The Plant Communities and Ecological Processes of Southern New England (1+¾ hrs)
Ted Elliman
Understanding the patterns and processes that affect spontaneous plant assemblages is the foundation of ecology-based design. In this presentation, one of New England’s premier botanists will provide an analysis of the key forest, meadow, and wetland communities of southern New England. He will discuss their physical environments, spatial structures, plant compositions, and basic wildlife habitat associations. He will also examine the ecological processes that affect these communities, including successional dynamics, disturbance, and how warming temperatures and pests may influence future vegetative patterns in New England.
Interactive Landscape Design: Plants, Wildlife, and People (1+¾ hrs)
Larry Weaner
Landscape designers and restoration ecologists both manipulate environments to influence vegetation, yet cross communication is all too rare. In this presentation Larry Weaner will show how the compositions, patterns, and processes of New England’s plant communities can be incorporated into the designed landscape. He will demonstrate how an understanding of specific ecological concepts like disturbance, competition, conservatism, ecotype, senescence, and succession can lead to specific protocols that enhance the habitat value and experiential quality of landscapes designed to interact with people.
Ecological Horticulture: Growing With the Landscape (1+¾ hrs)
Uli Lorimer
Uli Lorimer has practiced horticulture at some of America's most esteemed public gardens including The National Arboretum, Wave Hill, The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and currently The Native Plant Trust in Framingham, MA. This wide ranging experience has taught him how garden stewardship can be significantly enhanced when ecological principles and processes are also applied. He will discuss the potentials of this approach, as well as the limitations of cultivating wild plants in a fine garden setting. He also will explore some of the long-term considerations that arise once design projects are set in motion including "editing" spontaneous growth, altering the original design intent due to site-specific changes and pressures, and the never-ending ecological progression of plants.
Comparing Notes: A Wrap-up Conversation (45 min)
Ted Elliman, Uli Lorimer, & Larry Weaner
Our presenters and session attendees will participate in a freewheeling discussion on the real-world hurdles of plant community design, and anything else “landscape” that’s on their minds.
Date & Time: Thursday, September 28th, 2023, 9 AM - 4:30 PM ET*
This is Day 1 of 2 days that will be held at NEBG at Tower Hill. Day 1 is classroom instruction and Day 2 is field walks. Register individually by day.
Location: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill
11 French Dr, Boylston, MA 01505
Fee: $245
Students please email [email protected] with verification of student status (ie. course schedule) for discount code.
Event Category: Professional
CEUs: APLD (6), LA CES (6), ISA (Certified Arborist 5.25, BCMA Management 5.25), MCH (1), MLP, NOFA (4)
See here for details & instructions
Register by: Thursday, Sept. 21st, 2023, 9 AM ET (1 week prior)
*Time listed above includes instructional time & breaks. There will be 6 session hours.
Light breakfast, lunch, and drinks are included in the registration fee.
Check-in & breakfast begin at 8:30 AM ET.
This session will be held entirely indoors.
COSPONSORED & HOSTED BY
We want to thank our Institutional Ally:
Ted Elliman is one of the most respected botanists in New England. He worked for 12 years as a botanist for Native Plant Trust (formerly the New England Wild Flower Society), where he continues to teach botany and ecology classes. Previously, he worked as a contract ecologist for the National Park Service and other federal and state environmental agencies. He is the author of Wildflowers of New England (Timber Press, 2016), and with Lauren Brown co-author of Grasses, Sedges, Rushes: An Identification Guide (Yale University Press, 2020). Now semi-retired, he continues to teach botany and ecology classes for Native Plant Trust and other conservation organizations and botanical gardens in New England.
UIi Lorimer is the Director of Horticulture for Native Plant Trust. He oversees the facilities and operations at Garden in the Woods and at Nasami Farm. Uli brings 20 years of experience working with native plants in public gardens with previous positions at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Wave Hill Garden, and the US National Arboretum. He is a tireless advocate for the use of native plants in designed spaces through his public speaking, writing, lectures, and media appearances. Uli is the author of The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden (Timber Press, 2022). Uli feels most grounded with his hands in the soil.
Larry Weaner, FAPLD, founded Larry Weaner Landscape Associates in 1982 and established NDAL in 1990. He is nationally recognized for combining expertise in horticulture, landscape design, and ecological restoration. His design and restoration work spans more than twenty U.S. states and the U.K., and has been profiled in numerous national publications. His book Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change (Timber Press, 2016) received an "American Horticultural Society (AHS) Book Award" in 2017, and in 2021 he received AHS’s "Landscape Design Award" and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) "Award of Distinction."
Photo by Kim Sokoloff
