Where science meets practice

 

Join Landscape Designer Larry Weaner and native plant expert Ian Caton on a deep dive into the integration of restoration ecology and garden design. From technical instruction to personal anecdotes, Larry and Ian will share over 70 years of combined experience on the fine points of designing, planting, and managing ecology-based landscapes. Participants will have the opportunity to compare notes and interact with instructors during two post-program conversational sessions.

Geared toward landscape practitioners in the Eastern & Midwestern U.S.

Attendees will receive a 100+ page login-protected course manual including an ecology-based plant characteristics chart, equipment recommendations, wildlife habitat enhancement strategies, diagrams for planting and maintenance procedures, and more.

Register for the Full Bundle (Sessions 1-7) - $645
or individual sessions - $135 each

or scroll down for session details

Registration is open and recordings are viewable for 3 months after each live session date - join live or watch at your leisure! 

CEUs available - 21 class hours (LA CES) plus two 2-hour Conversation and Q&A sessions (25 hrs - APLD, NOFA, SER)

See here for CEU details and instructions

Student scholarships & discounts available!
Discounts: Wild Ones, AOLCP (CT NOFA)

Scroll down for session, registration, scholarship, and discount details

“You have made a great contribution to the field through your conferences.”

– Leslie Sauer, Andropogon Associates, Philadelphia, PA

The Bower (Shermans Dale, PA)
Photo by Mark Weaner

Upcoming Sessions:

Click the individual sessions below for descriptions

INCLUDED FOR ALL REGISTRANTS:

Two Conversation and Q&A Sessions

Larry Weaner & Ian Caton

These conversation-style sessions will be entirely devoted to questions and comments from participants. The first will be held soon after the last session while the information is still fresh in participants’ minds. The six-month gap between Q&A sessions will allow participants time to apply the course content, and return with questions or insights for presenters and fellow participants.

First Q&A Session: Thursday, September 4, 2025 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM ET
Second Q&A Session: Thursday, March 5, 2026 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM ET

Instructor Bios

  • Ian Caton is the founding principal of Wood Thrush Native Nursery in Floyd, VA. He worked for Larry Weaner Landscape Associates from 2001 to 2013, and now serves as a project consultant for the firm. His knowledge of native plants and their characteristics is encyclopedic. Ian has designed and installed landscapes for a wide range of residential, commercial, and public settings. Prior speaking engagements include the Irvine Native Plant Symposium and events at the New York Botanical Garden and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve.

  • Larry Weaner, FAPLD, president and founder of Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, established New Directions in the American Landscape 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 UK, and has been profiled in national publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Garden Design, American Gardener, Wildflower Magazine, and ASLA’s “The Dirt” blog. Larry has presented at American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) annual and state chapter meetings, Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) events, and many others. His book, Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change (2016), co-authored with Tom Christopher, received an American Horticultural Society (AHS) Book Award in 2017. In 2021 he received the AHS Landscape Design Award and the APLD Award of Distinction.

Photo by Larry Weaner Landscape Associates

What past Intensive Course attendees are saying:

“Thank you for this 7 week course. It filled in so many gaps in my knowledge about ecological planting design. I think it’s such a great series for landscape architects who don’t often get much plant education in landscape architecture programs. I look forward to applying my new knowledge in my practice.”
— Alyson T.
“Totally fantastic! No other presentations come close to NDAL events in terms of quality and richness of information.”
— Ben O.
“I cant believe how much I learned in the first class alone! ”
— Melanie P.
“Larry is a one-of-a-kind expert in the field of natural gardening and ecological restoration in the US Northeast. Never miss a chance to listen to him.”
— Chris
“Ian was really well-spoken and incredibly knowledgeable!”
— Anonymous

Registration Details

  • When registering on the NDAL Participants Portal you will be asked to either sign into your existing account or create one. This account will give you exclusive access to the session recordings and course materials. These materials will be available until three (3) months after the live event dates.

    Group Orders: To register multiple people/staff members at once, go to your chosen course, click Register, then enter the number of registrations needed under Quantity on the left side. You will receive an email with an invite link to send to all the registrants in your group. **Please note if you are registering yourself as well, you will not be automatically registered under a Group Order; you will also need to click the invite link to redeem your registration.**

    Gift Orders: To purchase a course as a gift for someone else, go to your chosen course, click Register, then check off “This is a gift.”

    Students please email verification of student status (ie. course schedule, student ID) to info@ndal.org for student discount code.

    Registration will be refunded only if notification is received before ten (10) working days prior to the live event date less a $10 processing fee.

  • Students and recent graduates are invited to apply for scholarships granting free registration to the Intensive Course. Ten scholarships will be awarded.

    Eligibility: Current undergraduate/graduate student or matriculation in 2024/2025.

    To apply: Please submit no more than 1 page description of why you’re interested in this program, and your resume.

    Due date: Applications taken on a rolling basis until filled. You are also welcome to apply after a live session date to view the recording.

    To apply: Please email your letter and resume to Sara Weaner Cooper, NDAL Executive Director, at sweaner@ndal.org.

  • If you’ve already emailed for Wild Ones Member discount codes in the past, please keep an eye out for an email with the new code, as we are sending it to anyone who has previously used a Wild Ones-NDAL discount code.

    If you haven’t used a code previously, please email info@ndal.org with your Wild Ones member ID # or other verification of membership for the program discount code.

  • Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals of The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut receive a 10% discount on this course. Please look out for the discount code from NOFA, or contact Jennifer Shaffer, NOFA Organic Land Care’s Program Director at jennifer@ctnofa.org for the code.

  • The entire course will be recorded and available (not downloadable) to all registrants after the live session ends for three (3) months. If you are registered, you do not need to attend the live session in order to access the recording.

  • You can register for 3 months past the live session date, and access the materials - including the recording - until that point.

  • Zoom Webinar. Please make sure to download the Zoom application (https://zoom.us/download) and download the latest Zoom update if needed prior to the live course. We recommend that you join ~5 minutes prior to the start time. The instructor(s) will use PowerPoint presentations. If you have any technical difficulties during the session and need to contact us, please email info@ndal.org instead of calling.

  • Yes, please see the CEU details at the top of this page.

FAQs

Questions? Please contact:

New Directions in the American Landscape
info@ndal.org
510-518-0430