by Ken Foster It is called “greywater” for a reason, and whether you spell it greywater or graywater obviously it is not one of those black and white solutions to…
Landscape Water Sourcing for Irrigation
by Jeff Bowman Here in the northeastern United States, there are three commonly used sources of water for irrigation. These are domestic (city) water, surface water, and groundwater. Each of…
A Lesson on Connections: “Enhancing Ecosystem Dynamics for Trees” with Michael Phillips
by Emma Vautour As a student of ecology and an aspiring ecological landscaper, it was a privilege to attend the 2014 ELA conference and learn from many of the leading…
Share Your Project in ELA’s Ecological Landscaping Video
Discover Ecological Landscaping is a concise introduction to the concepts and practices at the root landscapes managed with an eye to long-term health and sustainability. Originally published in 2005, ELA’s…
Ecological Design along the Blackstone: Creating a Clean River…within a River
by Max Rome, Nick Bernat, and Lauren Valle In precolonial times the Blackstone River was a large and ecologically-rich tidal river. As it meandered 49 miles from present day Worcester,…
Where the Wild Things Are: How to Support Wildlife in the Modern Gardening World
by Dan Jaffe One of the great reasons to plant native species rather than their non-native counterparts is the support they provide to local wildlife populations. Simply put: If you…
Beautifying Public Places: The Importance of Plants
by Lynden B. Miller One of the most important elements in successful public urban green space is PLANTS. Over the last 30 years in New York City, we have found…
Conserving Soil with Grow Bags
by John Kinchla
Amherst Nurseries grows trees and shrubs on approximately 100 acres of land on farms in Amherst, MA and Charlemont, MA. I try to produce plants that are as environmentally friendly as possible by reducing the use of pesticides, using drip irrigation, and growing in field soil (which uses less water and fertilizer than plastic container methods). One problem with field grown nursery stock is the loss of soil when the plant is harvested balled and burlapped (B&B). Since the soils at Amherst Nurseries are of a very high quality, the problem of soil loss is something that I’m acutely aware of. In response, I’ve been shifting the production of Amherst Nurseries from B&B to grow bags as a means to reduce the loss of field soil via B&B production.
SITES Update: Progress on the Sustainable Sites Initiative
by Tobias Wolf The Sustainable Sites Initiative, known as SITES™, has made important strides in the last year. SITES promotes sustainable practices for the design and management of landscapes. Complementing the…
Don’t Be Afraid of the Big Bad Shade Tree
A Case for Veteran Trees by Christopher Roddick Ask any arborist why people hire them and, more often than not, the number one answer is fear. People do love their…
Dealing with Soil Compaction
by Nina Bassuk Soil compaction is the single most difficult and harmful environmental or abiotic condition that a tree or shrub can experience. There are other environmental problems such as…
Using CU-Structural Soil to Grow Trees Surrounded by Pavement
by Dr. Nina Bassuk Soils under pavement need to be compacted to meet load–bearing requirements so that sidewalks and other pavement won’t subside and fail. Soils are often compacted to…