As people across the country and around the world adapted to COVID-19 restrictions on gathering with family and friends and visiting their favorite green spaces, ELA offered a new webinar series, A Walk in the Garden. The series comprised thirteen webinars that were enjoyed by over 8,400 registrants from 1,600 cities worldwide. We are appreciative that the series struck a chord with viewers and offer our thanks to the generous and knowledgeable speakers who contributed to the series’ success.
Our free Wednesday webinars offered communal walks through gardens, plant discussions, garden tips, and other gardening inspiration. All presentations in the series were recorded and will be available for free through the end of August. Descriptions of the webinars and links to the recordings are available below.
“A Walk in the Garden” Presentations
April 8, noon ET, Adventures with Oddities: Strange and Noteworthy Native Plants
From unique flavors to hilarious names to the oddest survival strategies, there are strange and noteworthy plants right outside our back doors if we simply know where to look. View the recording here.
April 15, noon ET, Pollinator Ecology
Explore the garden with a focus on the basics of pollination ecology and discover how to maximize food production by encouraging both native and exotic pollinators. View the recording here
April 22, noon ET, Save the Pollinators! Save the Planet!
Beyond providing refuge for six-legged friends under siege, found out how your garden can play a vital role in rebuilding the local ecosystem and creating climate resilience. View the recording here.
April 29, noon ET, Planting Design Considerations
Explore the garden while thinking first about plants in terms of their form and function, and then learn some strategies to best lay out your planting plan. View the recording here.
May 6, noon ET, Art and Design Principles for Ecological Landscapes
Ecological design is based on the same principles as landscape design, however, practitioners can become caught up in the arrangement of elements and materials and forget that the application of art and design principles are critical to evoke meaning, intent and order. View the recording here.
May 13, noon ET, Tenacious Plants for Tough Places
Join Dan Jaffe Wilder to explore native plants that are rugged, rich in biodiversity, as well as problem solvers for challenging sites in the landscape. View the recording here.
May 20, noon ET, Spring Ephemerals
May 27, noon ET, Built from the Forest: A Timber Frame Education Center and Catskills Native Plant Design at the Mountain Top Arboretum
Join Marc Wolf for an inspiring visit to the Mountain Top Arboretum forest – from whence came the Arboretum’s new timber frame Education Center. View the recording here.
June 3, noon ET, Let Them Eat Flowers: The Gardens of Paris
Over the past two hundred years, designers have created a uniquely Parisian look to the gardens, as they have become a cultural way of life. This presentation will take us on a virtual walk through many of the spectacular gardens of Paris. View the recording here.
June 10, noon ET, Landscaping with a Purpose – What’s Diversity Got To Do with It?
Landscaping with purpose and following guidelines for diversity does not require a large space, but it does require creative vision. Randi Eckel will explain the strategies. Refer to A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America by Jeffrey Glassberg (2nd Edition) for butterfly host plant recommendations. View the recording here.
June 17, noon ET, Spring to Summer: Native plants that Bridge the Seasonal Divide
Join us for blooms and beauty as plant expert Ian Caton discusses flowering native plants that bridge that seasonal gap from spring to summer. View the recording here.
June 24, noon ET, GARDEN WAYS: Professional Tips on Design and Plant Selection
With a keen sense of design and an infectious humor, Karen Howard will share some techniques she uses to create a garden space, and structure a landscape design. View the recording here.
July 1, noon ET, Specialist Bees
Nationally known bee expert and author, Heather Holm will take us inside the world of specialist bees. Heather will highlight many of these native plant-bee specializations as well as the overlapping habitat requirements of the bees and plants.
View the recording here.
Bonus Presentation:
In collaboration with the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, ELA is offering a recording of an addition garden presentation for your viewing pleasure.
On April 16th, Amanda Sloan presented: Designing a Beautiful Native Plant Garden. View the recording here.