 Valhalla, NY - The Native Plant Center (NPC), which is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a number of special events and programs, is sponsoring a Spring conference on March 20 and is also hosting a number of Spring lectures starting on February 29.
Radical Transformations: The Process of Natural Landscape Establishment is the Fifth Annual Natural Landscape Design Conference co-sponsored by The NPC and New Directions in the American Landscape. It will be held on Thursday, March 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Everything is changing in our landscape gardens; why we create them, how we plant them, and how we live in them are all being re-evaluated and revolutionized. Explore how innovation, creativity and ecological understanding can enhance the individual experiences and global impacts that our landscapes provide.
Presentations at the conference are:
The Big Picture: Backyard Forward; Small Places, Big Decisions by William Shutkin. Zoom in on Google Earth from the stratosphere to a single property and you will see, quite literally, where the big meets the small. From the profound to the practical, Shutkin will illustrate how local landscape decisions affect not only our own backyards, but the planet as a whole. Our presenter is a global leader in sustainability and social entrepreneurship. An attorney, author, educator and non-profit leader, Shutkin’s expertise spans a variety of fields and disciplines, from urban planning to economic development, green design to global warming, and public policy to social justice. He has written two books, the award-winning The Land That Could Be: Environmentalism and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century and A Republic of Trees, Fields Notes on People, Place and the Planet.
The Details: Creating Natural Landscapes for the Real World by Larry Weaner. Are native plant gardens automatically “low maintenance?” Are all natural gardens “wild” in appearance? What actually is a “sustainable” landscape? We will move beyond the buzzwords and oversimplifications to examine a practical, step by step process for creating easily managed landscapes that seamlessly combine ecological diversity, cultural expression, and garden art. Weaner is recognized nationally for his work in integrating the ecological sciences with the fine art of garden design. He has been president of Larry Weaner Landscape Design Associates since 1982 and has designed gardens throughout the Eastern U.S. Larry’s projects have been featured in national and international publications and he is a past board member and environmental committee chair of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. He also developed the New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL) educational series in 1990.
The Long Term: Gardening on Earth; A Half-century of Respect for Nature by Richard W. Lighty, Ph.D. Over a 45 year period, Lighty and his wife Sally have designed, installed and maintained, without outside help, a seven and one-half acre property with two and one-half acres of lawn and gardens. Lighty will illustrate how the use of innovative techniques, many derived directly from natural processes, has allowed them to reduce maintenance on these extensive gardens and natural areas to approximately eight hours per week. He is a pioneer in the introduction of native plants for gardeners, particularly in his work as the founding director of Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora in Greenville, De. From 1983 to 1998 he managed the center’s development emphasizing the selection, introduction and display of native plants.
The cost of the conference is $115 for NPC members; $122 for non-members. The fee includes lunch and breaks.
The six-part Native New Yorkers: Plants and other Wildlife for your Garden lecture series (not individual classes) will take place from February 29 through April 4 and will include a workshop, Sow and Grow, on March 8.
The lectures by Carolyn Summers are on February 29; March 7, 14, 28; April 4 (two hours/double session) from10: 30 to 11:30 a.m. The presentations are supported by Poundridge Nurseries, Inc., Rosedale Nurseries, Inc., and Sprainbrook Nursery, Inc.
For design professionals, master gardeners and gardening enthusiasts, this six -part course provides a comprehensive foundation for garden design using regional native plants. Issues covered include wildlife benefits, harmful invasives and sustainable design. Students will learn to apply basic ecological and design principles in their own and clients’ gardens. Course participants who attend all six lectures will receive credit toward the Native Plant Center’s Certificate of Merit.
Why Natives: The first unit explains the essential roles played by native plants in the food web, roles that cannot be duplicated by exotic plants.
Principles of Safe Sex in the Garden: This lecture covers the minimal and safe use of exotics; learn to use plant reproductive strategies to limit spread of exotics and enhance native plant productivity.
The Garden as Wildlife Habitat: This unit will cover plantings and design elements for basic wildlife needs, discuss the role of maintenance in nurturing wildlife populations and a brief overview of deer control.
Showy Native Substitutes for Popular Plants: This will highlight some of the more obscure natives, in addition to unusual cultivars of well-known natives.
Basic Design Concepts and Styles; Grouping Natives by Habitat: Explore the design versatility of native plants as applied to traditional vernacular styles such as Japanese and English, as well as a brief overview of natural habitat design.
Shopping for Native Plants: The last unit will briefly cover sources for some of the more obscure natives, as well as a review and Q&A for the previous sessions.
The cost of the six-part Native to New York Series is $75 for members, $82 for non-members.
The Sow and Grow Natives Workshop by Anne Megaro and Barbara Fischer is on Saturday, March 8 from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Have you tried to grow your own meadow (or just some impatiens) from seed and failed? This class covers the basic techniques and pitfalls of seed sowing, as well as the more advanced requirements of many native perennials. This hands-on program supplies you with soil, packs, seeds and bags for seeded packs. You will sow and take home packs of Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) and Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed). Proper transplanting and aftercare will also be demonstrated.
The fee for the Sow and Grow Natives Workshop is $22 for members, $25 for non-members.
For information, call 914-606-7870 or visit the web at www.nativeplantcenter.org.
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