By: Rie Macchiarolo, ELA President Sowing seeds as a way of creating, transforming, and augmenting landscapes is a wonderfully fun and affordable method. It can be quite rewarding after a…
Designing Ecological Landscapes
Landscapes that mimic natural systems deliver important ecosystem services and are also aesthetically pleasing. Guided by principles that reduce resource consumption, ecologically designed landscapes provide natural solutions when land is disturbed by the construction of buildings or roadways, and they support landscaped communities from tiny rooftops to grand urban parks.
Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
Tips, Tricks, and Techniques Written by: ELA Staff Zach McElgunn and Amy Nyman, Horticulture Outreach Manager, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill This month, ELA takes some quick tips,…
Myawaki Forest in Cambridge, Mas
MYAWAKI FOREST IN CAMBRIDGE, MASS. Written by: Leslie Duthie It is a beautiful 50′ circle of green in the dry park. Despite the severe drought, the trees look good and…
Current Climate
First Step to Maintain Biodiversity? Acknowledge Indigenous Knowledge as Science Written by: ELA Director, Mads McELgunn, MA Since reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s 2013 book, Braiding Sweetgrass, I’ve been patiently waiting…
Restoring a Pitch Pine-Oak Upland Forest at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
Restoring a Pitch Pine-Oak Upland Forest at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary Written by: Dan Wilder, Director of Wildlife Ecology, Norcross Wildlife Foundation Norcross Wildlife Foundation is located in south-central Massachusetts and…
How and Why Trees Die After Planting
By Norm Helie
Many trees die during the first season at the new site. Watering transplanted trees is not the same as watering crops or a perennial garden. Small annual and perennial plant root systems require less oxygen than the delicate fine root systems of the tree.
What’s Missing? Ferns for Your Garden
By Leslie Duthie
Ferns are the ancient plants in our landscapes. Every time we walk into the woodlands or drive along a country road, we see them. They cover old stone walls and flourish in wetlands and meadows. Yet, how often do we think of using them in our gardens?
The South Dakota Pollinator Project
By Paul Clinton
Over the past several years, one of my favorite landscape architecture projects has been developing and monitoring five pollinator plots at the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) rest areas in the eastern part of the state along Interstate 29. As a landscape architect, it is satisfying to witness the return of native prairie plant communities and be a part of diverse projects – and working in South Dakota has allowed me to do both.
Backyard Habitats for the Birds and the Bees
By Susannah D. Lerman
The birds and the bees represent some of our most familiar wildlife. Unfortunately, with increased pressures from residential development, bird, bee and other wildlife habitat have disappeared, leading to severe population declines. Nonetheless, after the development phase, the novel habitat within the new landscape (both intentionally planted and remnant habitat) can support wildlife communities.
Demonstration Garden Beautifies Area Teaches Others About Native Plants
By Lisa Olsen
In an active Denver neighborhood, volunteers proposed the Greenverien Garden to improve the neighborhood’s livability. They saw an opportunity to beautify the area by transforming the asphalt-covered strip on a busy street corner into a low-maintenance landscape to be enjoyed by residents, pollinators and visitors alike.
Native Habitat Restoration on an Old Wisconsin Farm
By Marcie O’Connor
Our adventure began in early 2000 when my husband and I bought 500 acres of an old farm in the Driftless Area of western Wisconsin. The Driftless Area is the part of the Midwest that was never covered by glaciers, so the land is beautiful – with steep hills and narrow valleys. I’m interested in native plants and natural landscapes, so I thought it would be fun to return the land to prairie and how it looked before it was farmed.
Ridge Lane: The Butterfly Effect of an Urban Vacant Lot
By Nahal Sohbati
Located in the Ingleside neighborhood of San Francisco, Ridge Lane is a vacant public right of way owned by the city. Vacant lands can serve as a public space and can significantly contribute to social engagement. Community members often take charge of these vacant lots and activate them through community gardening, guerrilla gardening, and other artful representations.
