Selecting Native Herbaceous Plants

Friday, May 23, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.;
Saturday, July 12, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.;
Friday, August 29, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Native plant expert Dan Jaffe-Wilder will present a three-part series that introduces students to various native perennials for garden settings. The course will include two online presentations in May and August and an in-person fieldwork day in July.

• May’s online class will cover an overview of native perennials that shine in the spring.
• In July, we meet at the Gardens to focus on summer native plant performers. 
• The last session in August will review native perennials that both shine and are especially important to a variety of over-wintering and migrating pollinators. 

All three sessions will cover the plants’ native habitats and details that inform the gardener where the plants will live successfully in cultivated environments. Discussion will include plant combinations, ecological roles, propagation, aesthetics, and proper plant procurement.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

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Suggested Reference: Native Plants for New England Gardens, Jaffe-Wilder and Richardson 

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Dan Jaffe-Wilder is an ecologist, horticulturist, and botanist with over 15 years of experience working with native plants and their associated ecology. Author of Native Plants for New England Gardens and Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation, Dan’s work has ranged from classrooms to nurseries, botanical gardens to wildlife refuges specializing in native plant ecology, propagation, wildlife habitat construction, and native edible landscapes.