CT Horticultural Society Lecture
“Breaking the Rules: Ecological Landscape Design and Traditional Landscape Methodology” with Larry Weaner
Using native plants requires more than simply expanding the conventional design palette. Based on observation of how native plants develop in nature, new design, implementation, and management techniques emerge, many of which are diametrically opposed to traditional horticultural practice. This presentation examines how alternative approaches on everything from selecting, arranging, and spacing plants to the simple act of weeding can yield more easily maintained landscapes that express the beauty and ecological richness of our native landscapes.
Larry Weaner, FAPLD, founded Larry Weaner Landscape Associates in 1982 and established its educational affiliate New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL) in 1990. He is nationally recognized for combining expertise in horticulture, landscape design, and ecological restoration. His book Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change (Timber Press 2016), co-authored by Tom Christopher, received an American Horticultural Society (AHS) Book Award in 2017. In 2021 he received the AHS Landscape Design Award and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers Award of Distinction.