A Walk through Garden in the Woods
In this video, Al Levin 56, M.D. 60, shows off his passion for dolls eyes, Indian soap, and other botanical treasures of New England. Levin, a semiretired cardiologist, is featured in an article in the current issue of Harvard Magazine on alumni who volunteer as a kind of second career. For this Web Extra, he agreed to give readers a tour of Garden in the Woods, in Framingham, Massachusetts, where he volunteers as a garden guide. Levins spirited tour comes complete with Latin names, information on species native and invasive, and more.
Econolodge Framingham-Boston - Framingham (Massachusetts ), USA - HD Review
Econolodge Framingham-Boston - Special club price! -
Within walking distance of Framingham State College and within driving distance of downtown Boston, this Massachusetts motel offers convenient services such as free wireless high-speed internet access.
Econolodge Framingham features an on-site cocktail lounge, which is open until midnight. Guests will also appreciate free coffee and in-room cable TV.
Several corporate offices and restaurants are located in the are surrounding the Framingham Econolodge. Guests can also visit the nearby Garden in the Woods, the headquarters and botanic gardens of the New England Wild Flower Society.
Econolodge Framingham-Boston in Framingham MA
Website: . . .. .. ... . . . . . . . . . Econolodge Framingham-Boston 1186 Worcester Road Framingham MA 01702 Within walking distance of Framingham State College and within driving distance of downtown Boston, this Massachusetts motel offers convenient services such as free wireless high-speed internet access. Econolodge Framingham features an on-site cocktail lounge, which is open until midnight. Guests will also appreciate free coffee and in-room cable TV. Several corporate offices and restaurants are located in the are surrounding the Framingham Econolodge. Guests can also visit the nearby Garden in the Woods, the headquarters and botanic gardens of the New England Wild Flower Society.
What Role Do Nativars Play in the Ecological Landscape Part 1 of 2
Part 1 of 2 - What Role Do “Nativars” Play in an Ecological Landscape?
Presented by the Ecological Landscape Alliance and New England Wild Flower Society on July 27, 2016
As interest increases in native plants for ecological landscapes, growers and nurseries are meeting the demand through increased production of native plant cultivars (nativars) and through asexual propagation methods like cuttings, grafting, and tissue culture.
While asexual propagation is perhaps the quickest way to produce large quantities of plants in order to meet demand, a landscape composed entirely of clonal plants (even if they are native) does not offer the same level of ecosystem services as a genetically diverse landscape grown from locally-sourced seed.
Asclepias incarnata Ice BalletCo-sponsored by ELA and New England Wild Flower Society, this program is intended to raise awareness of the many aspects of this important topic. The audience for this event will be landscape designers, landscape architects, conservation and restoration specialists, growers, and others in the landscape field. We hope that this discussion will reveal current research into the ecological value of nativars and other asexually propagated native plant species, and address the challenges of meeting the demand for genetically diverse native landscapes.
In the midst of many opinions, this ELA workshop brings together several experts on the topic to bring clarity and guidance on the topic.
Mark Richardson, Setting the stage – definitions, context, and goals for the afternoon.
Michael Piantedosi, What progress is being made on large-scale native plant seed collection and propagation?
On a large scale, how viable is it to create landscapes with native plants grown from locally collected seed?
Peter Van Berkum, In addition to offering native species, should nurseries also offer cultivars of native plants in their inventory?
Michael Piantedosi is the Seed Bank Coordinator of New England Wild Flower Society and is currently working with Seeds of Success (SOS), a native seed collection program led by the Bureau of Land Management. SOS collects wildland native seed for research, development, germplasm conservation and ecosystem restoration. The ultimate goal is to ensure the availability of genetically rich, regionally adapted native plant materials to restore, rehabilitate and stabilize lands in the United States.
Mark Richardson is the Botanic Garden Director at New England Wildflower Society’s, Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts and its native plant nursery operation, Nasami Farm in Whately, Massachusetts. He studied ornamental horticulture at the University of Rhode Island and helped run a mid-sized ornamental plant nursery before finding his true passion in public horticulture. He led undergraduate programs at Longwood Gardens, overhauled the curriculum of the Professional Gardener Program, and oversaw adult education at Brookside Gardens. In 2013, Mr. Richardson assisted with the development of the first comprehensive master plan for Garden in the Woods. He holds an MS from the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program.
Peter van Berkum, along with his wife Leslie, started Van Berkum Nursery (VBN) in 1986. VBN is a wholesale perennial nursery specializing in natives, shade perennials, and Wicked Ruggeds – plants that perform well and last a long time in New England landscapes. Peter has a degree in Plant Science from the University of New Hampshire, spent a year studying horticulture in the Netherlands, and worked at several nurseries before starting VBN. He is a past president of the New Hampshire Plant Growers Association, as well as a founding member of the New Hampshire Horticulture Endowment. He and his wife were recipients of the Massachusetts Horticulture Societies Silver Medal, and Peter was the Perennial Plant Association’s Grower of the Year in 2013.
How To Grow Ferns
New England Wild Flower Society has thousands of native plants in a natural woodland setting. The Society owns and operates Garden in the Woods, the largest landscaped collection of wildflowers in the Northeast, as its headquarters and as a public botanic garden. The Garden, located in Framingham, MA, serves as New England's premier showcase of native plants and as a center for botanical and horticultural study and enjoyment.
For over 30 years, the Society has focused on perfecting techniques to propagate and grow more than 450 species of native plants, and selling them as an alternative to wild-collected plants. The Society owns and operates Nasami Farm, in Whately, MA, our rapidly growning native plant nursery, where we produce over 75,000 plants annually for homewoners, landscape professionals, restoration projects, and towns.
Over the past decade, the Society has prepared itself for the plant conservation, habitat protection, and environmental leadership challenges of the 21st century. If industrialization, development, and pollution have severely challenged plant and habitat conservation in our first century, the next century will be even more demanding. In our second century, we seek to sustain and expand the conservation gains of our first 100 years.
What Role Do Nativars Play in the Ecological Landscape Part 2
Part 2 - What Role Do “Nativars” Play in an Ecological Landscape?
Presented by the Ecological Landscape Alliance and New England Wild Flower Society on July 27, 2016
As interest increases in native plants for ecological landscapes, growers and nurseries are meeting the demand through increased production of native plant cultivars (nativars) and through asexual propagation methods like cuttings, grafting, and tissue culture.
While asexual propagation is perhaps the quickest way to produce large quantities of plants in order to meet demand, a landscape composed entirely of clonal plants (even if they are native) does not offer the same level of ecosystem services as a genetically diverse landscape grown from locally-sourced seed.
Asclepias incarnata Ice BalletCo-sponsored by ELA and New England Wild Flower Society, this program is intended to raise awareness of the many aspects of this important topic. The audience for this event will be landscape designers, landscape architects, conservation and restoration specialists, growers, and others in the landscape field. We hope that this discussion will reveal current research into the ecological value of nativars and other asexually propagated native plant species, and address the challenges of meeting the demand for genetically diverse native landscapes.
In the midst of many opinions, this ELA workshop brings together several experts on the topic to bring clarity and guidance on the topic.
Annie White, What current research findings are available to shed light on the Nativar issue? Are there Nativar landscape plants with ecological value?
Panel Discussion – Annie White, Michael Piantedosi, Cayte McDonough, Laney Widener, and Peter van Berkum
Panel Moderated by Mark Richardson
Do the Nativars offer the same level of ecological benefits to native wildlife as their straight species counterparts?
Who makes these decisions and based upon on what science?
The rise of Nativars in the marketplace is being driven by sales growth and interest in using native plants for ecological landscapes (and mandated in some locales). Are there compelling reasons for the seller to specify that a plant is a native cultivar and not a true native plant?
Do designers have an obligation to distinguish native plants vs. Nativars when recommending plants a garden design?
Do restoration projects require seed propagated natives only? Is this warranted?
Where should we go from here on this debate?
Presenters and Panelists:
Cayte McDonough is the Nursery Production Manager for New England Wild Flower Society’s Nasami Farm Native Plant Nursery based in Whately, MA. For the past 15 years she has worked to propagate, cultivate, understand, and promote New England native plants. McDonough and her colleagues collect seeds in the wild with permission from landowners. They collect from large populations to ensure genetic diversity and limit their collections to 20 percent of the available seed to minimize the impact on the population. She also enjoys learning about native pollinators and supporting local farmers.
Michael Piantedosi is the Seed Bank Coordinator of New England Wild Flower Society and is currently working with Seeds of Success (SOS), a native seed collection program led by the Bureau of Land Management. SOS collects wildland native seed for research, development, germplasm conservation and ecosystem restoration. The ultimate goal is to ensure the availability of genetically rich, regionally adapted native plant materials to restore, rehabilitate and stabilize lands in the United States.
Mark Richardson oversees the New England Wildflower Society’s botanic garden, Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts and its native plant nursery operation, Nasami Farm in Whately, Massachusetts.
Peter van Berkum owns Van Berkum Nursery, a wholesale perennial nursery specializing in natives, shade perennials, and Wicked Ruggeds – plants that perform well and last a long time in New England landscapes. Peter has a degree in Plant Science from the University of New Hampshire, spent a year studying horticulture in the Netherlands.
Laney Widener is the Botanical Coordinator at the New England Wild Flower Society with a background and research on conservation genetics. At the New England Wild Flower Society she works to coordinate the Plant Conservation Volunteer Program. Her research in conservation genetics involved comparing the genetic diversity of an endangered endemic species of Castilleja (Paintbrush) in California.
Annie White is a Horticultural Researcher at the University of Vermont and owner of NECTAR Landscape Design Studio & Consulting. Annie has a PhD in Plant & Soil Science from the University of Vermont and a MS in Landscape Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Elizabeth Farnsworth and Bill Brumback on Features of Go Botany.mp4
Elizabeth Farnsworth and Bill Brumback discuss the many features of Go Botany, New England Wild Flower Society's website for identifying, exploring, discovering, learning, and teaching New England's flora.
Gordon Morrison and Elizabeth Farnsworth discuss illustrating Flora Novae Angliae.mp4
Artists and illustrators Gordon Morrison and Elizabeth Farnsworth discuss the process of illustrating New England Wild Flower Society's Flora Novae Angliae with 945 illustrations.
How to Assess Your Site Conditions
How to Assess Your Site Conditions