Grow Native Massachusetts is sponsoring a number of spring workshops. The workshops are intended to equip participants with skills for creating and managing native plant landscapes rich in biodiversity.

For more information, visit their website , or call 781-790-8921.

Grow a Meadow, Large or Small

Instructor: Kathy Connolly, Owner, Speaking of Landscapes
Date: April 13, 2019 (Saturday), 10:00am to 4:00pm
Location: Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St, Watertown, MA
Pricing: Member $78/ Non-member $88/ Workshop Sponsor $150

A native meadow is an ecologically vibrant landscape, providing food and habitat to native pollinators and other wildlife. The deep, undisturbed roots of mature meadow plants capture and store carbon. Meadows rarely need visits from lawnmowers or leaf-blowers, thus reducing air pollution and neighborhood noise. But meadows are not simply lawns or perennial beds gone wild. Understanding why meadows are different is critical to success. Designer Kathy Connolly will lead this intensive seminar, covering everything from the definition of a meadow, to site selection and preparation, the relationship of grasses and flowering species, and useful maintenance protocols. Class enrollment includes Kathy’s extensive plant lists and design resources. This is a great course for anyone, from home gardeners to professional landscapers, looking to take a deep dive into the ins and outs of meadow-making.

Kathy Connolly is a landscape designer, writer, and teacher, who brings over 20 years of experience in creating and tending meadows. She works with a range of clients, from homeowners to state parks, to develop meadows and other naturalized plantings, and has taught workshops throughout New England. Kathy has a Master’s degree in landscape design from the Conway School.

CEUs Available: APLD (3 credits); NOFA-AOLCP (5.5 credits)

Registration Link


Spring Greetings from Woodland Wildflowers

Instructor: Meredith Gallogly, Manager of Programs, Grow Native Massachusetts
Date: May 23, 2019 (Thursday), 5:30pm to 7:45pm
Location: Middlesex Fells Reservation, Medford, MA
Pricing: Member $28/ Non-member $38/ Workshop Sponsor $100

This workshop will be conducted entirely in the field.

Every spring in New England, we are greeted by a beautiful bouquet of flowers blooming throughout our woodlands. Many of these plants emerge early to soak up the sun before the forest canopy has fully leafed out, and quite a few species have co-evolved with early-emerging insect pollinators, resulting in unique, interdependent life cycles. Spring wildflowers are often delicate in appearance, belying their amazing toughness and adaptability. Join Meredith in a diverse and beautiful area of the Fells to get to know some of these flowers, and learn the best ways to incorporate them into a designed landscape.

Meredith Gallogly is the Manager of Programs at Grow Native Massachusetts. She is a skilled botanist, and much of her plant identification knowledge comes from her explorations of metro-Boston area parks and reservations. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Smith College.

CEUs Available: APLD (1 credit); NOFA-AOLCP (2.25 credits)

Registration Link


Landscaping for Bird Diversity

Instructor: Claudia Thompson, Founder, Grow Native Massachusetts
Date: June 8, 2019 (Saturday), 9:30am to 11:30am
Location: Jennison Hall at Bentley University, 175 Forest St, Waltham, MA
Pricing: Member $32/ Non-member $42/ Workshop Sponsor $100

Do you aspire to create landscapes with genuine ecological value for a wide array of avian species— from songbirds, to raptors, owls, woodpeckers, and more? Claudia will lead an in-depth exploration of the principles and practices for achieving this objective, based on understanding the essential habitat requirements for bird survival. Our examination starts with the importance of native plants. Then we will take a deeper look at the value of different canopy layers, preferred planting strategies, techniques for providing water, and the critical role of active ecological systems to avian survival. We finish by considering our human interactions with birds. What are the pros and cons of feeding birds directly through seed and suet? Do nest boxes really help our native songbirds to breed? And given the threats from both human activity and non-native bird species, how can we tilt the balance in favor of our native songbirds?

Claudia Thompson founded Grow Native Massachusetts in 2010. She is nationally recognized as a leader in the native plant movement, and was featured as one of the “Wild Ones” in Garden Design magazine along with Doug Tallamy, Darrel Morrison, and others. Claudia’s happiest moments are spent in her own garden where she has recorded 80 species of birds using the habitat she and her husband have created on their small urban parcel in Cambridge.

CEUs Available: APLD (1 credit); NOFA-AOLCP (2 credits)

Registration Link


The Diversity and Ecological Value of Native Shrubs

Instructor: Meredith Gallogly, Manager of Programs, Grow Native Massachusetts
Location: Stony Brook Reservation, Hyde Park, MA
Pricing: Member $28/ Non-member $38/ Workshop Sponsor $100
Session #1
Date: June 15, 2019 (Saturday), 10:00am to 12:15pm
Session #2
Date: June 19, 2019 (Wednesday), 5:30pm to 7:45pm

This workshop will be conducted entirely in the field. Enrollment at each session is limited to 15.

June is the peak time for some of our loveliest flowering shrubs, many of which also have tremendous value as host plants for the larvae of moths and butterflies. Join Meredith to learn about the diverse mix of native shrub species found in Stony Brook Reservation, the largest green space in the city of Boston and a hidden gem for plant lovers. This program will cover the basics of woody plant identification, and highlight underutilized species that have tremendous potential for use in challenging landscape settings.

Meredith Gallogly is the Manager of Programs at Grow Native Massachusetts. She is a skilled botanist, and much of her plant identification knowledge comes from her explorations of metro-Boston area parks and reservations. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Smith College.

CEUs Available: APLD (1 credit); NOFA-AOLCP (2.25 credits)

Registration Link