Mission
To provide botanical education, garden design, and consulting services
that increase awareness and action to sustain native plants and pollinators.
that increase awareness and action to sustain native plants and pollinators.
2025 Upcoming Events:
Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, MA
Transforming your Yard into a Habitat May 24, 2025 1:30-3:30 In this 2-hour workshop you will learn organic habitat gardening practices that support insects, birds, and others in ways that traditional horticulture practices do not.
Native Plant Trust
Gardening for Pollinators This online course (open April 25-August 15) teaches how to convert a yard into productive pollinator habitat. Learn about issues associated with pollinator decline and current conservation efforts, then explore a variety of pollinators and the native plants that support their life cycles. The course also covers basic pollinator garden design and provides step-by-step instructions for selecting plants and installing and maintaining these habitats. You can complete the course at your own pace. It typically takes at least 12 hours to complete.
Plants' Sense and Sense-abilities June 28, 2025 12-2pm at Garden in the Woods, Framingham MA
Have you ever wondered why flowers smell different from one another or why plants have a smell at all? We'll explore the answers to these questions through the lens of plant communication and defenses. Plants also have unique ways of perceiving the environment—seeing, feeling, and moving—that are largely unnoticed by humans in our daily interactions with plants. We'll then explore, explain, and demonstrate these plant senses.
Designing a School Pollinator Garden July 10, 2025 10-11am online webinar
This educator-focused webinar will walk through the steps to planning, designing, and planting a native plant pollinator garden at your school.
Getting to Know Pollinators July 31, 2025 7-8pm online webinar
Learn about native insect pollinators you can observe in your own garden. Some fascinating specialized relationships between insect pollinators and plants here in the Northeast will be highlighted. You will leave knowing how to support insects throughout their life cycle with your garden practices.
Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, MA
Transforming your Yard into a Habitat May 24, 2025 1:30-3:30 In this 2-hour workshop you will learn organic habitat gardening practices that support insects, birds, and others in ways that traditional horticulture practices do not.
Native Plant Trust
Gardening for Pollinators This online course (open April 25-August 15) teaches how to convert a yard into productive pollinator habitat. Learn about issues associated with pollinator decline and current conservation efforts, then explore a variety of pollinators and the native plants that support their life cycles. The course also covers basic pollinator garden design and provides step-by-step instructions for selecting plants and installing and maintaining these habitats. You can complete the course at your own pace. It typically takes at least 12 hours to complete.
Plants' Sense and Sense-abilities June 28, 2025 12-2pm at Garden in the Woods, Framingham MA
Have you ever wondered why flowers smell different from one another or why plants have a smell at all? We'll explore the answers to these questions through the lens of plant communication and defenses. Plants also have unique ways of perceiving the environment—seeing, feeling, and moving—that are largely unnoticed by humans in our daily interactions with plants. We'll then explore, explain, and demonstrate these plant senses.
Designing a School Pollinator Garden July 10, 2025 10-11am online webinar
This educator-focused webinar will walk through the steps to planning, designing, and planting a native plant pollinator garden at your school.
Getting to Know Pollinators July 31, 2025 7-8pm online webinar
Learn about native insect pollinators you can observe in your own garden. Some fascinating specialized relationships between insect pollinators and plants here in the Northeast will be highlighted. You will leave knowing how to support insects throughout their life cycle with your garden practices.
Pearl crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos)
Habitat Garden Design and ConsultingI consult with homeowners on how to maintain yards in an ecologically productive way. By using habitat-oriented garden practices, we can make yards of any size enjoyable and beautiful for families, while also supporting birds, insects, and native plants. Specifically, I work with homeowners of all skill levels to envision what their yard could be and help them through the process of making it happen. |
Botanic and Garden TalksI provide talks, workshops, and webinars on creating gardens to support native plants and pollinators. I blend botanical science with practical application to help explain the fascinating and unique relationships between plants and other ecosystem components. |
flower fly (Syrphidae) on Rudbeckia)
Resources
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"The knowledge that refuge is available, when and if needed, makes the silent inferno of the desert more easily bearable. Mountains complement desert as desert complements city, as wilderness complements and completes civilization."--Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire (1968)
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Of the 3,514 plant species occurring in New England, 31% are not native, and 22% of our native plants are rare (threatened). A high percentage of our declining species require insect pollination. (Native Plant Trust) |
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Showy lady's-slipper orchid (Cypripedium reginae)
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