Boston Flora

Tag: ELA

  • Wednesday, June 24, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm – Landscapes as Essential Groundwork for Our Future

    As we move into a new age of ecological landscaping, how do we rethink our residential and civic landscapes so that they actively support biodiversity, climate resilience, and community wellbeing? As horticulture professionals, we have an essential role in the future of our world. Drawing from real-world projects and community-based design work, this workshop will explore practical approaches to creating beautiful, functional gardens that wildly expand biodiversity while connecting the human spirit back to the natural world.

    Participants in this Ecological Landscape Alliance design workshop on June 24 at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York, will gain inspiration and actionable strategies for transforming landscapes from resource consumers to ecosystem contributors, strengthening connections between people and the natural realm while centering a changing world, biodiversity, and community action. We will explore real-life challenges and strategies for maintaining these ecological gardens and how to better connect design and care professionals for long-term success. We will learn how to build healthy ecosystems while at the same time connecting people back to the rhythms of the seasons, healing spirit, and building community and equity along the way.

    Walking the property at Stone Barns mid workshop, participants will enjoy a guided landscape tour of the property with real-life success and challenges on plant choices and 10+ years of garden trails from in-house staff.

    Instructor Shanti Nagel is the founder of Design Wild, a landscape design firm working at the intersection of climate, humans, and community well-being.  She believes that the relationship between humans and the natural world is essential for individual health, the strength of communities, our ecosystems, and a future on Earth. She grew up gardening as a child in upstate NY, founded an organic vegetable farm at age 20, and later managed one of New York City’s largest urban farms. Shanti is a graduate of the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, a trained horticulturist, and a skilled landscape designer.  For the last decade, she and Design Wild have been designing naturally ferocious, beautiful, ecologically rich and incredibly durable landscapes in New York City and the greater Hudson Valley.

    $405 for ELA members (lunch included) and $480 for nonmembers (lunch included) Registration closed June 15. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/new-events-calendar/

  • Thursday, December 4, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm Eastern – 2025 ELA Season’s End Summit, Live and Online

    From the sky to the soil—learn cutting-edge strategies at the ELA Season’s End Summit! Innovative Stormwater Solutions: Jay Archer will share best management practices for residential watersheds. Green Roof Bus Shelters: Trevor Smith details the design and impact of North America’s largest green roof bus shelter installation.

    Don’t miss this opportunity to advance your sustainable design knowledge on December 4th.

    ELA Member $ 129
    Non-Member $ 169
    ELA Member Virtual Registration $ 74
    Non-Member Virtual Registration $ 89

    Register now: https://ela.member365.org/public/event/details/d83044f615cd71cb12a76ad12bb74e0421ec139f/1

  • Saturday, October 11, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Eco-Tour of Native Shrubs & Shrublands

    Join Dan Wilder for a tour of one of his favorite sites with fantastic shrub diversity in Brimfield, Massachusetts, on October 11. Free for Ecological Landscape members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/

  • Thursday, July 10, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Maintenance and Management in Natural Landscapes, Online

    Most tasks associated with land care maintenance are mowing, pruning, and weeding. Landscapes that encourage natural systems such as the growth of a plant community, are more complex and require management that understands ecological principles and natural processes. For example, the use of low growing native plants is terrific for reducing areas of lawn. To allow them to establish, raising the level of the mower blade still cuts the grass and leaves the plants to proliferate. Marie Chieppo will discuss case studies that provide a new meaning to the role of maintenance and how together with management we can steer our properties into a more naturally-based trajectory of growth. This Ecological Landscape Alliance Webinar will take place July 10 at 6 pm Eastern. You may register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/new-events-calendar/.

    Marie Chieppo is a passionate advocate for the environment. Now in her 28th year of practice as an organic gardener and ecological landscape designer, her passion is working with clients and the public to discover the value of partnering with nature. She encourages sustainability in every aspect of her work, including the use of alternative materials to plastic containers. Marie is a member of ELA’s Education Committee and an avid instructor for many organizations.

    FREE for ELA members
    $10 for non-members

  • Friday, June 27, 1:00 pm – An Introduction to Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Ecological Landscape Alliance

    Mark Richardson, Executive Director, US branch of Botanic Gardens Conservation International and Ecological Landscape Alliance, in addition to Director of Strategic Horticulture Partnerships for New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, will present
    An Introduction to Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Ecological Landscape Alliance on June 27 at 1 pm at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, Massachusetts.

    This meeting will also include the option to tour New England Botanic Garden following the presentation, attend a field trip, and/or meet for dinner in the evening. Please visit www.nebg.org for a detailed schedule.

  • Tuesday, June 10, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm Eastern – Science in Action: 10 Years of Restoring Native Plant-Pollinator Functional Diversity at Breakneck Hill, Online

    Plant-pollinator diversity is declining at an alarming rate worldwide. The continued loss of native plant-pollinator diversity poses a significant threat to health and integrity of terrestrial ecosystems due to the fundamental functional role that ‘pollination products’ play in supporting wildlife diversity across trophic levels. Habitat loss and degradation are widely thought to be significant drivers of pollination system decline; however, surprisingly few current habitat management plans focused on pollinator restoration are based on empirical data, making them ineffective at attracting and sustaining imperiled species. In this talk, Dr. Rob Gegear will discuss how he has used a data-driven, species-level ecological approach to successfully restore native plant-pollinator functional diversity at Breakneck Hill, a 40 acres of conservation land located in Southborough MA. He will also highlight how ‘eco-technology’ and crowdsourced data collection was used to dramatically reduce the amount of time required to develop and implement effective management strategies for imperiled systems. This Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar will be held Tuesday, June 10 at noon. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.com

  • Friday, May 2, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm Eastern – Native Shrubs: The Unsung Heroes of Ecological Landscapes, Online

    Native shrubs don’t get nearly enough attention. They offer immense ecological value, amazing fall colors, tasty berries and nuts, hosts for rare caterpillars, fantastic flowers, and make great additions to ecologically minded landscapes. Join Dan Wilder, Ecological Landscape Alliance board member and Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation for this May 2 online lecture that aims to encourage you to pay more attention to the ecological value of shrubs.

    FREE for members $10 for non-members

    Register on Eventbrite

    Dan Jaffe Wilder is an ecologist, horticulturist, and botanist with over fifteen years’ experience working with native plants and their associated ecology. His work has ranged from classrooms to nurseries to botanical gardens to wildlife refuges specializing in native plant ecology, propagation, wildlife habitat construction, and native edible landscapes. Dan is currently the Director of Applied Ecology for the Norcross Wildlife Foundation whose mission is to protect, enhance, and expand wildlife through conservation, education, and support. A prolific photographer and author Dan’s book Native Plants for New England Gardens was released in 2018.

  • Thursday, April 3, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – A Small Backyard Natural Swimming Pool, Online

    Natural swimming pools are great for cooling off, diversifying habitat, and creating beauty in the garden, but they can seem out of reach for some because of the cost to install and maintain. Learn about Ecological Landscape Alliance’s Education Committee member Jennifer H. Campbell’s experience building and nurturing a small, informal natural pool at her home in northwestern New Hampshire, powered by a bubble pump system and native plants, for a fraction of the cost of traditional natural pools.

    The April 3 webinar is FREE for ELA members $10 for non-members

    Register on Eventbrite

    Jennifer H Campbell made a mid-life change of career 20 years ago to ecological landscape design based in Northwest NH and Southeast Vermont. She is a graduate of the Conway School of Landscape Design 2007 and holds a Certificate in Native Plant Studies from the Native Plant Trust.

  • Wednesday, February 26 – Friday, February 28, 11:00 am – 8:00 pm Eastern – 2025 ELA Annual Conference and Marketplace, Live and Online

    We hope to see you at ELA’s Annual Conference scheduled for February 26, 27. and 28, 2025! Day 1 & 2 of the conference will remain virtual on Qiqochat to facilitate greater access and participation. Each day of virtual learning will consist of a number of concurrent presentations organized across three educational tracks.

    The last day of the conference, we are organizing in-person member meet ups to build on the momentum from last year and continue expanding our community! This conference will give the ELA community a chance to engage and reflect on where the industry has been, to hear lessons learned, to prepare and adapt for the future, and to inspire each other to do all that we can to build and maintain resilient landscapes that work in harmony with the life that supports them. 

    Remember all presentations will be recorded and made available to registrants after the conference. You can enjoy the event live, and then revisit presentations at your leisure. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/ela-2025-annual-conference-eco-marketplace/

  • Saturdays, January 20 & 27, and February 3, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Eastern – Plant Nutrients, Online

    What are mineral nutrients and how do plants use them? What are the signs of deficiencies and toxicities? In this Native Plant Trust three part online course on January 20 & 27 and February 3 from 10:00 – noon, you will learn some mineral nutrient foundations through an overview of soils, chemistry, and plant anatomy. We will explore how plants acquire, use, and translocate mineral nutrients.

    We will also learn skills to identify how mineral nutrients are impacting a plant’s health and how to remedy plants suffering from improper nutrition. Please note: NPT does not make video or audio recordings of classes or programs available after the fact, because it believes education is interactive, with instructors and students building a community and culture of learning.

    The class is taught online by George LoCascio, a horticulturist and soil specialist. $90 for NPT members, $108 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/plant-nutrients/