This article by Shannon Kingsley first appeared in WildfloraRI, Spring 2023 Shannon Kingsley is the botanist for ReSeeding RI For the ReSeeding Rhode Island Initiative—RIWPS’s five-year plan to amplify native, ecotypic…
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.
Decentering the ‘Tree Museum’: Colonial Narratives in Environmental Conservation and Botanical Science
By Mark Richardson on October 29, 2024 in Conferences, ELA Publications, Health and Landscapes, Into the Weeds, Public Gardens and Parks
by Tracy Qiu, Doctoral Candidate, Concordia University (Montreal) This article is a summary of a presentation from ELA’s 30th Annual Conference. The presentation, Decentering the “Tree Museum”: Colonial Narratives in…
Botanic Gardens Conservation International Announce Seed Conservation Awards
By Mark Richardson on October 29, 2024 in Conservation, ELA Publications, Into the Weeds, Public Gardens and Parks
The winners of the Seed Conservation Awards were announced in August at an awards ceremony held at the 8th Global Botanic Garden Congress in Singapore! This year, the Seed…
Northeast Seed Network – A seed strategy for the Northeast U.S.
By Mark Richardson on October 29, 2024 in Biodiversity, Conservation, Designing Ecological Landscapes, Developing Healthy Landscapes, ELA Publications, Installing and Maintaining Landscapes, Into the Weeds, Land Management, Native Plants, Restoration
by Michael Piantedosi, Director of Conservation, Native Plant Trust Over the last few years, an increase in demand for New England native plants has intersected with a well-documented bottleneck in…
Meadows – Dream and Reality
By Mark Richardson on July 29, 2024 in Designing Ecological Landscapes, Meadows, Native Plants, Trees
by Filippine Hoogland and Fiona Mitchell As a new generation of landscape designers have successfully convinced the public of the aesthetic appeal of meadows, meadowscapes have become increasingly popular. Hiring…
Highlights from Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet 2023 State of the Pot
By Mark Richardson on July 29, 2024 in Designing Ecological Landscapes, Developing Healthy Landscapes, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Sustainability, Uncategorized
Since the publication of our “Plastic Pots and the Green Industry” research paper in 2020, the Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet committee has worked not only to build a coalition but…
Foraging Meals and Medicines from the Landscape
By Mark Richardson on July 29, 2024 in Designing Ecological Landscapes, Developing Healthy Landscapes, Edible Landscaping, Health and Landscapes, Uncategorized
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…
Silver Linings and Lemonade: Lessons Learned from an Arboretum Post-Natural Disaster
By Mark Richardson on July 29, 2024 in Designing Ecological Landscapes, Disaster Preparedness, Landscape Challenges, Public Gardens and Parks, Trees, Uncategorized
By Kathleen V Salisbury Director, Ambler Arboretum of Temple University All images courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted On September 1, 2021, the 187-acre Ambler Arboretum was directly and…
A Client’s Story
By Mark Richardson on July 29, 2024 in Designing Ecological Landscapes, Edible Landscaping, Installing and Maintaining Landscapes, Low Impact Development
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…
Making Space for the Wild: Bringing Native Habitat to Degraded and Urban Spaces
By Mark Richardson on July 25, 2024 in Designing Ecological Landscapes, ELA Publications, Installing and Maintaining Landscapes, Into the Weeds, Landscape Design, Urban Landscaping
by Emily McCoy, PLA, FASLA, SITES AP Tools and Resources for the Landscape Architect Missing Metrics: The Case for Sharing Successes and Failures Within our cities, rural areas and everything…
Landscaping on Nature’s Terms: Natural Organic Design
By Mike Nadeau All images courtesy of author So, you want to craft a landscape that reflects your concern for the environment and your personal health—one that is easy to…
Establishing a Miniature Meadow in Brooklyn
By Scout Kerensky-Coodley All images courtesy of author Starting a meadow from seed excited me. As a popular (and cost-effective) strategy for many land managers, my curiosity was piqued. In…