NOFA Winter Conference, Jan. 16, 2010

Join me for Gardening in Small Spaces: Living densely has many benefits, but may come at the price of growing our own food or relaxing outdoors. Yet, we can nourish our bodies and souls using space afforded by a roof deck, patio, or small yard. Learn about small space design, edibles for containers, and vertical gardening, plus small-scale bioshelters, composting, and rainwater harvesting. Other workships of interest to the home gardener include: Organic Seed Starting…

Dec 2009

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November Events

As the landscaping season winds down, there are many opportunities to start dreaming and planning for next year. Imagine a space that will nourish the body and soul, while reducing utility bills! Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being – Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. Trinity Church (Copley Square), Boston. Ester M. Sternberg, M.D., National Institutes of Health, will explore how surroundings—a theme park, concert hall, cathedral, labyrinth or garden—can trigger or reduce…

Nov 2009

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September Tips & Events

For Designers: COGDesign presents designer Lynden Miller – October 7, 2009, 6-8 pm. From the website: Lynden Miller,well known NYC public garden designer, will speak about designing, maintaining, and funding beautiful, four-season plantings for public places. Her garden projects in NYC have become urban oases with economic benefits and the power to transform the way people behave and feel about their city. Lynden will sign her new book, Parks, Plants, and People: Beautifying the Urban…

Sep 2009

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Natural Stone

On Friday August 28, A Yard & A Half hosted a seminar on natural stone for design professionals. We invited Gavin Johnston of New England Native Stone and Charlie Precourt of Charles J. Precourt & Sons to speak on the types and uses of natural stone. We also built some display walls and paving (below) showcasing local stone products. These will be permanently displayed in our yard. Designers and homeowners can contact us to arrange…

Sep 2009

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August Tips & Events

After crafting a lengthy email of maintenance tips for a client experiencing various wet-weather woes, I read MassHort’s August Horticultural Hints. If your plants are looking a bit leggy, brown, or mushy, take a look! Upcoming Events: Ecological Landscaping Association Roundtable – August 12, 1-4:30 pm, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA. Panelists share recipes for favorite organic fertilizers and amendments, and tips on “making ecological landscaping work for you”. Boston GreenFest 2009 – August…

Aug 2009

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Asian Long-horned Beetle Train-the-Trainer Session

The Asian Longhorned Beetle Outreach and Survey Project needs volunteers to receive training about ALB and other forest pests. The “Train the Trainer” session provides tools you need to teach others and protect your neighborhood from this invasive pest! The ability to recognize the beetle and tree damage caused by it Tips to distinguish ALB from similar species and to recognize when tree damage is not caused by ALB Copies of various outreach materials and…

Aug 2009

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Homeowner design course from Christie Dustman

Our colleague, designer Christie Dustman, is offering a 5-session design course for home gardeners at the Arnold Arboretum, starting next Tuesday July 7. Here’s the Arnold’s listing: Design Workshop for Home Gardeners HOR 282 Christie Dustman, Designer, APLD 5 Sessions Tue Jul 7, 14, 21, 28, Aug 4 6:30–8:30pm [HB] Explore principles of garden design and develop a plan for a specific area of your yard. In this beginner-level design class, you will explore the…

Jul 2009

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Classes