Boston Flora

Tag: Thomas Rainer

  • Thursday, February 24, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Claudia West: Rebuilding Abundance

    Our cities and suburbs desperately need more inspiring, ecologically rich planting. Yet budgets are tight, and crews and gardeners are often unfamiliar with more diverse planting typologies. Claudia West will share the scientific models and hands-on techniques her landscape architecture firm, Phyto Studio, applies to tackle the maintenance challenge and create rich and stable planting. Come away with a new understanding of planting design and management, as well as a practical tool set for your next garden challenge.

    Claudia West, ASLA, is a leading voice in the field of ecological planting design. A widely sought speaker and consultant, she has worked as designer, grower, installer, and land manager-grounding innovative work in pragmatic solutions that address the realities of our urbanizing world. West holds a Master’s in Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning from the Technical University of Munich and is co-author of the critically acclaimed Planting in a Post-Wild World.

    The New York Botanical Garden is sponsoring this February 24 lecture at the Ross Lecture Hall at the NYBG, 2900 Southern Boulevard in the Bronx. They are in the process of working on a hybrid, online option for their Winter Lecture Series, so if you are interested in hearing this talk, email adulted@nybg.org or call 718-817-8720. $32 for NYBG members, $35 for nonmembers.

  • Tuesday, July 17 – Thursday, July 19 – Nantucket Garden Festival

    The 10th Annual Nantucket Garden Festival highlights the unique and beautiful garden ecosystems on Nantucket and focuses on the importance of sustainability, conservation and gardening ethics for the long-term health of the island. Scheduled for July 17th-19th, the festival celebrates gardening through creative workshops, exquisite garden tours, children’s workshops, family activities and an opening night party. The keynote speaker will be Thomas Rainer, Principal of Phyto Studio in Washington, DC. In a workshop entitled The Inspired Plantsmen: Nature-Inspired Approach to Plant Selection and Composition, Rainer, a leading voice in ecological landscape design, will discuss how plants fit together in nature and how to use this knowledge to create landscapes that are resilient, beautiful, and diverse. Both practical and inspiring, this talk will explore a synthesis of ecology and horticulture—resulting in an intentionally designed and managed plant community where population dynamics are encouraged within an aesthetic framework. Rainer’s workshop will take place on Wednesday, July 18th.

    The Festival is also thrilled to be welcoming Jennie Love of Love ‘n Fresh Flowers to Nantucket for the Festival’s first-ever Celebrity Floral Design Workshop. This half-day event, hosted in the Nantucket Yacht Club’s Governor’s Room, will include six hours of hands-on design and instruction. Participants will leave with a bouquet and a centerpiece (an abundance of flowers!). All flowers used during the workshop are grown by Love at her organic, urban flower farm in Philadelphia. Owner and Creative Director at Love ‘n Fresh Flowers, Jennie Love is a trained horticulturist and life-long farmer. Jennie first began flower farming in 2007 and launched her thriving event design studio in 2009. A charismatic and passionate business woman, Jennie found her natural niche as a “farmer florist” for wedding and special event design, becoming a recognized leader in the local flower renaissance with her distinctively lush and textural creations. She has been prominently featured in major press, including the New York Times, for her farm-to-centerpiece efforts, as well as in numerous photo shoots, magazines, style blogs, and books. She was named one of the top wedding florists in the nation by Martha Stewart Weddings (Spring 2015 issue) and received a special In Season spread featuring her work in the Summer 2016 issue of the magazine. This workshop takes place Wednesday, July 18 from 9 – 3. ($1,000 if you register before June 30, $1,250 thereafter)

    Jennie has led many design workshops and classes, including the sold-out Seasonal Bouquet Project workshops and several accredited classes for Longwood Gardens’ Floral Design Certificate program. Jennie is currently Vice President for the national Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and writes a regular column for the Cut Flower Quarterly. More information about Love ‘n Fresh Flowers and Jennie are available at http://www.lovenfreshflowers.com.

    On Tuesday from 9 – 11, join a Victory Garden Talk and Tour with Russell Morash, hosted by Russell and Marian Morash and sponsored by Johnny’s Selected Seeds ($85 before June 30, $100 thereafter). Also on Tuesday, from 10 – 12, is a floral arrangement workshop with Megan Soverino ($300/$350),  and a Mommy & Me Garden Tea Party from 2 – 4 ($65/$75).  If you prefer to be at the other end of the island, there will be two ‘Sconset Walking Garden Tours, one with Jenne Atherton from 2:30 – 4:30 and a second from 3 – 5 with Katie Hemingway (each $75/$85)

    Wednesday brings a Lincoln Circle Walking tour with Julie Wood from 9 – 11 and a Lincoln Circle Walking Tour with Fabrizia Lu Macchiavelli from 9:30 – 11:30 ($75/$85).  You may wish to participate in Fairy Gardens & Floral Crowns with Alana Cullen and Bee Shay from 10 – noon ($50/$60), and end the day with a Garden Soiree from 6 – 9 at Middle Brick ($150/$200).

    Thursday features Monomoy and Polpis Garden Tours with Amy Pallenberg from 9 – 11 ($75/$85) and an Intimate Garden Talk and Lunch with Gordon Hayward at the Nantucket Culinary Center from noon – 2 ($200/$225).  The Mommy & Me Garden Tea Party returns to the Nantucket Lighthouse School from 2 – 4 ($65/$75).

    To register, and for a complete calendar of events, visit http://www.ackgardenfestival.org/

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  • Saturday, September 23, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm – Inspiration for Next Year’s Garden

    The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association announces Inspiration for Next Year’s Garden, the 2017 Massachusetts Gardening Symposium to be held Saturday, September 23 from 8:30 – 3:30 at Westford Academy in Westford, Massachusetts.  This year’s Symposium speakers come from diverse backgrounds and have different fields of gardening concentration, but all share one passion: teaching others.

    Thomas Rainer, author of Planting in a Post-Wild World, will speak on The Garden of the Future: Reimagining the American Yard. Learn how plants fit together in nature and how to use this knowledge to create gardens that are more satisfying, more resilient, and less work.

    David L. Culp, Vice President of Sunny Border Nurseries, will present Perennials: The Best Plants of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.  How do tried and true favorites compare with new introductions? What are the current trends? And what horticultural advances might the future hold?

    Kathleen Gagan, owner of Peony’s Envy, discusses Designing Gardens with Peonies.  Learn how to create your own “peony plan” including cultivar and site selection, mixing types of peonies, structuring mixed gardens, and companion planting.

    Janet Macunovich, garden designer, author and educator, will follow with The Art of Fall Garden Clean Up.  Every hour you spend in the fall can save you 2+ hours in the spring, yield months of winter pleasure, and give your plants a valuable head start for the new season.

    Early bird pricing through August 6 – $75 per person.  August 7 – September 16 (registration deadline) $90 per person.  Price includes lectures, Garden Marketplace, and lunch.  No walk-ins.  To register online, visit http://massmastergardeners.org/2017-gardening-symposium/

  • Tuesday, March 21, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Designing with Plant Communities in Mind Live Webinar

    Ecological plantings are gaining popularity, but also face challenges due to environmental conditions and cultural expectations. When these plantings fail, it discourages future ecological landscaping efforts. We won’t solve this problem if we continue to design as if it we were painting on canvas, perceiving plants as individual objects in space. It is time for a new approach: a plant community based approach that evolved from the world of ecological science. Join Claudia West on Tuesday, March 21 on line at 12:30 EST as she explains how plants fit together in the wild and how we can use this knowledge to create landscapes that are resilient, beautiful, and diverse. This presentation will provide information that is practical as well as inspiring.  This Ecological Landscape Alliance live webinar is free to ELA members, $10 to nonmembers.  See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-designing-with-plant-communities-in-mind/#sthash.pB873Ube.dpuf

    Claudia West is the ecological sales manager at North Creek Nurseries, a wholesale perennial grower in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. Ms. West holds a Master’s Degree of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. In her current role, Ms. West works closely with ecological design and restoration professionals, offering consultation services from initial project planning stages to adaptive management strategies after project completion. Her work is centered on the development of stable, layered planting designs and the desire to bring American native plants back into our landscape. Together with co-author Thomas Rainer she recently published her first book Planting in a Post-Wild World, which promotes a new approach to ecological planting design.

  • Saturday, March 18, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Wild About Perennials

    Noel Kingsbury, the author of Planting: A New Perspective shares his understanding of the naturalistic approach to planting design of landscape designers such as Piet Oudolf, Cassian Schmidt, Thomas Rainer, and Sarah Price. This Saturday, March 18 introduction to the naturalistic style explains the basic philosophy behind the practice of selecting plants for the ecology of the site and gives us lessons on how to create a landscape that looks natural and responsive to site, while also having the long season of interest that gardeners desire. Using his own extraordinary photographs, Kingsbury will illustrate the techniques used in creating these planting designs, with examples of his own work and that of the renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf.

    Noel Kingsbury is an internationally known writer about plants, gardens, and the environment. Best-known for his promotion of what is broadly called an ecological or naturalistic approach to planting design, he has written some 20 books on various aspects of plants and gardens, 3 of them in collaboration with Dutch designer and plantsman Piet Oudolf. Over the years he has written for Gardens Illustrated, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Garden, Hortus, The New York Times, and many other publications. He also teaches and is a garden/planting designer and horticultural consultant.

    Advance registration is highly recommended, but walk-ins are always welcome, space permitting. BBG members $30, nonmembers $35. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org. The lecture takes place at Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, Massachusetts from 1 – 2:30 pm.

  • Saturday, April 9, 1:00 pm – Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes

    Thomas Rainer presents a powerful alternative to traditional horticulture: designed plantings that function like naturally occurring plant communities.  He is a landscape architect, teacher and writer, and has designed landscapes for the US Capitol grounds, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the New York Botanical Garden,  Hear him speak on Saturday, April 9 at 1 pm at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston.  A book signing will follow the talk.  Tower Hill members $20, nonmembers $30.  Register at www.towerhillbg.org.