Boston Flora

Tag: Native Plants

  • Friday, April 21, 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm Eastern – At Home in a Wild Landscape, Online

    Thoughtfully arranged native plantings can reduce maintenance, improve the environment, and enhance the beauty of any residential property. Achieving these goals however, requires a basic understanding of the patterns and processes that govern plants in the wild, and an effort to apply that understanding to a designed environment. Through a series of detailed case studies, including his own small suburban property, Larry Weaner, FAPLD, will show how artistically composed native plant compositions can result in both ecologically healthy and experientially rich home landscapes. The webinar takes place April 21 from 2 – 3:15 Eastern, and is $42. Register at https://learning.ndal.org/courses/at-home-wild-landscape-2023 The session will be recorded and viewable to registrants for 3 months after the live session date.

    Larry Weaner, FAPLD, founded Larry Weaner Landscape Associates in 1982 and established NDAL in 1990. He is nationally recognized for combining expertise in horticulture, landscape design, and ecological restoration. His design and restoration work spans more than twenty U.S. states and the U.K., and has been profiled in numerous national publications. His book Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change (Timber Press 2016) received an American Horticultural Society Book Award in 2017, and in 2021 he received American Horticultural Society’s Landscape Design Award.

  • Wednesday, March 29, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Eastern – Native Plants for Container Gardens, Online

    Many native plants make great choices for container gardens. From shade to sun, perennials to shrubs, spring to fall, there are options that will bring a host of beneficial insects and birds to your yard, patio, deck, or balcony. Berkshire Botanical Garden sponsors this online lecture, led by Duncan Himmelman, on Wednesday, March 29 from 5:30 – 7 Eastern time. $12 for BBG members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/native-plants-container-gardens

    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. 

  • Tuesdays, September 10, September 27, and October 4, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Cultivating Your Plant Communities, Online

    Your backyard has a unique plant community based on the ecology and geology of the area.

    In this three-part Native Plant Trust workshop to be held online, learn to identify appropriate native plants and groupings for your site and create a personalized plant palette and design that is beautiful and enhances biodiversity. Leave the workshop inspired to integrate science and art in your garden. Tickets: $135 Members  –  $162 Non-Members. Sessions will be held from 6-9 on September 10, 27m and October 4. Staci Jasin, Landscape Designer, will instruct.

    All ticketing done through Native Plant Trust.


  • Sundays, September 11 – October 2, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Gardening with Native Plants, Online

    Learn how native plants enhance gardens and augment biodiversity. Study native herbaceous and woody plants: their identification, habitat, and culture. Hear about the significance of woodland soils, and how to promote a healthy environment to support spring ephemerals, summer perennials, shrubs, and trees. This New York Botanical Garden series of online lectures takes place Sundays, September 11 – October 2 from 10 – noon, taught by Kim Eierman. There are two required texts: Donald J. Leopold’s Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation (Timber Press, 2005) and Douglas Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants (Timber Press, 2009). The series is $215 for NYBG members, $239 for nonmembers. Register HERE.

    Kim Eierman earned a Certificate in Horticulture from the Botanical Garden and is the founder of EcoBeneficial!, a horticulture communications and consulting company promoting ecological landscapes and the use of native plants. Kim is a Certified Horticulturist through ASHS, an Accredited Organic Landcare Professional, a Master Gardener, a Master Naturalist and a member of the Native Plant Center Steering Committee.

  • Wednesday, August 10, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Why Native Plants Matter: Beauty, Biodiversity, and Resilience

    The Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury is sponsoring the Annual David H. Smith Memorial Lecture on August 10 at 5:30 pm at the Arboretum.

    Heather McCargo, founder of Wild Seed Project, will share the many reasons we should bring native flora back into our developed landscapes. Native plants are excellent additions to our gardens; they are beautiful, they are important for our regions’ ecosystem functioning, and they do not need the high inputs of water and nutrients of commonly cultivated plants. Heather will provide insight into what is happening in the nursery trade with native plants, including loss of genetic diversity and cloning, and how we can all promote our native flora by planting seed-grown native plants. $5 for PHA members, $10 for nonmembers.

    Registration is required. Sign up here: bit.ly/Heather-McCargo-Lecture

  • Friday, June 10, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm – The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden

    Join Native Plant Trust Director of Horticulture Uli Lorimer, for the debut of his new book highlighting our region’s spectacular plant diversity and varied habitats. The Northeast Native Plant Primer provides a roadmap to help you to include native plants in your garden, whether you are new to gardening or a seasoned professional. For those of us who care about the natural world, the decision to plant natives in the garden is one of the most impactful and important choices we can make. With so much under threat from a changing climate, invasive species, habitat loss and fragmentation, and declining numbers of birds and insects, planting natives in your garden shows you are trying to make a difference. Native plants have the power to heal our landscapes, welcome wildlife into our gardens, and inspire us.

    The talk will be held at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on June 10 at 12:30 pm. $15 for NPT members, $18 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org

  • Fridays, May 13 & 20, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Summer Blooming Native Plants, Online

    Discover plants native to our region that flower in summer, such as Hairy Penstemon, Spotted Beebalm, Shrubby St. John’s Wort, and Northern Bush Honeysuckle. Learn how to choose the right plants for your landscape conditions and explore the benefits they provide to your garden’s ecosystem for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. This New York Botanical Garden online two session class takes place May 13 and 20 from 10:30 – 12:30 with instructor Kim Eierman of EcoBeneficial. NYBG members $79, nonmembers $85. Register HERE.

  • Friday, November 12, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Native Plants in American Gardens: A Brief History

    At various times in American history, conservationists, landscape architects, and backyard gardeners have encouraged the use of native plants in public and private landscapes. This Native Plant Trust illustrated online lecture will provide a historical overview of these movements, spanning the late-nineteenth century Chicago Prairie School and the late-twentieth century grassroots resurgence among gardeners and conservationists throughout the United States. Among other questions, this talk explores the platforms and concerns of native plants advocates over the course of the twentieth century. Jane Roy Brown will lead the webinar on November 12 from 1 – 2 pm. $12 for NPT members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/native-plants-american-gardens-brief-history/

  • Thursday, October 28, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Top 10 Native Plants for Residential Landscapes Webinar

    Native plants are an important part of establishing a sustainable environment. In this October 28 Tower Hill Botanic Garden session from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, we’ll learn about the tried and true natives that can complement your garden, attract pollinators and withstand our New England weather. Successful herbaceous and woody plants will be included.

    Cheryl Salatino is the principal designer and owner of Dancing Shadows Garden Design, a residential landscape design and services firm. She has been designing gardens across Massachusetts since 2002. Cheryl is a Certified Landscape Designer and a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist (MCH). She received her certificate in landscape design from the Radcliffe Seminars Landscape Design Program of Harvard University. She was awarded the status of Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist by the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA) as evidence of achieving the industry’s highest standards in nursery and landscape professionalism. Cheryl has also earned an Advanced Certificate in Horticulture and Design as part of the New England Wildflower Society’s Native Plant Studies Program. This program will be held virtually. Once you register you will receive a zoom link in the confirmation. This webinar will also be RECORDED and available for 2 months to all registrants. $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.


  • Wednesday, June 23, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Beautiful and Tough Natives Shine in Uncertain Times, Online

    A spring trip to the garden center offers a tempting array of exotic plants that promise to bloom throughout the season. The allure is great when coupled with the misconception that many gardeners have that native plants are not the most beautiful plants and can be messy.  Before succumbing to annual or exotic plant temptations, let’s consider the role that native plants play in our gardens. Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur. They provide nectar, pollen, and seeds that serve as food for native butterflies, insects, birds and other animals. Native plants require little or no fertilizers and require less water. The deep root systems of many native plants stabilize the soil and increase the soil’s capacity to store water. And native plants promote biodiversity and stewardship of our natural heritage.

    Many native plants are not just beautiful, but also multi-task in tough conditions.

    Join The Ecological Landscape Alliance and Teri Speight online on June 23 at noon for this inspiring presentation on native plants. She will share insight into what native plants offer in terms of both beauty and environmental value to the landscape. Teri will reacquaint us with some familiar plants and will offer other suggestions that just might make you rethink your garden needs.

    In addition to providing valuable plant information, this presentation will inspire you to spend time in the garden and to consider native plants for your next garden project.

    Teresa (Teri) Speight is a proud Native Washingtonian, Region II Director of GardenComm International, Steward of the Land, Garden Coach, Garden Writer, Podcaster at Garden in the Court, Garden Experience Curator, Estate Gardener, History Lover, and Visionary. With ancestral sharecropping roots originating in North and South Carolina, connecting with the earth is authentic to Teri. Her ancestor’s hands helped build and feed her family for generations. Teri honors this earth in respect to her heritage. Reconnecting average people with the soil is important. Teri believes that when we reconnect with the soil, nature, and our roots, we can begin to respect all that the earth provides.

    This webinar is open to ELA members. If you are not a member, Join Us.

    Log into your ELA member account to view tickets. The event is a free, but registration is required.