Boston Flora

Tag: Tobias Wolf

  • Friday, May 8, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – Naturalistic Garden Symposium

    “What’s past is prologue.” After decades of landscape design that emphasized form over function, often at the expense of environmental quality, it is now commonplace for our landscapes to reflect many of the principles developed by early 20th-century naturalistic landscape designers like Warren Manning and Will Curtis, founder of Garden in the Woods. Learn about the intriguing connections between the wild gardens of old and the new naturalism of today, and about the plants that support our efforts to develop beautiful, ecologically-sensitive gardens, on Friday, May 8, at the New England Wild Flower Society’s Naturalistic Garden Symposium. The day will include:

    Wild Gardens: Past, Present, and Future
    Rick Darke, President of RICK DARKE LLC, a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm that blends art, ecology, and cultural geography in the design and management of living landscapes

    William Robinson’s 1870 classic The Wild Garden challenged tradition by suggesting that managed, self-perpetuating plant populations were essential to resource-conserving gardens. This concept resonated with progressive British, northern European, and American gardeners alike, inspiring diverse naturalistic designs. Rick Darke will look at how wild gardening has evolved and why it is more relevant than ever to today’s and tomorrow’s conservation-based gardens.

    The Natural History of Spring Wildflowers: A Closer Look
    Carol Gracie, naturalist and author of Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History

    The wildflowers that brighten our woodlands in spring are more than just a delight for the eye and a lift for the winter-weary spirit. Each has a role in the environment, including interesting interactions with pollinators and seed dispersers. Learn about the fascinating life histories of some favorite spring wildflowers as we examine them in depth.

    A Sense of Where You Are: Finding a New Naturalism
    Tobias Wolf, award-winning landscape architect and the owner of Wolf Landscape Architecture

    What if we asked our landscapes to do more than just look good? Gardens and landscapes can support biodiversity, cleanse and absorb stormwater, and improve soil health. Just as important, they can invite us outdoors and help us feel connected to the world around us. Landscape architect Tobias Wolf will share his experience in shaping landscapes that combine ecological performance with a distinct sense of time and place. He will show how urban and suburban landscapes can incorporate the qualities we value in wild places, and how design that is informed by the structure and function of native plant communities can bring new vitality to public spaces and private gardens.

    Registration includes continental breakfast and lunch. $92 for NEWFS members, $115 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/naturalistic-garden-symposium.

  • Thursday, January 16, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm (Snow Date January 17) – Managing Large-Scale Landscapes Sustainably

    Join the Ecological Landscaping Association (ELA ) and Wellesley College on Thursday, January 16, from 8:30 – 4:30 at the Wellesley College Science Center for a symposium on the development and maintenance of large-scale landscapes that utilize fewer inputs, are designed and maintained with the environment in mind, and become more sustainable over time. Experts who work daily in successful, sustainable large-scale landscapes will lead four panel discussions. If you are interested in sustainable landscapes for colleges, parks departments, public agencies, cemeteries, golf courses, forests, land trusts, public gardens, or other large landscapes, this event is for you.

    Maintaining Large-Scale Landscapes
    Landscapes Over Time, Soil Compaction, Invasive Plants, Recycling Organic Matter, and Sourcing Quality Compost

    Panelists: Dennis Collins, Mount Auburn Cemetery, John Forti, Strawbery Banke Museum, and Stuart Shillaber, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy.  Please note that both Dennis Collins and John Forti are past Garden Club of the Back Bay presenters.

    Large Lawns: Ecological Approaches
    Mowing Frequency, Inputs, Pests, Disease, and Alternative Energy Mowers

    Panelists: Richard Luff, Sagamore Golf, Fred Newcombe, PJC Ecological, and Anthony Ruggiero, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy

    Runoff as Resource: Large Scale Stormwater Solutions
    Erosion to Irrigation, Collection Options, Dealing with Large Rain Events, Water Quality, Minimizing Demands of Potable Water

    Panelists: Tom Benjamin, LA/Sustainable Designer, Brad Buscher, Groundwork Lawrence, Eden Dutcher, GroundView, and Kate Venturini, University of Rhode Island

    Managing Semi-Wild Landscapes

    Designating “Semi-Wild” areas, Identifying Invasive Plant Threats, Setting Management Priorities, Tackling What is Feasible (and Leaving the Rest)

    Panelists: Tobias Wolf, Wolf Lighthall, Heidi Kost-Gross, G/S Associates, and Sandy Vorce, Mass Audubon

    Registrations are limited – Use This Link to Register Online Now

    For more information: ela.info@comcast.net

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  • Thursday, April 25, 5:00 pm – 43rd Annual Meeting of Friends of the Public Garden

    You are cordially invited to the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Public Garden on Thursday, April 25, beginning at 5 pm at First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough Street.  The featured speakers will be Tobias Wolf and Deborah Lighthall Howe of Wolf Lighthall Landscape Architecture, speaking on Evolution of an Edge.  Hear about the Friends’ plans to rejuvenate the Boylston Street border of the Public Garden.  A reception will follow the meeting.  Please respond no later than April 18 to 617-723-8144, or email info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org.  You may also request a copy of the 2012 Annual Meeting minutes and the Board of Directors nominating slate.

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  • Sunday, January 16, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Borrowed Landscapes: Learning from Wild Places

    What are the places that you love the most? Is there a forest, a meadow, a hilltop, or a rocky cove that feels both simple and complex, mysterious and somehow just right? Explore how wild places can provide inspiration for design in spaces large or small. Examine New England’s archetypal natural landscapes and native plant communities and identify the qualities that give them the power to intrigue and enchant us. Next, discuss gardens that use the qualities of natural landscapes to create a powerful sense of place, even in the heart of the city. Along the way, discover design strategies that anyone, from a beginner to an experienced designer, can use to create places that are inviting, engaging, and memorable. Instructor Tobias Wolf leads this New England Wild Flower Society class on January 16 from 1 – 4 at Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts. $33 member price, $39 nonmember. For more information, or to register, log on to www.newfs.org/learn/catalog/hor4020, or call 508-877-7630. Image courtesy of www.wn.com/forests.