The Morris Arboretum is hosting a Designing Native and Ecological Plant Communities Workshop on November 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 100 E. Northwestern Avenue in Philadelphia.

The Workshop will translate the ecological principles of wild plant communities into planting design tools that will help you create better planting.

Functional and ecological plantings, such as rain gardens and meadows, are increasing in popularity, but simultaneously face severe challenges. They often fail to wow the public, offer a low level of ecological function, and simply don’t survive on low-budget maintenance.

Examples of failed projects are plentiful and hurt the image of the native plant movement.  These issues won’t be solved if we continue to compare planting design to painting on canvas and perceive plants as individual objects in space.

It is time for a new approach—a plant-community-based method that has evolved in the world of ecological science. This interactive workshop will introduce you to the science behind stable and lasting plant combinations.

You will learn the skill of creating plant communities in four hands-on design exercises and practice this technique in a hypothetical planting project at the end of the workshop.

5 CEUs for ISA certified arborists and LACES credits for landscape architects are available for this Workshop.  The cost is $180.

Click Here to register and for more information.  Questions should be directed to 215-247-5777, ext. 125.

For information on other professional courses at the School of Arboriculture at Morris Arboretum, visit the School Of Arboriculture webpage.

The 30th Annual American Landscape Symposium - Ecology-Based Landscape Design: What Comes Next? will be held January 10-11 at the Science Center Auditorium, Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell.

For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Morris Arboretum website.

Native Plant Resources

There are lots of resources available to help property owners landscape with native plants, including--

-- DCNR Landscaping With Native Plants

-- Game Commission: Common Beneficial Plants Found In Wildlife Habitat

-- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Native Plants For Wildlife Habitat And Conservation Landscaping

-- Chesapeake Bay Sustainable Landscape Professional Directory

-- Brandywine Conservancy: Forested Riparian Buffer Planting Guide

-- Audubon PA: Bird Habitat Recognition Program

-- National Audubon: Native Plants Database

-- Xerces Society For Invertebrate Conservation

-- Gardening For Butterflies: Penn State Extension

-- Planting For Pollinators: Penn State Extension

-- Center For Pollinator Research, Penn State

-- Pennsylvania Pollinator Protection Plan - Learn Why Pollinators Are At Risk In PA

-- Ernst Seeds - Pollinator Habitat Restoration

-- Million Pollinator Garden Challenge

You can also check with land trusts, watershed groups, PA Audubon and Trout Unlimited Chapters, county conservation district or other groups near you to see how they can help.

NewsClips:

WITF SmartTalk Nov. 13: Climate Change And Loss Of Biodiversity

Stop Biodiversity Loss Or We Could Face Our Own Extinction UN Study Warns

Related Stories:

Senate Hearing: Non-Native, Invasive Plant Species Ecologically Castrating The Landscape, But There Is A Solution

Manada Conservancy Offers Native Plant Landscape Design Service

Related Story This Week:

Ernst Conservation Seeds: Presentations Available From Eastern Native Grass Symposium In Erie

[Posted: Nov. 6, 2018]

11/12/2018