by David Seiter The following excerpt from Spontaneous Urban Plants: Weeds in NYC is reprinted with permission of the author. Whenever travelling to a new city, I always want to…
Installing and Maintaining Landscapes
Proper installation and maintenance of the ecologically designed landscape begins a pattern in which each component in the landscape supports the others. Ecological methods can save you time, resources, and money by keeping water and organic material on site and by utilizing organic soil amendments and chemical interventions only when testing shows they are necessary.
Renewal and Ruins: Season Wrap-up 2017
by Tricia Diggins
This was the best growing season in eastern Massachusetts in a long time. We had rain in the spring! No worrying about stress on the trees in April when it is supposed to rain but doesn’t, like many recent springs. And the rain continued steadily, but not too much, through July.
Maintenance Matters
Contributors: John Magee, Daniel Peterson, and Bill Peregrine With the end of the 2017 season approaching, ELA asked members from across the country to recount the highlights of their season…
Lawn Gone: Nourishing Our Ecosystems with Meadows
by Mary B. O’Neill, Ph.D. Reprinted with permission, this article first appeared in the July 2017 issue of Main Street Magazine. The American Dream of homeownership, good fences making good…
Our Lawns Are Killing Us. It’s Time to Kick the Habit
by Mark Richardson This article was reprinted with permission from Native Plant News (Spr-Sum 2017), the member magazine of New England Wild Flower Society. Pristine turf grass lawns are as synonymous…
A Pruning Guide
by David Anderson David will lead a hands-on pruning demonstration and discussion on March 9th at the ELA Conference. As landscapers and horticulturalists pruning is a very important part of our work….
Book Review: Two Percent Solutions for the Planet
Two Percent Solutions for the Planet: 50 Low-Cost, Low-Tech, Nature-Based Practices for Combatting Hunger, Drought, and Climate Change Written by Courtney White Published by Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015 Reviewed by…
Managing “Wear and Tear” in Heavy-use Landscapes
by Ronnit Bendavid-Val As parks and gardens get more and more use by the public especially in our urban areas, many places are seeing increasing effects of this heavier use…
Designing with Maintenance in Mind
As we come to the end of a long season of garden maintenance, we’ve asked three ELA members to share three recommendations they want to keep in mind when they start designing for…
Paving the Way (Permeably) for John Hancock Charles River Walk
by Trevor Smith The rising sun peeks over the Charles River, golden rays explode through the towering oak canopy. The heavy sweet scent of Clethra perfumes the air with undertones…
So Why Don’t You Use the Chems, Mike?
by Mike Bald I get this question occasionally in my work managing invasive plants. When people are interested in hiring me, they do like to know the reasoning behind the…
Eco-Answers from the Pros: Using Wood Chips as Mulch
I had a pile of wood chips delivered to me at the end of last summer and want to use it as mulch in my flower and shrub garden this…