GreenScapes Symposium

How should changing weather patterns affect the way we design our landscapes?  This lecture will examine resilience strategies that help landscapes successfully respond to climate change. What critical ecological functions need to be protected over time?  Why is density and species diversity important to adaptation?  Through case studies ranging from home gardens to commercial projects, you’ll learn how to interpret plant community dynamics and structure to foster robust and adaptable sites. The importance of cultural expectations and their impact on ecologically based planting design will also be reviewed.

The reduction and storage of carbon levels from the atmosphere is critical to fighting climate change. Learn about the opportunities for carbon sequestration through site development and design in a range of landscapes.  How can soil health, functional plant diversity and sustainable maintenance practices reduce and capture carbon? What are the best techniques and available tools for calculating the carbon balance of these landscape materials and design strategies now and over time? Discover how site and infrastructure design can support other co-benefits such as biodiversity, resilience, and equity.

Rapid population growth threatens the livability of our cities, which disproportionately affects minority communities. This inequity can be effectively addressed by connecting diverse ethnic and socio-economic groups to the natural world through our limited urban green spaces. Veronica will highlight key strategies on how to design and manage landscapes that engage immigrants and communities of color and provide them with a sense of belonging. How can we balance the priority of native plant gardens with the need for new residents to connect with culturally familiar yet foreign florae? Which mainstream expectations around garden maintenance and design aesthetics are at odds with minority cultures and communities? What can we learn from those who are more closely connected to their horticultural heritage? As an immigrant from the Caribbean designing and managing landscapes in New York City, Veronica is uniquely positioned to answer these questions and share lessons from her hands-on experience.

Two of the greatest challenges in creating a naturalistic garden are demonstrating that the space is intentional and appeasing HOAs, city ordinances, and finicky neighbors. These issues are closely related and come down to choosing the right native plants based on plant behavior and arranging them with purpose, all with an understanding of how plants can be instrumental in their own effective management. This lecture will cover core design principles that bring visual order to naturalized gardens and that can be adapted to your local native plants. Successful strategies to appease the human community will be explored while looking at landscape examples and success stories from around the country.