A Guide to Smithsonian Gardens Written by Carole Ottesen Published by Smithsonian Books, 2011 Reviewed by Risa Edelstein As a landscape designer, I try to visit gardens every season both…
Conservation and Landscaping Professionals Working Together in Ecologically Sensitive Areas
by Theresa Sprague As the landscape paradigm continues to shift towards sustainable/regenerative design, ecological function, and land management vs. landscaping, it becomes clearer that collaboration between the conservation and landscape…
Planning for Resilient and Sustainable Communities
by Jack Ahern An original method for planning resilient and sustainable cities is presented here. The method builds on established planning methods and models. The method has five themes: (1)…
Resource-based Invasive Plant Management
by Julie Richburg As regional ecologist for The Trustees of Reservations, I work with my colleagues to ensure that the natural resources of our properties (including rare species) are protected…
Exhibitor Profile: Groundscapes Express, an Evolving Business
by Nick Novick John Engwer had been running his own Wrentham, Massachusetts-based landscaping business for about twenty years when an idea occurred to him while looking through one of the…
Book Review: Garden Your City
Garden Your City Written by Barbara Hobens Feldt Published by Taylor Trade Publishing, 2005 Reviewed by Maureen Sundberg Barbara Hobens Feldt’s enthusiasm for urban gardening is evident in every page…
Boxwood Blight Found in Massachusetts
Information provided by UMass Extension, Nursery, and Urban Forestry. In December 2011, the UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab working with samples collected by MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) inspectors…
Small Residential Rainwater Harvesting Project: A Hands-on Community Eco-Workshop
by Mary Flodin ELA sponsored a series of three hands-on eco-workshops in Santa Cruz, CA, during the fall of 2011; each presented by a different local landscaper: Native Plants: The…
What is Sustainability?
by Ronald G. Dodson To my way of thinking, sustainability is an individual and personal ethic that informs, guides, and inspires actions in daily, personal, and professional life. Practicing the…
Product Review: The Muck Truck
Muck Truck will be exhibiting at the 2012 ELA Conference & Eco-Marketplace on March 8 in Springfield, MA. Reviewed by Trevor Smith For the past few years I have been…
Common Buckthorn: An Exotic Invasive Plant Fact Sheet
by Bruce Wenning Common Name: Common Buckthorn Regulations: The importation, distribution, trade, and sale of common buckthorn have been banned in Massachusetts effective January 1, 2009 (Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List…
Incorporating Vegetables into the Urban Landscape
by Jessie Banhazl Incorporating vegetables into the urban landscape is not as difficult as it may seem. As with ornamental and perennial plants, placement, light, and spacing between plants are…