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Featured Events

Class: Structural Plant Combinations

Sat, July 18 @ 1:00 pm EDT - 4:00 pm EDT

Conducted online: Structural shrubs and trees are essential elements in memorable gardens, providing both ambiance and organizing principles in the landscape.

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Class: Soil: The Solution Beneath Our Feet

Thu, July 16 @ 10:30 am EDT - 1:30 pm EDT

Conducted online: Learn soil basics, then expand your understanding. Find out how soil affects plants’ health, supports sustainability, and combats climate change.

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Class: Shade Gardens: Embracing the Dark Side

Sat, August 22 @ 1:00 pm EDT - 4:00 pm EDT

Conducted online: Create lush and vibrant shady gardens by learning how to infuse more color, adventure, and intrigue into those sometimes difficult spaces.

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Webinar: Deer-Resistant Native Groundcovers

Mon, September 14 @ 12:00 pm EDT - 1:00 pm EDT

Create a living mulch that provides seasonal beauty, is beneficial to wildlife, and moderates soil temperature and moisture.

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Webinar: Why Rain Gardens Fail and Tools for Success

Wed, September 23 @ 12:00 pm EDT - 1:00 pm EDT

With appropriate planning, design, construction, and maintenance, rain gardens, bio-swales, and other stormwater treatment workhorses can be an artistic part of our landscapes, gardens, streetscapes, and public spaces.

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Upcoming Events

Advanced Design Workshop with Patrick Cullina 8/5/20

Wed, August 5 @ 8:30 am EDT - 5:00 pm EDT

This virtual workshop offers a rare small-group and hands-on design experience with award-winning horticulturist and landscape designer Patrick Cullina. In this advanced workshop, participants will learn how to achieve key ecological landscape goals such as biodiversity and durability without sacrificing artistry. CEUs awarded.

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Advanced Design Workshop with Patrick Cullina – 8/12/20

Wed, August 12 @ 8:30 am EDT - 5:00 pm EDT

This virtual workshop offers a rare small-group and hands-on design experience with award-winning horticulturist and landscape designer Patrick Cullina. In this advanced workshop, participants will learn how to achieve key ecological landscape goals such as biodiversity and durability without sacrificing artistry. CEUs awarded.

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Event calendar

Featured Articles

Why Aren’t These Plants in Every Garden? Three Great Plants to Know and Grow

by Carolyn Summers

Throughout her career working with people, plants, and landscapes, author/designer and gardener extraordinaire Carolyn Summers has often been puzzled by the lack of interest in certain plants that she finds exceptionally useful.  These plants bridge the gap that sometimes exists between what humans want and what wildlife needs. Carolyn introduces us to three underused plants that are a must-have for native gardeners. 

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    Celebrating Natives Garden Tour – Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary

    Hosted by Dan Jaffe Wilder

    Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary (NWS) is 8000 acres of forests, meadows, and wildlands, which is managed and maintain for the benefit of native plants and animals of New England. As the Sanctuary works on re-opening plans, a tour of the property is a wonderful respite from pandemic lockdown.

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      Celebrating Natives Garden Tour – Dennis, MA

      Hosted by Kristin Andres

      Take a walk on the wild side of Cape Cod. Located in Dennis, MA  the Association to Preserve Cape Cod has built a wonderful garden to show residents of Cape Cod how beautiful and easy it is to plant and maintain a native garden. With veggie demonstration gardens and rain gardens, there really is a garden solution for every obstacle a gardener might face.

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        Celebrating Natives Garden Tour – Lincoln, MA

        Hosted by Robin Wilkerson

        Over thirty years in the making, this series of home gardens pays tribute to native plants. Lovingly created by a homeowner who is a native plant enthusiast, an accomplished gardener, and volunteer at the Garden in the Woods, this beautiful, mature landscape includes mixed perennial borders, a large vegetable garden, and a delightful woodland garden that encompasses an acre of native plants. A visit to this garden will inspire even the seasoned gardener with surprises.

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          Celebrating Natives Garden Tour – Newton, MA

          Hosted by Sally Muspratt

          This native plant installation provides a welcome respite for residents and guests at the Coleman House. The quiet woodland walk through the lovely, tall pines links the bright annual plantings of the parking lot and Memorial Garden with the contrasting experience of an enhanced natural woodland and provides an opportunity for safe, gentle exercise in the open air for the elderly residents.

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            Recent Articles

            Planting Native Shade Trees

            by Julia Frederick 

            Shade trees are more important than ever as we face rapid development and suburban sprawl, deforestation, and desertification. These gentle giants help combat rising temperatures, habitat loss and declining air and water quality. Additionally, native canopy trees provide abundant food and shelter for insects, amphibians, birds, and mammals.

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            Book Review: Summer Wildflowers of New England

            Written by Carol Garcie, Princeton University Press, 2020
            Reviewed by Maureen Sundberg

            Carol Gracie’s admiration and affection for the flowers she researches and photographs is evident on every page of her new book Summer Wildflowers of the Northeast. Those familiar with the thoughtfully detailed life histories of plants in Gracie’s Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast will recognize in this companion volume her wide-ranging mix of the natural history of species and spectacular photography.

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            Conferences

            Conferences

            ELA’s one- and two-day regional conferences offer cutting-edge knowledge, useful information, CEU’s, and invaluable opportunities for engagement with fellow professionals. Conference sponsors present their ecologically-focused products and services while supporting ecological education.

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            Webinars

            Webinars

            “A Focus on Sustainability” is an interactive webinar series geared to the needs of landscape professionals and gardeners. Experts from across the country present a wide range of topics relevant to sustainability. Webinars are developed in collaboration with several like-minded, ecologically-focused organizations that also provide regional education programs.

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            Classes, Eco-Tours & Workshops

            Classes, Eco-Tours & Workshops

            ELA programming offers classes, tours, and hands-on workshops to expand your skills from design and soil management to incorporating edibles and managing rainwater.

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            THANKS FOR THIS WEBINAR EVENT -- and to the author for the links to the Rodale Institute. To-the-point, compact (but not compacted!), memorable and motivating!

            Joeth B.

            Thank you for the great ELA newsletters - very informative!

            Stephanie H

            Fantastic! So many delicious offerings so well organized, so much energy, so many smiles! And just think of the abundance of skills, knowledge, deepened friendships, new connections, and inspired energy now out there, put to service, and passed on to still others! An astounding event! Hooray for everyone on the Conference Committee!

            Cindy G, Landscape Designer

            Just want to say again how very much I appreciate the “Walk in the Garden” series. The quality of your programs is tops! A “Walk in the Garden” is so much more than a series of slideshows. It is a celebration of how all life is connected. It is great to have this positive reminder amidst the scarier reminders!

            K.R. Watkins

            Can I just say I have enjoyed all the lectures, conferences, classes and tours put on by ELA. You are doing a fabulous job. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this really incredible resource.

            Georgia H

            I am really enjoying all the webinars that the Ecological Landscape Alliance is offering. Thank you so much for organizing them and making them available for FREE! I spread the news about them on my Constant Contact page for the NJ Native Plant Society. 

            Susan H.

            Thanks - another great webcast. For those of us living too far away to take advantage of other ELA offerings, your webinars are eagerly awaited. I teach classes at the NC Arboretum, and always tell my students about them.

            Nina S, Hidden Road Landscape Design

            "I just returned from visiting the Celebrating Natives gardens in Concord and Lincoln. They were so interesting and the homeowners answered any questions we had. Please do this again. It is a wonderful way to spread the word on ecological gardening. Thanks."

            C. Mandler ELA Newsletter Subscriber and Tour Attendee

            I loved the Roy Diblik design workshop. Educational, hands on and inspirational. Great job!

            Ruth R

            I thoroughly enjoy being a member of ELA. In fact, I get the most out of my membership from your organization than from any other professional organization I belong to. Your educational opportunities are fantastic, I have enjoyed every webinar I've ever attended, and your newsletter is always informative and helps me do my work. Thank you!

            Nancy H. Little Eden Gardens

            I am an avid consumer of your web information and webinars. Keep up the excellent work!

            Judy P. Connecticut Sea Grant

            I just wanted to let you know I thought the conference was fantastic. It was so informative and the speakers where great! Thanks so much.

            Kim H. Kim Hoyt Architect & Landscape Architect P.C.

            I learned so much from David Seiter’s webinar.  I love the scientific approach and thinking differently about some plant species in terms of services, design, interaction with people, etc. Thank you!

            Missy F

            Thank you everyone for the energy you put into ELA. These programs shine from your involvement, expertise, and love of nature. I’m excited for what the next year will bring.

            Mark H.

            I especially enjoyed the Conference and felt like I learned quite a bit. I plan to make attending an annual event, either for me or one of my work colleagues.

            Michele A.

            Thanks so much for organizing a great informative Mid-Atlantic conference. The speakers were all excellent and very enlightening, I came away with lots of new knowledge. I also enjoyed meeting and networking with lots of like minded professionals.

            Mark E. MSE Landscape Associates, LLC

            Laura and I were just talking about how much we get from all of the ELA events and webinars…. The good "vibes" abound at ELA events.

            John K, Land Design Inc.

            The whole day on soils was particularly educational. I really liked the on-topic, varied discussions.

            Erica B.

            You do a wonderful job with your newsletters. Everything might as well be a MUST Do with the way you present the programs.  We appreciate your dedication to doing a good job, and are most impressed with ELA.

            Ginny S. Talbot Ecological Land Care

            I really love ELA. Can't believe I only discovered y'all last year!

            Laura B

            Thank you for a full day’s worth of insightful material! Thank you for organizing this great event every year.

            Karen C.

            Speakers were very good, but meeting landscapers at the talks & in the lobby was best.

            Cathy B.

            I met and made new friends with great topics to discuss.

            Timothy M.