This article previously appeared in the Connecticut Botanical Society Newsletter by Dr. Jessica Lubell The sustainable landscape featuring native plants is a rapidly expanding trend in horticulture. Native plants enhance…
Sustainability
Members Making a Difference
ELA recently wondered what our members are up to. What changes have they seen in their ecological landscapes and what new directions do they see their businesses or organizations going…
Invasive Plant Species Management
by Michael DeRosa Invasive plants tend to be fast growing species found throughout abandoned landscapes, roadsides, along stream banks, and neglected gardens. These plants are effective in occupying areas otherwise controlled…
Can Electric Equipment Revolutionize Landscape Maintenance?
by Jamie Banks Reprinted with permission from Turf magazine’s website, www.turfmagazine.com. For more information, please visit the website or www.LawnSite.com. I first met Dan Mabe in April 2013 on the…
Landscape for Life: Put your Garden to Work!
by Alexandra Torres Our gardens have both a responsibility to support life and the potential to provide incredible benefits. As our population and urban areas continue to grow, our natural…
The Green Alley, the Water Table, and the Ostrich
By Maureen Sundberg on December 15, 2014 in Stormwater Management, Sustainability, Urban Landscaping
by Heather Heimarck Boston Architectural College’s “Green Alley” was built with the intention of creating a replicable model that would ameliorate negative environmental impacts caused by urban streets and high…
LandscapePerformance.org: Resources to Demonstrate Impact
by Heather Whitlow The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is pleased to announce the launch of its new LandscapePerformance.org website. With 90 Case Study Briefs, over 100 Fast Facts, and dozens…
Forget the Debate! Let’s Get on with Planting Resiliency
by Kevin Staso If you listen to nightly news reports or read articles in Nature, The Journal of Ecology or The American Meteorological Society, the frequency and severity of drought…
Book Review: The Resilient Farm and Homestead
Written by Ben Falk Published by Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013 Reviewed by Kerry O’Kelly Another title for the The Resilient Farm and Homestead by Ben Falk could be “Permaculture in…
Soil as Carbon Storehouse: New Weapon in Climate Fight?
This article first appeared in Yale Environment 360. by Judith D. Schwartz In the 19th century, as land-hungry pioneers steered their wagon trains westward across the United States, they encountered a…
A Cornucopia of Experiences: Teaching Gardens in the Schoolyard
by Marilyn Wyzga With watering can in hand, a first grader earnestly speed-walks across the grass, finds a pepper plant in need of a drink, and slowly drains her can…
Conserving Soil with Grow Bags
by John Kinchla
Amherst Nurseries grows trees and shrubs on approximately 100 acres of land on farms in Amherst, MA and Charlemont, MA. I try to produce plants that are as environmentally friendly as possible by reducing the use of pesticides, using drip irrigation, and growing in field soil (which uses less water and fertilizer than plastic container methods). One problem with field grown nursery stock is the loss of soil when the plant is harvested balled and burlapped (B&B). Since the soils at Amherst Nurseries are of a very high quality, the problem of soil loss is something that I’m acutely aware of. In response, I’ve been shifting the production of Amherst Nurseries from B&B to grow bags as a means to reduce the loss of field soil via B&B production.
