by Leslie Duthie, Publications Committee Chair Beebalm (Monarda spp.) is a welcome addition to any perennial border. Its large size and bright flowers are attractive to gardeners and pollinators alike….
Native Plants
Gardening Tips: Spring Clean-up
By Mark Richardson on May 21, 2025 in Bulletin, Designing Ecological Landscapes, Developing Healthy Landscapes, ELA Publications, Gardening Basics, Installing and Maintaining Landscapes, Landscape Maintenance, Mulching, Native Plants, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Sustainability, Weeds and Weeding
Despite the ups and downs of spring weather in the Northeast, it has arrived and it’s time to ready your landscape for the growing season. In keeping with our thoughts…
The Plant Diversity Report: Native Plant Trust and The Nature Conservancy Partner to Prevent Plant Extinction in New England
By Mark Richardson on May 1, 2025 in Advocacy, Designing Ecological Landscapes, ELA Publications, Into the Weeds, Native Plants
by Michael Piantedosi, Native Plant Trust and Mark Anderson, Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy Reprinted from the American Public Gardens Association’s Public Gardens magazine Conserving Plant Diversity in…
Nurturing Nature: Conservation and Restoration at Purple Rock Farm
By Mark Richardson on May 1, 2025 in Advocacy, Designing Ecological Landscapes, ELA Publications, Into the Weeds, Native Plants
by Nan McCarry Putting land under a conservation easement is a win-win for people and nature. “A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust…
Native Plants for the Winter Garden
By Mark Richardson on March 25, 2025 in Bulletin, Designing Ecological Landscapes, ELA Publications, Native Plants
For nearly half the year here in Northern New England, our gardens are frozen, so we might as well take some time to plan for a garden to enjoy through…
Ecology Informs Naturalistic Landscape Design
By Mark Richardson on February 6, 2025 in Designing Ecological Landscapes, ELA Publications, Into the Weeds, Native Plants
by Duncan Brine The garden world is in the midst of a slow-moving shift from the purely ornamental to the ecological. Today, naturalistic gardens are popular and prevalent. They fulfill…
North American Orchid Conservation Center / SERC Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungi Collection
By Mark Richardson on February 5, 2025 in Conservation, Designing Ecological Landscapes, Developing Healthy Landscapes, ELA Publications, Into the Weeds, Native Plants
by Melissa McCormick & Julianne McGuinness Reprinted with permission from the newsletter of the North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC) The North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC) has an ongoing,…
The Opposite of Extinction
By Mark Richardson on November 21, 2024 in Bulletin, Conferences, Designing Ecological Landscapes, Native Plants
This article first appeared in Arnoldia magazine 81:2, Summer 2024, and is republished here with permission. Nick Anderson is one of the featured speakers at the 2024 Season’s End Summit…
The Hype about Ecotypes
By Mark Richardson on October 29, 2024 in Designing Ecological Landscapes, Developing Healthy Landscapes, ELA Publications, Into the Weeds, Native Plants, Plant Science
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…
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…
Save the Wild Grapevines!
By Mark Richardson on February 5, 2024 in Conservation, Designing Ecological Landscapes, Developing Healthy Landscapes, ELA Publications, Into the Weeds, Native Plants
by Nan McCarry Many of us value landscapes that harbor some wildness. We know that leaving some of the wild and even weedy plants has benefits for wildlife and may…