Scheduled Programs
Featured program!
Join us where science meets practice
July - August 2024
Ecology-based Landscape Practice:
7-Part Intensive Virtual Course
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.
Or scroll down for individual sessions
Photo by Mark Weaner
Foundational Ecological Principles (Virtual Intensive Session 1 of 7)
Instructor: Larry Weaner, FAPLD
*Recommended prerequisite for all other Sessions
Our opening presentation will examine the species traits, vegetative patterns, and ecological processes found in spontaneous plant communities. The patterns and processes explored will include disturbance, succession, competition, and relative ecological stability. This session will serve as the theoretical basis for the practical design, planting, and management procedures detailed in all subsequent sessions.
Ecology-based Design (Virtual Intensive Session 2 of 7)
Instructor: Larry Weaner, FAPLD
*Recommended prerequisite for all other Sessions
Larry will expand upon the ecological principles described in Session 1 by illustrating them in the context of landscape plans, planting protocols, and management procedures. He will also describe often-neglected plant characteristics that are crucial to ecology-based practice. These will include habitat fidelity, colonization patterns, seasonal growth period, life spans, spatial and temporal niche, and proliferation strategies.
The Open Landscape: Meadows, Old Fields, & Shrublands (Virtual Intensive Session 3 of 7)
Instructor: Larry Weaner, FAPLD
Wildflower meadows and native grasslands are in high demand, but effective protocols for successfully achieving them are in short supply. Here we will delve into the nitty gritty of meadow design: site analysis, species selection, seed mix formulation, live plant inclusion, planting and management. The inclusion of shrub thickets and drifts will also be covered, including the arrangement of clonal vs. clump forming species, and the use of shrublands as ecological and visual “connective tissue” between meadow and woods.
Plants of the Open Landscape: Meadows, Old Fields, & Shrublands (Virtual Intensive Session 4 of 7)
Instructor: Ian Caton
In this session, native plant authority Ian Caton will examine plants of the open landscape that exemplify the ecological characteristics described by Larry Weaner in previous sessions. His presentation will span the successional period from herbaceous meadow, to mixed woody/ herbaceous old field, to the ecologically important but often neglected clonal shrub thicket. He will also present a group of “workhorse” native species for the sunlit landscape that combine reliability and weed suppression with attractive aesthetic character.
The Canopied Landscape: Woodlands, Edges, & Hedgerows (Virtual Intensive Session 5 of 7)
Instructor: Larry Weaner, FAPLD
An ecology-based approach to woodland design is more like guiding a vegetative process than implementing a static planting plan. Guided succession can foster the orderly transformation from an open field to a multi-tiered forest through planting, managed natural recruitment, or a combination of the two. Under existing canopy, where few herbaceous species can be established through direct seeding, we will discuss the planting of small “seed source colonies,” and management strategies to encourage their proliferation into the larger landscape. Management techniques that are unique to woodlands including selective height cutting, sunlight manipulation, and assisted seed dispersal, will also be described in detail.
Plants of the Canopied Landscape: Woodlands, Edges, & Hedgerows (Virtual Intensive Session 6 of 7)
Instructor: Ian Caton
In this session, native plant authority Ian Caton will examine plants of the canopied landscape that exemplify the ecological characteristics described by Larry Weaner in previous sessions. His presentation will include plants found at all of the woodland’s vertical layers, from canopy to understory. He will also discuss their specific abilities to integrate with the unique colonization strategies inherent in woodland development and enhancement. Finally, Ian will present a group of “workhorse” native species for the woodland, including those that combine reliability with desirable aesthetic characteristics.
The Artistic Overlay: Making “Wild” Legible (Virtual Intensive Session 7 of 7)
Instructor: Larry Weaner, FAPLD
Ecological design need not be a bitter aesthetic pill that our clients must swallow to do the right thing. The order inherent in our wild native landscapes is widely considered beautiful. By translating that ecology-based order into the aesthetically-based language of fine garden design, the results can be much more universally embraced by our clients. In addition, Larry will illustrate how highly gardenesque - and even formal - elements can gracefully interact and intermingle with wilder woodland, shrubland, and meadow compositions. This approach can result in landscapes that are both ecologically productive and visually pleasing to clients with a variety of aesthetic preferences.
Garden Ecology Ohio-style: Design to Field | In-person at The Holden Arboretum
Many decades ago, The Holden Arboretum, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), and designer Larry Weaner began to combine ecological science, horticulture, and fine garden design - and few cared. Since then, their work has influenced countless projects from prairie, shrubland and woodland restorations, to fine gardens that incorporate the functions and feel of both – and now, many care. Through in-depth classroom sessions and interpretive field explorations, our instructors will connect theory with practice and share their insights on many years of landscape action, observation, analysis, and good old common sense.
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Ecology-based Design and Organic Practice at Glenstone Museum | In-person
The landscape at Glenstone, a newly-constructed, contemporary art museum in Potomac, Maryland, received the ASLA Honor Award in 2019. The property contains 90 acres of planted meadows, shrub thickets, and woodland glades that stretch from the property borders to the museum buildings. This organically planted and maintained landscape illustrates how landscape architects (Peter Walker Partners), native plant consultants (Larry Weaner Landscape Associates), and an in-house management team can collaborate in the service of ecology, art, and a stimulating visitor experience. Our day will combine classroom instruction with a heavy dose of field observation to illustrate how this landscape went from landscape plans to vibrant reality.
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A Meeting of the Landscape Minds: Contemporary Landscapes at The Historic Green-Wood Cemetery | In-person
Rarely have so many influential design firms participated in the development of a single property as has been the case at The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. In recent years they have included Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Nelson Byrd Woltz, Phyto Studio, Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, Wolf Landscape Architecture, and SiteWorks. Learn how each of these innovative firms helped expand the rich horticultural heritage of Green-Wood to include cultural and ecological considerations – and overcome changing physical conditions.
In the classroom, representatives from each firm will provide background on the development of their plans. In the field, they will discuss the design considerations and practical decisions that turned those plans into a living landscape.
Register today!