by Charlene L. Briggs Earth Visions Consulting “In some Native languages the term for plants translates to “those who take care of us.” ― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific…
Edible Landscaping
A Client’s Story
by Roxanne Finn Admissions Manager, the Conway School Sometimes our friends are constraints… and sometimes they are other designers “Constraints are your friend.” That is a lesson I learned early…
Eat the Lawn
By Arianna Alexsandra Collins
July is a perfect time to gather flowers and greens for salad and pesto. There is an abundance of wild and garden edibles, so why make the trip to the grocery store for produce when you have a variety of food to choose from right in your yard? Create a daylily salad, with a little yard-grown purslane topped with pedals of bee balm for color and bergamot flavor finished with a tasty vinaigrette.
What Is Rewilding?
by Heather McCargo and Anna Fialkoff
The term rewilding first appeared in the conservation world in the 1980s with a continental-scale vision to protect large tracts of wilderness and connect these areas with migration corridors. Maine’s Wild Seed Project considers rewilding to be not just for the large wilderness areas or charismatic megafauna like wolves. Instead, they focus on actions that people can take right outside their doors.
Designing Gardens Accessible to All
by Rachel Lindsay
An accessible landscape provides not just access but varied experiences to all visitors. Ecological designers take the concept of universal design even farther and consider how the landscape, especially public and participatory gardens, can benefit not just people of all abilities, but also wildlife, pollinators, soil microorganisms, and watersheds.
Planting Edible Native Species – A Case Study from Massachusetts
by Russ Cohen
A newly daylighted stream at Willard’s Woods in Lexington, MA presented a serendipitous opportunity for introduction of edible native plants to the conservation area. At a double session focused on propagating and planting edible native plant species, Russ Cohen and co-presenter Georgia Hann included this 2017 project at ELA’s 2020 Conference & Eco-Marketplace in March. Here, Russ follows up the conference session with a deeper dive into the Willard’s Woods project.
Edible Plantings in the Built Landscape
Surrounded by uncertainty, more people are thinking about how their landscapes can provide food. Lawns are yielding to vegetable gardens, and suppliers of chicks have struggled to keep up with demand. For those who don’t want to take on the responsibility of a new garden or chickens, we asked a couple of ELA members to share how they introduce edible plants into the landscape.
The Orchard Ecosystem: Haphazard Mulching
by Michael Phillips
Orchard health isn’t about a tidy appearance, it’s about rich biology that feeds your trees. By releasing cultural notional about the manicured garden, you can find a way to please the neighbors while accommodating principles of health and diversity.
More Edible and Landscape-Worthy Native Plants of New England
Five years ago, landscape designer Ellen Sousa and edible plant guru Russ Cohen wrote about Edible and Landscape-worthy Native Plants of New England. In this follow-up article, Russ joins plantswoman Georgia Hann to extol the comestible virtues of more than dozen additional native species.
Beyond the Vegetable Patch – Strengthening the Food Connection in the Garden
by Kerry O’Kelly and Darcy Paige There is a growing understanding that people need to make a connection between their food and its sources, but this is often difficult to…
Connect with Nature and Grow Your Own Food
by Ben Barkan Think of time spent in nature as a nutrient that we are all deficient in. It used to be normal to grow our own food, spend time…
Eco-Answers from the Pros: Heirloom Apples
We are located in the South Shore area of Massachusetts and are looking for some heirloom apple trees. Do you know of a good source in our area?
