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Class: Low Maintenance Gardening
While native plants are said to be well-adapted to New England, that doesn’t mean just any native will do. Though trilliums and lady slippers are beautiful, they rarely thrive in built landscapes without considerable care. The good news for landscape designers and gardeners is that there is a long list of native plants that are strong performers in a designed landscape and perform well. Choosing certain species can produce built landscapes that require little care after they've been established. Join…
Find out more »Class: Meadows 1-2-3
No one can grow an instant meadow, but in this one-day seminar you can quickly increase your understanding of what it takes to create one. The topics covered include: what a meadow is; what makes a good meadow site; how you can prepare for planting, select plant species, and find seeds or plugs; how to plant; and what to expect from your meadow in years one, two, and three. Class taught by Kathy Connolly, Landscape Designer at Speaking of Landscapes,…
Find out more »Free Webinar: Backyard Carbon Sequestration – How You Can Help
Landscapers and gardeners have long known that soil is not simply the stuff that props up plants. But not everyone knows that organic and native plant gardening practices can help mitigate climate change by building and protecting soil health. In this webinar presentation, Adrian Ayres Fisher will review the characteristics of healthy soil, how plants and soil life work together to store carbon below ground, and how gardeners and landscapers can make a difference in the fight against climate change. Adrian…
Find out more »2018 Ecological Plant Conference
The Round House Sustaining Sponsor Brooklyn Botanic Garden is host to the Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA) third annual Ecological Plant Conference at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, New York. - Click here for conference schedule. - Click here for conference discount at NU Hotel in Brooklyn. Hotel discount through 11/16/18. - Click here for Sponsorship Opportunities. Join us as five plant masters discuss a few valuable plants at length, from native perennials to under-story heroes to top performing trees. Lunch…
Find out more »Class: PROPAGATING NATIVE PLANTS FROM SEED: PART 1 – DORMANCY AND SOWING TECHNIQUES
Learn to propagate native plants from seed in this two-part, hands-on workshop that focuses on practical methods for small-scale propagation. This workshop is appropriate for beginners and propagators with some experience. Take one or both classes. Part 1 explores seed biology, overcoming dormancy, and sowing techniques. Instructor: Kate Stafford, is a horticulturalist and Nursery Operations Manager and Propagator at Nasami Farm. Working at New England Wild Flower Society’s Nasami Farm in Whately, MA, Kate Stafford focuses on growing the region’s…
Find out more »Class: DESIGN-LESS GARDENING
Traditional gardening methods can result in lovely landscapes but come with a high price in terms of maintenance. In this class, Dan Jaffe invites us to rethink the old rules of gardening so we can spend less time working and more time enjoying our gardens. How many inches of bark mulch is needed between plants? Are there alternatives to bark mulch? Should weeds be pulled or are there other management strategies? Is it necessary to clean the garden every fall…
Find out more »Webinar: Quest for Resilience: Adaptive Strategies for Sustainable Plant Design
What do changing weather patterns mean with regard to how we design the landscape? In this webinar, Laura Hansplant will examine the concept of resilience with regard to landscape design. Using a series of case studies and practical examples, she will discuss how we can replicate plant community dynamics and structure to foster robust and adaptable landscapes. She will also emphasize the importance of cultural expectations and their implications for ecologically-based planting design. Laura Hansplant is a landscape architect and co-owner…
Find out more »Class: DIVERSIFY YOUR LAWN
According to NASA, in the United States more surface area is covered by lawn than by any other single irrigated crop. Lawns are resource-heavy, requiring irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides to thrive in our climate and most of us (and the environment) would be better off reducing or eliminating them altogether. Who says lawns need to be monocultures or only made of grasses? Enrich the traditional lawn with other complementary plants that bloom at different times and add intrigue. Learn how…
Find out more »Webinar: Farming on the Wild Side: Regenerative Production Practices Based on Multifunctional Perennial Plantings
In this webinar, John Hayden will emphasize the ecology and the positive benefits of regenerative farming practices (carbon sequestration, water quality improvement, wildlife and pollinator habitat), and the plants that make for an economically viable system. Mr. Hayden will explain how his family’s farm has evolved over the years, how their edible landscape and conservation plant nursery fits into the model, and how they apply biodiversity in their farmscape to get the results that conventional growers attain using fertilizers and pesticides.…
Find out more »Webinar: Fire in Landscape Management – Strategies for Living with It
Fire is a natural process in almost all North American ecosystems. It creates and maintains habitat for a host of wildlife species, cycles nutrients, refreshes prairies and grasslands, is a necessity for many plant and animal species of special concern, enhances various recreational activities, and reduces fuels for the next fire. However, when it enters the human environment as a wildfire it can be disastrous. Landscape management practices play a key role in reducing wildfire impacts. One important practice is…
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