suburban locales, rising health concerns have prompted research on how the human body changes when introduced to planned landscapes. Compelling conclusions point to the benefits of evaluating the intersections between specific elements in ecological landscapes and human health, specifically in the context of urban, public spaces. As an ecosystem of people, nature, and infrastructure, the built landscape can become a prescription to improve human health. This landscape trend in urban social-ecology is a design imperative to create gardens informed by nature in order to improve the environment, benefit human health, and develop cities that are resilient, healthy, sustainable, and livable.

    Sessions include Time in Nature = A Healthier You with Dr. Donald Rakow, Beyond “Nature is Good”: Research on the Benefits of Contact with Nature on Human Health, The Vibrant Cities Lab and Urban Forest Toolkit with Larry Wiseman, Observe/Inform/Improve: Nurturing Living Landscapes through Social Performance Research with Lauren Mandel and Erin Ramsden, and Landscapes as Living Infrastructure with Gena Wirth. Complete biographies and descriptions are found at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/ela-mid-atlantic-conference-winterthur/. $119 for ELA members, $139 for nonmembers.

  • Wednesday, October 31, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Keeping Carbon in the Ground: A Scientific Exploration of Climate Change and Soil Health

    The Ecological Landscape Alliance is sponsoring a webinar on Wednesday, October 31 at 12:30 on Keeping Carbon in the Ground: A Scientific Exploration of Climate Change and Soil Health. Soils rich in carbon are healthy soils. However, climate change and poor management practices can degrade soil carbon stores and, consequently, the soil itself. Dr. Kristen DeAngelis will explain why keeping carbon in the ground is important, and how carbon sequestration factors into maintaining healthy soils. She will also discuss the changes that were observed over a 26-year period in a long-term climate change field experiment in which soils were heated 5 degrees C above ambient temperatures. Along with a look at the science, Dr. DeAngelis will suggest ways in which we can make changes in our practices to increase carbon storage in the soil.

    Kristen DeAngelis, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has trained in soil microbiology and soil ecology at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and has worked on tropical rainforest, temperate forest, and grassland soils.

    $10 fee – register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-keeping-carbon-in-the-ground-a-scientific-exploration-of-climate-change-and-soil-health/

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  • Monday, November 5, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – Season’s End Summit: The Sensory Garden – Elements to Enrich Every Landscape

    Monday, November 5, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – Season’s End Summit: The Sensory Garden – Elements to Enrich Every Landscape

    As designers we aspire to create remarkable landscapes for ourselves, landscapes primarily measured in terms of visual, ecological, and functional appeal. Yet all of our senses are engaged as we experience the space and weigh the merits of the landscapes we enter. With planning, a sensory garden can deliver elements that involve all of the senses and ultimately deepen our connections with the space. In a culture dominated by technology, professional and amateur landscape designers have a unique opportunity to provide a rich experience for clients so that once disconnected from work, screen, headphones, and device, they can enjoy a multi-faceted garden that engages all of the senses and reconnects the soul.

    The Ecological Landscape Alliance invites you to slow down for one day on November 5 to contemplate a sensory-inspired journey into landscape design. Attend ELA’s 9th Annual Season’s End Summit as we explore sensory design elements, not just for specialty gardens but for every garden. Challenge the status quo, learn new approaches, reconnect with colleagues, and get inspired to embrace sensory dimensions in your next designs.

    Tovah Martin – The Garden in Every Sense and Season
    Gain inspiration for your next design as nationally known and celebrated Tovah Martin shares advice and ideas to deeply enhance the gardening experience for you and your clients. Tovah explores the garden on all levels by attuning your nose to the scents and training your ears to listen. Learn to garden with eyes wide open, ears to the ground, and hands outstretched as Tovah leads us on an odyssey of exploration to awaken the senses and arouse our abilities of perception on all levels.

    Ellen Sousa – Savor the Fragrance and Feast on the Bounty

    The sense of smell merges delightful sensory experience with lasting associative memory. It is easy to incorporate fragrances into a garden through blooms or aromatic foliage. Ellen will discuss how and when plants release their fragrance, provide placement suggestions for greatest impact, and share design tips for overlooked plants that offer floral, spicy, and fresh fragrances. But it is not just about the aroma. As we catch the scent of ripening fruit, the taste-buds begin tingle with anticipation of mouth-watering edibles. Ellen will inspire us with design options that satisfy the sense of taste from vegetables, herbs, and spices to fruits, nuts, edible flowers, and more.

    Trevor Smith – Tap into Your Inner Child

    Children touch everything to fully engage with their surroundings, a well-planned sensory garden invites visitors of all ages to experience this enjoyable sensation. In the sensory garden there are many textural options to invite interaction. Trevor encourages designers to incorporate plants featuring smooth, rough, waxy, hairy, silky, spiny, and even sticky elements and shares some favorite plant options. Of all of the senses, incorporating sound is where Trevor’s designs excel. Sound elements in the garden create a sense of calm and serenity. There are several ways to incorporate sounds by including: plants that rustle in the breeze; enhancing habitat features to invite wildlife bringing chirping, buzzing, and birdsong; adding man-made features such as wind chimes; or integrating a water feature to provide the most soothing of sound of moving water. Trevor will share ideas and address questions as we channel our inner child in the sensory garden.

    After lunch, all of the Summit speakers will join in a lively panel discussion. Panelists will answer questions to help address some challenges posed by sensory gardens. And regardless of a landscape’s design theme, there is a checklist of strategies at the core of any successful, ecological landscape. Panelists will discuss issues and provide tips for putting these principles and practices to work in any landscape.

    The day long event will take place at the Community Harvest Project Barn, 37 Wheeler Road in North Grafton, and is $119 – $129. Visit www.ecolandscaping.org for registration and complete information.

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  • Thursday, October 18, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm – Advanced Design Workshop with Roy Diblik

    Join acclaimed designer and plantsman Roy Diblik on October 18 from 9 – 4:30 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden for a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in garden design and to be inspired by nearly four decades of his design experience and extensive plant background. During this full-day workshop, Mr. Diblik will share the importance of affection in the design process; the beauty of self-discovery in coming to know plants and creating intimate plant communities; and the joy of caring for perennial plantings.

    Mr. Diblik’s teaching is based on his belief that successful planting design isn’t about how many new and different plants you can use, but rather about knowing your plants and understanding how to combine them to create sustainable and beautiful relationships. In this workshop, Mr. Diblik will delve into 16 plants and explain the value of coming to known them. In-depth discussion will help build an understanding of their growth rate, growth habits, and other characteristics that contribute to successful placement in communities and to their seasonal and yearly developmental associations with each other. Mr. Diblik will explore the importance of mindful inputs based on the garden’s selected plant patterns within the overall plant community and their evolving relationships from year to year. During the workshop, he will guide the group through layout patterns and evaluate layouts based on their stewardship needs from the first year to the fifth year. In addition to plant and design topics, Mr. Diblik will discuss gardening practices over landscaping practices. This exploration will challenge workshop participants to consider the relative benefits of health-and-beauty over neat-and-tidy. With the recognition that we must manage time as well as financial resources, Mr. Diblik will also share his inspirational wisdom about the transformational time we are in within the horticultural industry. He will describe his vision that we are positioned to become a plant driven culture that raises the level of beauty while recognizing the value of responsible water use, biodiversity expansion, habitat creation, and good soil stewardship.

    Roy Diblik is a recognized perennial plant expert, grower, designer, author, and co-owner of Northwind Perennial Farm in southeastern Wisconsin. Combining his 35+ years of knowledge growing traditional and Midwest native perennials, he specializes in highly aesthetic, sustainable plant communities for all seasons, while reducing maintenance through design. e believes that gardens should be thoughtful, ecologically directed, emotionally outreaching, and yet very personal. Mr. Diblik is the author of The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden, a simplified approach that promotes use of hardy, beautiful plants that are complementary and thrive together as a community.

    Co-sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance. $125 for members of sponsoring organizations, $160 for nonmembers. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Saturday, September 8, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm – An Ecological Approach to the Nursery and Greenhouse

    Nursery and greenhouse plant production can maximize ecological processes and practices. On Saturday, September 8 at Nasami Farm in Whately, this technical yet informal workshop explores how growers can create a sustainable, safe, and successful operation by mimicking and building on natural systems. The program, from 10 – 1:30, is co-sponsored by the New England Wild Life Society and the Ecological Landscape Alliance. $46 for sponsor members, $56 for nonmembers. Register online at www.newenglandwild.org.

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  • Tuesday, June 5, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Ferns and Native Beauty at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary

    Starting with a 100 acre woodlot, Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary founder and benefactor – Monson, Massachusetts native Arthur D. Norcross Jr. (1895-1969) – bought, bartered and traded to amass over 2,000 acres that he dubbed the Tupper Hill Sanctuary. Today, the Sanctuary is operated by the Norcross Wildlife Foundation and has grown to over 8,000 acres of forests, meadows and wildlands in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Sanctuary is managed and maintained for the benefit of native plants and animals of New England, as Mr. Norcross originally directed.

    There are just under three miles of walking trails that traverse a variety of habitats and naturalistic wildflower gardens in the 75 acre Pocket Sanctuary, which represents the diversity that can be found at Tupper Hill. Plants grown here are native to the eastern seaboard, from the Carolinas to Canada.

    Hundreds of plant species can be found in the various habitats and 14 gardens maintained at the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. Among the wildflower collection are also a variety of ferns. Over 50 species of native ferns can be found along the trails ranging from the small, Dissected Grapefern (Botrychium dissectum), to the very large, Log Fern (Dryopteris celsa), and from the wetlands Netted Chain Fern (Woodwardia areolata) to the rock garden Wooly Lipfern (Cheilanthes lanosa). There is a variety of ferns growing in various habitat gardens. A walk through the gardens can help you identify ferns for every garden situation.

    Part of the conservation mission includes rescuing plants destined for destruction. Probably the most remarkable salvage operation involved rescuing the flora of a parcel in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and transporting it lock, stock and Gentiana autumnalis (Pine Barren Gentian) to Massachusetts, where it still sits today. White cedars, gentians, cattails, pitcher plants, cranberry bushes, sphagnum moss, grasses and sedges, and several species of orchids all made the trip.

    You are welcome to bring a lunch to enjoy in the picnic area at the conclusion of this Ecological Landscape Alliance tour on June 5.

    Tour guide, Leslie Duthie will lead this inspiring walking tour through many gardens and wildlands and will provide detailed information about the wide array of native ferns that make their home in the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. Leslie Duthie, is a horticulturalist at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. She has been working in native plant horticulture and propagation for over 35 years. Her devotion to ferns started the first time she grew a fern from spore. The gardens of Norcross are full of plants that she has raised and her knowledge of the ferns is extensive. Leslie is a life-long gardener starting with her BS in Plant Science and includes experience in greenhouse growing, both landscape plants and native plants.

    Directions to the Norcross Sanctuary:

    The Sanctuary is located in Wales, MA between Rt. 32 and Rt. 19 on the Monson-Wales Road. If you use a GPS, enter 30 Peck Road, Wales, MA 01081. Turn onto Peck Road and then turn left into the parking lot.

    $20 for ELA members, $30 for nonmembers. Register online at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/eco-tour-ferns-and-native-plants-at-norcross-wildlife-sanctuary/

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  • Thursday, March 22, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Weeds

    What is a weed? Why do weeds appear? How should we remove them? Are some weeds beneficial? The answers to these questions are not always straightforward. For instance, violets are one of the most important plants for fritillary butterflies, and yet they are labelled weeds. Goldenrods, which provide more wildlife benefit than any other herbaceous plant in the flora, are also considered weeds. Join Dan Jaffe at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Thursday, March 22 from 9 – 12 for a fascinating discussion of weeds and their place in the landscape. Co-sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance. $40 for members of sponsoring organizations, $48 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/weeds

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  • Tuesday, March 27, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Plants for Pollinators

    From meadows to mountain tops, our natural areas are often touted as the best places for pollinators and wildlife but what about our gardens? Join Dan Jaffe for a crash course on all things alive in the garden. Ecological gardening techniques, strategies for attracting new pollinators to your landscape, and the best native plants for each site will be discussed. The class is sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance and will take place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Tuesday, March 27 from 1 – 4. $40 for ELA members, $48 for nonmembers. Register online at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/class-plants-pollinators/

    Instructor: Dan Jaffe is the propagator and stock bed grower at New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) in Framingham, Massachusetts. He earned a degree in botany from the University of Maine and an advanced certificate in Native Plant Horticulture and Design from NEWFS. After interning at Garden in the Woods, Mr. Jaffe worked for a year as Plant Sales Coordinator at the Garden. In addition to many years of experience in horticulture, he has boundless enthusiasm for native plants.

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