Tag: New England Wild Flower Society

  • Thursday, March 29, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Vegetable Gardening: Planning, Preparing and Maintaining Your Victory Garden

    “There’s nothing like knowing exactly how the vegetables you eat were grown. You can take complete control by establishing your own vegetable garden. And maybe even share with your children the magic of growing their own dinner. What I have learned over the years is that careful planning and preparation can take vegetable gardening from drudgery to fun. So I emphasize the planning of everything from size, location and style of vegetable garden to the need to prepare that garden for success while acknowledging that Mother Nature will always have the final say.”

    After a career begun as a chemist, Betty Sanders found her interests taking her in a new direction—gardening. She studied at the New York Botanical Garden, New England Wild Flower Society, and others on the way to becoming a Master Gardener. Her gardens have been featured on tours by the Garden Conservancy. Betty finds herself increasingly focused on techniques to reduce the use of man-made chemicals in gardening and landscaping. Her current home garden is a grass-free two acres filled with native trees, shrubs and perennials. She is passionate the many opportunities offered by container gardening and as an avid vegetable gardener, is currently in her eighth year of managing her hometown’s community garden. Betty will speak at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society on Thursday, March 29 at 7 pm.

    $12 Mass Hort members, $20 general admission. To register, visit http://www.masshort.org/

  • Monday, March 19, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Developing a Comprehensive Integrative Pest Management Plan Webinar

    An Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM) is a tool for plant professionals to control pests in a timely, safe, and efficient manner and is a vital component in producing and maintaining healthy plants and landscapes. An IPM plan includes several aspects: sanitation and prevention, conservation, and augmentation methods using beneficial organisms. Traditionally, IPM plans also include the judicious use of chemical pesticides when all else fails. In this webinar, Alexis will discuss the negative effects of chemicals on beneficial insects and will evaluate other options such as OMRI certified and ‘safer’ products that can be incorporated as a last resort. This webinar will explore and discuss the components of an IPM plan and explain the basics of how to design an IPM plan tailored to individual needs.

    The Ecological Landscape Alliance will host a webinar on Monday, March 19 from 12:30 – 1:30 pm EST, free to ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-developing-comprehensive-integrative-pest-management-ipm-plan/

    Alexis Doshas is a graduate of the Environmental Studies Department at Antioch University New England with a concentration in Conservation Biology. She ran a small organic gardening business for over a decade and worked with Safe Harbor Environmental Services as a restoration associate. She is a field researcher in a long-term NSF-funded study on the effects and mitigation of chronic atmospheric deposition of N on heathland communities of Cape Cod, MA. Currently, Alexis is the Propagator and Facilities Coordinator at New England Wild Flower Society’s Nasami Farm, where their mission is to conserve and promote the region’s native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes. Alexis’ interests include landscape ecology, soil ecology, nutrient processes, field research, sustainable agriculture, forest medicinal plants, and climate change. Her professional and personal goal is to serve the processes that contribute to a balanced ecosystem, both in the scientific and social disciplines.

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  • Friday, March 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Meadows 1 2 3

    No one can grow an instant meadow, but in this one-day seminar you can quickly increase your understanding of what it takes to create one. The topics covered include: what a meadow is; what makes a good meadow site; how you can prepare for planting, select plant species, and find seeds or plugs; how to plant; and what to expect from your meadow in years one, two, and three.  Class, which takes place at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, will take place Friday, March 9 from 10 – 4, and is taught by Kathy Connolly, Landscape Designer at Speaking of Landscapes, LLC. Bring a bag lunch.

    Co-sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society and the Ecological Landscape Alliance. $80 for members of sponsoring organizations, $96 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/meadows-1-2-3-2/

    Kathy Connolly has been involved with horticulture, land care, and landscape design for 30 years. As a landscape designer, she helps clients create functional, attractive outdoor spaces with a great deal of attention to plant health (and the health of the planet). Kathy’s specialties include meadows, waterside buffer gardens, woodland edge and shade plantings, deer-resistant designs, and foundation gardens. Her designs emphasize native plants and organic techniques.  Image from www.howtogeek.com.

  • Wednesday, February 28, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Weaving Texture into the Garden Webinar

    Join Dan Jaffe of the New England Wild Flower Society on Wednesday, February 28 at 6:30 pm, on line, to learn how to weave texture into the garden to enhance your existing blooms. Flowers are one of the beautiful plant features of our native flora, but what about the others? Discover how the emerging leaves of blue cohosh, the muscular bark of musclewood, or a swath of fiddleheads can add texture to your garden. $10 for NEWFS members, $13 for nonmembers. Image from www.heirloomgardener.com. Register at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/live-webinar-weaving-texture-into-the-garden

  • Wednesday, February 21, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm – New England Plant Conservation in Practice Webinar

    Join the New England Wild Flower Society’s conservation staff on line on Wednesday, February 21 at 3 pm to discuss methods for applied plant conservation in New England. Laney, Michael, and Bill will discuss current management practices, ex-situ conservation, citizen science, volunteer programs, and their work with the rare and endangered flora of New England. $10 for NEWFS members, $13 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/live-webinar-new-england-plant-conservation-in-practice

  • Wednesday, February 21, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Our Dynamic Flora Webinar

    This New England Wild Flower Society on line class will cover the criteria botanists use to determine whether plants are native to a region or introduced. Research botanist Arthur Haines will explain the shortcomings of each criterion to help explain the need for using suites of criteria. Given that the flora has always been changing (and likely always will), static benchmarks are problematic. The class will also include a brief discussion of global biodiversity and the problem of human-centric viewpoints. $10 for NEWFS members, $13 for nonmembers. Class takes place Wednesday, February 21 at 1 pm. Sign up at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/live-webinar-our-dynamic-flora

  • Saturday, February 24, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Native Plants for Urban Design

    Join Amy Nyman on Saturday, February 24 at 10 am at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, to learn about native plants for urban design. She will identify native plants that can be used in urban landscapes and explain the specific design characteristics those plants offer. She will also include an overview of urban challenges and strategies for supporting plant resiliency. This Ecological Landscape Alliance class is $15 for members, $17 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/native-plants-urban-design/

    Instructor: Amy Nyman is a Landscape Designer and owner of Ruby Leaf Design providing landscape planning and ecological solutions including site analysis, landscape restoration, water management, native plant use, hardscaping, master plans, planting plans, and edible landscaping. Amy’s believes that design is a balance of function, beauty, and health. Her professional goal is to help people find that balance within their living spaces, whether those spaces are personal, business, or public.

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  • Thursday, February 8, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Plant-Soil Interactions: Introduction to Nutrient Cycling

    On Thursday, February 8 from 6 – 7:30 at Nasami Farm Nursery in Whately, explore the cycling of nutrients through the Northeast ecosystem, with an emphasis on plant and soil functions and interactions. In this informal class, Alexis Doshas will discuss the role of soil microbes, chronic deposition, the implications of climate change for nutrient cycles, and the way plant-soil interactions shape our forests and plant communities. $20 for New England Wild Flower Society members, $24 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/plant-soil-interactions-introduction-to-nutrient-cycling

  • Tuesdays, February 6 and February 13, 8:30 am – 12:00 noon – Designing Gardens for Small Spaces

    Small gardens present the designer with the challenge of how to realize big ideas in tight quarters. Yet small sites don’t have to restrict garden interest and diversity. This New England Wild Flower Society hands-on design workshop with Cheryl Salatino on February 6 and 13 from 8:30 – noon at Garden in the Woods in Framingham tackles the garden as a composition by exploring enclosed space, light, plant characteristics, and personal expression. $120 for NEWFS members, $144 for nonmembers. Image from http://i.shelterness.com.  Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/designing-gardens-for-small-spaces-1