Native to the East Coast, sugar kelp may become an important tool to sustainably maintain plant health, given it is rich in important micronutrients and powerful bio-stimulating compounds. Join Sean Barrett and Edwina von Gal to take a deep dive into the many ways kelp-based fertilizers can dramatically strengthen root zones and improve soil health while also removing carbon from the atmosphere and combating climate change.

Register here.

Join us for an all-day convening hosted by Grace Farms Foundation at Grace Farms, the humanitarian and cultural center with landscape design by Olin Studio. In partnership with Edwina von Gal, principal of her eponymous landscape design firm and founder of the Perfect Earth Project, and the Connecticut ASLA, this convening will feature panels, walks, lunch, and breakout discussions on how we can ethically and effectively respond to the climate and biodiversity crises with a new paradigm in our practices. 

This event will inspire us to lead the way forward with a deep commitment to biodiversity-positive, nature-based solutions in our landscapes and with materials choices that are sustainable and forced and child labor-free. Participants will come away with a new understanding of how commitments to sustainable ecosystems in landscape design and land care can advance equity both locally and globally.

LA CES and ALPD credits pending.

Register here.

Join Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust, for the debut of his new book from Timber Press, The Northeast Native Plant Primer, 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden. It provides a roadmap on how and why to include native plants in your garden and what plants to choose, whether you are new to gardening or a seasoned professional. For those of us who care about the natural world, the decision to plant natives in the garden is one of the most impactful and important choices we can make.

Fee $15 (Members)/$18 (Nonmembers)
CEU MALP MCLP: .5; NOFA AOLCP: 1.5
Certificate Elective: all certificates

Register here.

The Ecological Landscape Alliance invites you to tour the private gardens of landscape designer and pollinator expert, Thomas Berger.

When choosing plants to support insects in our gardens, we want to make the most of our limited space. Which plants nourish the most species? And which kinds of insects need our support most urgently?

Thomas Berger has been designing landscapes for insects for more than twenty years in his own gardens and client gardens. Thomas pays particular attention to providing for two groups of insects:

The caterpillars of butterflies and moths (lepidoptera), which are an important part of the wildlife food chain.
The pollinators, especially native bees that fulfill the essential function of pollinating not only our food crops but also native plants and thus contribute to their survival.
Our goal for any garden should be to provide habitat for the largest possible number of insect species. Thomas Berger’s gardens demonstrate effective habitat that provide joy and beauty for humans as well.

Join us for a unique opportunity to explore the private gardens of an inspiring insect specialist, landscape designer, and passionate nature photographer.

Event page here.

Un­der the theme In­spi­ra­tion for Ac­tion, the sec­ond World Bio­di­ver­si­ty Fo­rum will bring to­geth­er re­searchers across all dis­ci­plines of bio­di­ver­si­ty sci­ence with prac­ti­tion­ers and so­ci­etal ac­tors in a fo­rum that of­fers in­spi­ra­tion and ex­am­ples for ac­tions and so­lu­tions to con­serve bio­di­ver­si­ty, and set us on a path to­wards trans­for­ma­tion for sus­tain­abil­i­ty.

World Bio­di­ver­si­ty Fo­rum 2022 is or­gan­ized as a hy­brid event, with the in-per­son meet­ing tak­ing place at Davos Con­gress Cen­tre, Switzer­land.

Event page here.

Lady Bird Johnson had a passion to preserve and protect the country’s native plants and natural landscapes. The Native Plant Center was founded more than 20 years ago as the first affiliate of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas. Originally a project of the Westchester Community College Foundation, The Native Plant Center today is a vital program on the campus of Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York. Join this professionally guided tour to learn more.

Admission is free but registration is required. Find the event page here.

Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve is located in the southern Catskill Mountains in Sullivan County, NY. The gardens are an ongoing work by author, teacher, and landscape designer, Carolyn Summers. Throughout her career, Carolyn has been acutely aware of the need for clients, DIY homeowners, and designers to be able to see how lovely native plants are when used in garden settings.

The Catskills – mostly in a Zone 5 climate – makes an excellent test for fitness and hardiness. In addition to managed gardens, large areas of the property are preserved to protect native flora in their natural habitats, along with the wildlife that depend on them. The meadows at Flying Trillium include successional hayfields to which Carolyn has opportunistically added native wildflowers, as well as those similar to the Eastern lupine meadow, where she was able to seed onto bare ground. These areas of the meadow are considered “augmented” and “designed.”

Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve includes over 300 trees and shrubs native to the northeast, including unusual cultivated varieties, hybrids and over 75 dwarf selections of our native conifers. Since 2000, a complete collection of trees native to the greater Catskills region is being assembled. Tour the demonstration gardens to see how to integrate plants into your landscape.

Join us for this guided tour to experience the beauty, diversity and sustainability of our native flora for yourself. Carolyn’s goal is for you to leave inspired to plant more of the same.

Event page here.

Explore three beautiful meadows at Helia Native Nursery. Learn about the importance of a meadow ecosystem, different methods for meadow building and how to maintain existing meadows to maximize wildlife benefits. Helia Native Nursery is situated on Sky Meadow Farm, a beautiful 109-acre farm in Alford, Massachusetts. Our mission is to preserve native genotypes through creating seed banks on the farm and propagating native plants in our nursery.

Helia’s land stewardship on the farm focuses on restoring wildflower meadows for pollinators. Planted 4 and 5 years ago, this tour will feature three mature meadows that demonstrate a variety of planting techniques, seeding and planting, and different maintenance strategies. There will be discussion of invasive species control, meadow mowing regimens, and meadow disturbance opportunities.

All of the meadows display rich color palettes, showing what can be achieved using native plants. The meadows are all designed with four season interest – a feature that invites frequent visits to experience the changing views.

An important feature of well-designed meadows is the opportunity for habitat restoration. Plant selections consider the various stages of pollinator life cycles and provide appropriate plants for each. Join tour guide, Bridghe McCracken to learn more.

Register here.

The Secret Garden of Celestial Happiness

These gardens represent a complete landscape renovation. The private property of tour guide and landscape designer, Jay Archer. He refers to his own landscape as an ever-evolving project!

At the heart of this project was the complete removal of the entire backyard – formerly a large lawn.

As with all of Jay’s projects, this design is based in nature-based principles and is rich with habitat features that are anchored with native plant material. This garden is a model of biodiversity, resource conservation and is a pollinator paradise!

Features include:

A native plant garden with stone, gravel and mulched paths
A constructed fish pond, waterfall and stream
A unique wetland boardwalk
Design choices based upon ecological principles, plant selections, and maintenance practices are all critical elements in creating healthy ecosystems. As a landscape ecologist, Jay Archer has successfully combined all three elements and the resulting landscape is a model of biodiversity and resource conservation.

Another key feature of healthy habitats is the way a property is maintained. Jay’s gardens are completely organically maintained for the health of people, pets, pollinators, and the planet.

Address and directions provided after registration. 

Register here.