New Naturalism: Lessons from Wild Plant Communities

BSLA is proud to be a longtime partner of Grow Native Massachusetts and their “Evenings with Experts” series.

1.5 LA CES HSW

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FEATURING

Kelly D. Norris, author of New Naturalism & (former) director of horticulture, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

(Recorded April 2021)

SESSION DESCRIPTION

We are entering an era of purposeful and thoughtful gardening, where we strive to create landscapes that are both aesthetically beautiful and ecologically vibrant. Wild plant communities are a prime source of inspiration for naturalistic design, and understanding how plants interact and function within these environments is key to establishing successful plantings at any scale. Join author and hort-ecologist Kelly Norris in an exploration of North American wild plant communities and the flora within them. He will share how he interprets native ecosystems in the design of beautiful and functional residential landscapes, with plant layers and palettes defined by nature, not humans.

Kelly D. Norris is the author of New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden (February 2021), and previously served as the Director of Horticulture and Education for the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about Kelly Norris’ vision for the future of home gardening—landscapes designed and planted to support positive environmental change, increase biodiversity, and convey nature’s inherent beauty—as described in his new book, New Naturalism.

• Explore several wild plant communities from North America that can serve as inspiration for naturalistic designs, and understand the key structural and ecological dynamics of these communities that must be incorporated into designs in order to create resilient plantings.

• See how this can be done even in compact, urban settings with examples from landscapes Kelly has designed and installed.

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Cultivating Wildlife Conservation

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The Topography of Wellness: How Health and Disease Shaped the American Landscape