Boston Flora

Tag: Rain Gardens

  • Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Landscaping for Healthy Lakes, Rivers, Streams, and Ponds Webinar

    Rain gardens and waterside buffer gardens are a joy to see, but beauty is only where their benefits begin. If properly designed, these landscapes protect water bodies from polluted runoff and help control erosion. When designed with native flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees, waterside gardens can also provide extraordinary support for native birds, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife. This online presentation offers an introduction to how we can manage stormwater to benefit of ourselves, our communities, and wildlife. Extensive resource handout and plant lists included. This program will be held virtually on October 28 at 6:30 pm. 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 non-members. Register at www.towerhillbg.org


    Kathy Connolly is a landscape designer who specializes in naturalized designs, low-impact techniques, and native plants for homeowners, municipalities, and other organizations. Kathy has a master’s degree in landscape planning and design from the Conway School in Easthampton, MA. She completed the advanced master gardener program and is an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional through NOFA. She is an active member of the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG). She is a regular columnist for The Day community papers which circulate throughout southeastern Connecticut and has written about lawn alternatives for The Spruce/About.com. She gives about 25 talks and workshops each year for conservation organizations, master gardeners, museums, libraries, land trusts, and garden clubs. Her website is www.SpeakingofLandscapes.com.

  • Wednesday, September 23, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Why Rain Gardens Fail and Tools for Success Webinar

    Rain impacts each of our lives. Past generations developed methods that quickly whisk the rain from roofs, roads, and plazas on its journey to the ocean. The contemporary stormwater model features the design and installation of landscapes that mimic nature, capturing, storing, and infiltrating the water close to its source. Rain gardens and bioretention facilities are two practices in the green infrastructure toolbox, and they are often the first choices for designers, contractors, public agencies, and landowners due to their relatively low cost, large stormwater treatment capacity, and perceived ease of installation. However, complaints ranging from unsightly weedy holes to mosquito breeding water can leave agencies and landowners wishing for another stormwater alternative. With appropriate planning, design, construction, and maintenance, these stormwater treatment workhorses can be an artistic part of our landscapes, gardens, streetscapes, and public spaces.

    Steven Torgerson is a Registered Landscape Architect and the Director of Landscape Architecture at AMT Landscape Architecture + Design Division. He has nationwide experience in planning and design within an ecologically resilient framework and is passionate about creating spaces that are a catalyst for people to interact with their environment and community. Mr. Torgerson’s multidisciplinary design approach encourages alternative solutions to complex rainwater problems. He delights in community engagement and the opportunity to integrate public preferences into the design outcome. Before coming to AMT, Mr. Torgerson served as the Cultural Landscape Architect at Yosemite National Park and was the lead landscape architect for the Forest Service during the 2002 Winter Olympics. He has won numerous awards for his work in landscape architecture including the 2018 ASLA Potomac Chapter Honor Award for Brookside Gardens and the 2017 ASLA, Potomac Chapter Honor Award for Greening DC’s Streetscapes. Mr. Torgerson holds a Master in Landscape Architecture from the Pennsylvania State University with an emphasis in watershed planning and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Utah State University.

    This ELA webinar is free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers, and you can register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-why-rain-gardens-fail-and-tools-for-success/

  • Wednesday, May 27 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Mountain Top Arboretum: Timber Frame Education Center from Catskill Native Trees Webinar

    Join Marc Wolf on May 27 from 12 – 1 Eastern Time for an inspiring visit to the Mountain Top Arboretum forest. The forest provided the timber for the construction of the Arboretum’s new timber frame Education Center. This unique building demonstrates the beauty of 21 different tree species and the talent of local artisans, including the noted timber frame architect Jack Sobon.

    The landscape phase of the project, designed by landscape architect Jamie Purinton, uses plants native to the Catskill Mountains and a system of six separate Rain Gardens that catch and filter water runoff. Marc will discuss the different plant communities represented and individual favorite trees, shrubs and perennials chosen.

    The goal is that these beautiful plantings will inspire and educate visitors about native plants as well as water and land stewardship, important tenets of the Arboretum’s mission.

    A short documentary on the building of the Education Center captures the essence of the project.

    Marc Wolf joined Mountain Top Arboretum in 2016 as Director of Horticulture and became Executive Director in 2017.  He received his BA from Williams College, is a graduate of New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture and interned at Chanticleer Garden. Marc studied with the noted landscape architect Darrel Morrison and worked as his field assistant on projects at New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and for private clients.  As a writer and performer working in theater, film and television, Marc received OBIE and National Endowment for the Arts Awards, among others. Marc enjoys hiking, skiing, fishing and exploring the native plant communities of the Catskills. Marc agrees with the late, great poet Mary Oliver that “the song you heard singing in the leaf when you / were a child / is singing still.”

    The webinar is free. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-mountain-top-arboretum-timber-frame-education-center-from-catskill-native-trees/

  • Thursday, March 7, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Rain Garden Plants Webinar

    Rain gardens can reduce groundwater pollution in urban landscapes by cleaning, cooling, and slowing stormwater. Learn how to maximize rain garden function by using the most durable native plants in some of the toughest spots. New England Wild Flower Society sponsors a March 7 webinar with Anna Fialkoff from 6 – 7 EST, for a fee of $10 for NEWFS members $13 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/rain-garden-plants

    Image result for rain garden plants

  • Friday, July 21, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Green Garden Infrastructure Webinar

    New England Wild Flower Society online webinars are a great way to learn something new. On July 21 at 1 pm, Anna Fialkoff will talk about Green Garden Infrastructure. Green infrastructure is the backbone of an environmentally responsible garden. Learn how to incorporate low-cost and low-tech solutions for managing stormwater, harvesting rainwater,and reducing excess heat and pollution. Anna Fialkoff will introduce you to rain gardens, green roofs, permeable paving, and other landscape elements you can build without the help of an engineer or landscape architect. $10 for NEWFS members, $13 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/live-webinar-green-garden-infrastructure.

  • Sunday, June 4, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Rain Garden Fundamentals

    As more land is developed for building, badly needed space for storm water absorption and cleaning is rapidly disappearing. Rain gardens can play a significant role in urban and suburban areas by cleaning, cooling, and slowing runoff so that it doesn’t pollute water bodies. On Sunday, June 4 from 1:30 – 3 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, learn how rain gardens work, how you can create a low-tech and effective rain garden, and which durable natives you should plant there. Presented by Anna Fialkoff in conjunction with the Ecological Landscape Alliance. $20 for members of sponsoring organizations, $24 for nonmembers. Anna Fialkoff is an Ecological Horticulturist & Designer at Garden in the Woods, New England Wild Flower Society. She is a graduate of the Conway School of Landscape Design. Register and see more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/rain-garden-basics/#sthash.ugPoQ05C.dpuf

  • Wednesday, March 22, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon – Rain Garden Plants Live Webinar

    Rain gardens can reduce groundwater pollution in urban landscapes by cleaning, cooling, and slowing the flow of storm water. Learn how to maximize rain garden function by using the most durable native plants in some of the toughest spots. This New England Wild Flower Society webinar on Wednesday, March 22 is part of our nine-part series “Natives for any Garden” which will focus exclusively on garden plants. Join our horticultural staff for suggestions on the best native plants for any garden condition. $10 for NEWFS members, $13 for nonmembers. Register online at www.newfs.org.

  • Monday, October 19, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Guiding the Rain: Aesthetic Form, Ecological Function

    Rain gardens guide the rain away from storm drains while attracting wildlife and protecting streams, lakes, and ponds. Planted with native flowers, shrubs, and grasses, rain gardens can thrive without fertilizers and pesticides. Tree filter systems are another solution that integrate street trees with stormwater collection. These systems are unique in that they integrate above-ground vegetation with subsurface bio-remediation principals to treat and cleanse stormwater pollutants prior to infiltration to groundwater and aquifers. Join tour guides Ed Himlin from the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition and stormwater engineer  Paul Iorio to learn more about Leominster’s stormwater solutions that combine aesthetic form and ecological function. Learn more, get the map of the meeting place, and register today at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/guiding-the-rain-aesthetic-form-ecological-function/ ELA members $22, nonmembers $32.

  • Thursday, September 24, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Designing Successful Rain Gardens for Civic Sites Webinar

    Rain gardens, as part of modern storm water management systems, rely on plant material for soil stabilization, contaminant filtering, nutrient absorption, and to slow rainwater for infiltration. Well designed rain gardens (with the appropriate plant material) can greatly improve the results of green infrastructure and ensure their long-term success. Selecting appropriate plants for rain gardens and other vegetated storm water management systems is a critical first step to their success. Beyond plant selection, proper site preparation and a comprehensive maintenance plan are critical components of a successful rain garden.

    In this Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar on September 24 from 1 – 2 pm EDT, Amanda Sloan describes the elements that go into a successful rain garden project. Amanda Sloan, RLA, ASLA, has worked for over 22 years to bring beauty as well as function to the design of parks and trails throughout New England. Amanda combines her background in natural science, community design, and art on projects such as school and playground gardens, lakeside parks, recreation sites, rain gardens, and home landscapes. Amanda is currently a landscape architect with BETA Group where she specializes in rain garden design and native plants. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-designing-successful-rain-gardens/#sthash.o0RY98CA.dpuf

  • Saturday, June 21, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Rain Gardens and More: Effective Uses of Rainwater

    Would you like to learn to protect our precious water resources while creating lush gardens using native plants that attract birds and butterflies? Using water flowing from your roof, driveway, or lawn, rain gardens take full advantage of our natural rainfall rather than wasting it as runoff. On Saturday, June 21, along with past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Dori Smith, you will tour a beautiful twenty-acre, 24-home cohousing community in a rural setting (Acton – directions will be provided upon registration,) where a varied, mostly native plant landscape has been in place for 17 years. You’ll explore site features that include rain garden terraces, rain barrels, retention basins, swales, and durable, no-water, organic lawns. You will also learn about rainwater design options and construction methods and discuss strategies for solving runoff problems such as erosion, icy walkways, or wet basements. The New England Wild Flower Society course costs $26 for NEWFS members, $32 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/catalog/hdt1030. Photo of rain garden (not the property to be visited) from www.landarcs.com.