DO YOU CRAVE A LANDSCAPE that welcomes birds, butterflies and other pollinators? Plan to attend acclaimed naturalistic designer Larry Weaner’s 11 AM lecture “Designing With Nature,” happening just down the road from my house in Copake Falls, New York, when you attend my Saturday, August 16, Garden Conservancy Open Day and plant sale. (That’s the view of my patio garden and beyond around show time, seen from indoors, above.)

in brief:

• Garden open 10 AM to 4 PM (get directions; $5 suggested charity donation at gate)
• Broken Arrow Nursery plant sale at Margaret’s garden, 10-4
• Larry Weaner native landscaping lecture, 11 AM (buy your ticket in advance); proceeds benefit a local greening charity, Friends of Taconic State Park.
• Larry Weaner meadow-making workshop, 1-4 PM UPDATE Aug. 11: WORKSHOP SOLD OUT. (get details, put name on waitlist).
• Lots of other local sights, from dramatic woodland and waterfall hikes to farmers markets to scenic rail-trail biking…all detailed at this link from June’s Open Day.

larry weaner lecture details:

NATURE has spent millennia perfecting plants’ abilities to reproduce and proliferate on their own, and yet we often go to great effort and expense placing every plant in our designed landscapes. How can we capitalize on plants’ own reproductive abilities, and actively encourage existing, planted, and recruited species to colonize our landscapes, making them not just more visually attractive but also attractive to beneficial wildlife?

In his 11 AM lecture, “Designing With Nature,” well-known designer and native meadow expert Larry Weaner will discuss principles and practices for creating dynamic, ecologically rich landscapes where nature does much of the “planting.” From intimate gardens to large, multi-acre landscapes, the presentation will include detailed examples of designs that demonstrate how practical, concrete strategies to help plants thrive and multiply can be applied at diverse scales.

From 1-4 PM, a smaller meadow-making workshop will be held, called “Native Meadows: Let’s Get Real.” (UPDATE AUG. 11: SOLD OUT) Demand for native meadows, particularly as an alternative to lawn, is increasing, and yet few landscape plantings are more misunderstood, with many failures resulting from inadequate planning and use of poorly adapted plants. Far better results can be obtained when the plants and processes used reflect the ecology of naturally occurring meadow communities. Meadows modeled on these ecosystems can provide long-term, easily managed landscapes that harbor myriad wildlife and provide color and texture throughout the year. Larry will discuss meadow design, implementation, and management using case studies of designed meadows ranging from newly established to over 10 years. A walk (weather permitting) to observe nearby meadow communities will be part of this workshop.

Larry Weaner has over 30 years of landscape design and installation experience, combining expertise in horticulture, environmental science, and the traditions of garden design. In 1982 he founded Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, a nationally-recognized firm providing landscape design and restoration services. His award-winning work has been profiled in such publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Garden Design magazine. In 1990, Larry developed New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), a conference and workshop series dedicated to advancing the art and science of natural landscape design.

• Buy your tickets in advance.

(Read or listen to Margaret’s recent interview with Larry Weaner for more information about his work.)

garden open day details:

LARRY WEANER’S TALK COINCIDES with the third of four 2014 Open Days at my garden, plus a plant sale by Broken Arrow Nursery. The garden in Copake Falls, NY, is just down the road from the church where Larry’s 11 AM lecture will be held, and the 1-4 PM meadow-making workshop will take place.

Garden and plant sale happen from 10 AM to 4 PM. Directions and such at the Garden Conservancy website. A $5 suggested donation to the Conservancy can be made at the gate; no tickets required for the garden visit. Other Garden Conservancy Open Day gardens nearby that are open August 16 are also detailed on the Conservancy website page.

My other 2014 Open Day is September 20. Details to follow.

plant sale details (yes, you can pre-order!)

BROKEN ARROW, one of the most acclaimed rare-plant nurseries in the country, will be in the driveway at my place from 10-4 on each Open Day, selling some of my favorite woody and herbaceous plants–and theirs. If you want to pre-order a particular things from their even-larger inventory, or a bigger, landscape size of some item, contact Adam Wheeler ahead of time (or call the nursery at 203-288-1026) to discuss what you are seeking, and it will be delivered here that day, just for you. Browse their offerings.