2020 Rooted in Place Ecological Gardening Symposium Post-Event Resources

Welcoming Wildlife and Diversity Into Our Landscapes

Create a new, environmentally sensitive vision by exploring the connection between the surrounding landscape and your home

Through December 24, YouTube videos from BBG’s 5th annual Rooted in Place Ecological Gardening Symposium are available as a post-event package which includes links to four informative lectures as well as speakers' resources provided to all symposium participants. Learn from the following expert presenters who examine the intersection of the wild and cultivated landscape while exploring ecosystem services offered by native plantings, including the role they play in our gardens:

Ulrich Lorimer is Director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust. A longtime advocate for native plants in designed landscapes, Uli firmly believes that ecological gardening can help heal our planet and bolster biodiversity in all its forms. His work as a native plant and biodiversity advocate is informed by years of work in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Native Flora Garden, in the woodland garden at Wave Hill in the Bronx and even earlier at the US Botanic Garden. Uli's presentation, What I have Learned from Observing Plants in Nature, engages gardeners and horticulturists to turn outdoor hikes into inspiring, learning experiences — an approach which fosters inspiration, reinforces the ecoregion concept, shows how ecosystems and their components function, and emphasizes how plant communities are connected with all other forms of life, humans included. This talk will explore how observations made from nature can help expand our plant choices, inform design decisions, and result in gardens that support biodiversity, aesthetics and ecosystem function. 

Panel Discussion: Incorporating Native plantings Into Traditional Landscape Design

Bridghe McCracken, Founder of Helia Land Design, has over 20 years experience in land stewardship, as well as designing landscapes, gardens and beautiful food systems. Bridghe has
a BA in Biology from Colorado College, is a certified Organic Landcare Professional from the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, a certified horticulturist from MCLA, a Massachusetts Master Gardener, and a graduate and advanced practitioner of the Four Winds Society. In 2006 she began a partnership with Project Native as their chief landscape designer, which allowed her to stay abreast of the latest available native plants.

Drew Monthie worked in nurseries during high school and college and attended the BOCES horticulture program and SUNY Cobleskill, earning an AAS in plant science. After owning and operating a nursery and landscape business for many years, Drew returned to college for a BS in ecology and MA in ethnobotany. He now designs gardens, consults and teaches horticulture, botany, ethnobotany and ecology.

Rebekah Lamphere is the founder of Hartland Designs, Inc. created in 2001. She has a degree in horticulture with a focus on landscape architecture from Cornell University, and a degree in urban tree management from Paul Smith’s College. Rebekah creates inviting landscapes that accentuate the natural beauty of a site and that foster a client’s appreciation for and awareness of the world outside their door, while always considering the ecological impact of her designs - from watershed, habitat, pollination, and invasive species control. Rebekah is a certified Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technician, and holds a Certificate of Horticulture from Berkshire Botanical Garden. 

Dr. Desiree Narango is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and current David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow. Her research interests include ecology and conservation in human-dominated landscapes, plant-animal interactions and community-driven science. Desiree has a PhD in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology from University of Delaware, an MS in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University, a BS in Environmental Biology from SUNY: ESF and nearly 15 years experience studying wildlife. She’s also an active birder and gardener who enjoys getting others excited about the natural world in their own yards. Dr. Narango's presentation, Native Plants in Gardening Practices, addresses her research on how native plants and gardening practices influence birds, bees, butterflies and moths in residential yards, addressing the specialized relationships between native plants and insects, why insects matter to birds, and steps you can take to improve habitat for wildlife at home. She will also share resources to find more information about native plants, nature-friendly gardening and participating in community-driven science. 

Heather Holm is an award-winning author and nationally sought-after speaker, spending much
of her time passionately educating audiences about the fascinating world of native bees and the native plants that support them. Her first book, Pollinators of Native Plants, was published in 2014, and her latest book, Bees, published in 2017, has won six book awards including the 2018 American Horticultural Society Book Award. Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native bees and native plants and the natural history and biology of native bees occurring in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Heather's presentation, What's the Buzz About Native Bees explores the nesting habitat, life cycle, pollen collection, brood rearing, and general characteristics of common genera of native bees occurring in the Midwestern, Eastern United States, and southern Canada. The pollination of native plants and the mutualism between native plants and native bees will be highlighted, in addition to the presentation of floral resources and how the physical characteristics of bees can influence their effectiveness as pollinators.

The post-symposium resource package is accessible to subscribers through January 1, 2021 and can be purchased using the form below.

Past symposiums

2019 Rooted in Place Information

2018 Rooted in Place Information

2017 Rooted in Place Information

2016 Rooted in Place Information