by Darrah Cole and Anthony Ruggiero Over the years the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Boston, MA has worked to refine, simplify, and improve our organic, sustainable care routines across the 17 acres of The Greenway. Starting in 2010, we began mulching all our garden beds with a generous covering of a compost enriched, aged bark […]
Maintenance Post SITES™ – Certification Journey at Dancing Tree, Part 2
April 15, 2019 in Landscape Maintenance, SITES
by Margot Taylor, RLA As part of the SITES™ certification, I completed a complex chart detailing timing and methods for site wide upkeep. I outlined a wholistic management ideology using physical, mechanical, and biological strategies. My narrative explained how I would protect each resource within the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) framework, which for me assumed […]
Rethinking Black Locust
April 15, 2019 in Invasive Plants, Native Plants
by Dan Jaffe While there are about as many definitions of “invasive species” out there as there are definitions for “native species,” they all agree on a few basic principles: An invasive species is a non-indigenous species, introduced outside of its natural range (either intentionally or unintentionally), that causes ecological and/or economic harm. And there […]
Eco-Answers from the Pros: Native Evergreen Groundcovers for Sun
April 15, 2019 in Eco-Answers, Native Plants
I am looking for a native groundcover recommendation for my yard. It is a slope between wetlands and uplands that gets full sun exposure. Ideal plant would be perennial evergreen that will help suppress weeds and is low maintenance and drought resistant. Thanks for any recommendations! (more…)
Eco-Answers from the Pros: Dreaming of an Eco-lawn
April 15, 2019 in Eco-Answers, Lawn Care
I would like to have an “eco-lawn” (some sort of fescue?) for my Martha’s Vineyard home. My goal is to have something that looks like a lawn, requires little mowing and water, ideally requires no fertilizer, can thrive in sandy soil, and handles salty air. Am I a crazy dreamer? (more…)
Eco-Answers from the Pros: How to Find Research Articles in the Public Domain
April 15, 2019 in Business Tips
It can be frustrating to locate current literature on a topic without bumping into paywalls that prevent free access to information. How can you find the relevant information within the public domain? (more…)
Earth
April 15, 2019 in Landscape Design
by Tovah Martin Spring sneaks in through a crack in the window. It steals in when you push the panes open for that whiff of fresh air you’ve anticipated for so long. You’ve almost forgotten what the mingling of indoors and outside feels like; it’s been an eternity since you bonded. But then the scent […]
ELA News – April 2019
April 15, 2019 in ELA News
Introducing Two New Programs! National Green Infrastructure Certification Program Initiated under the leadership of DC Water and the Water Environment Federation, the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP) sets national certification standards for green infrastructure (GI) construction, inspection, and maintenance workers. (more…)
Gleanings April 2019
April 15, 2019 in Gleanings
Items of interest gleaned from the news. (more…)
When Your Contractor Is Not Familiar with Ecological Design
March 15, 2019 in Business Tips, Landscape Design
by Amanda Sloan, RLA You’ve designed a nice ecological landscape, but the contractor hired to build it is not familiar with ecological practices. What to do? (more…)