On Sat., June 7, Adkins Arboretum will host Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy, two of America’s leading voices in sustainability and horticulture, at Academy Art Museum in Easton. Darke and Tallamy will present The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden. Tied to their new book of the same title, this in-depth conversation will share their insights on beauty and biodiversity, plants and pollinators, and new design strategies for personal gardens both large and small.
The home garden is often seen as separate from the natural world surrounding it. In truth, it is just one part of a larger landscape made up of many living layers. The replacement of rich layers of native flora with turf grass greatly diminishes a garden’s biological diversity and ecological functions. In The Living Landscape, Darke and Tallamy seek to reverse this trend by showing gardeners how to create a landscape that is full of life.
The three-part program includes “Looking at the Layered Landscape,” Darke’s illustrated presentation of the living layers in local and regional landscapes; “Rebuilding Nature’s Relationships,” Tallamy’s explanation of how plants and animals evolve together in specialized relationships and how we can restore biodiversity to our residential properties; and “Designing and Maintaining the Living Landscape,” Darke’s discussion of how an understanding of living layers and relational biodiversity can be put to practical use in the making and maintenance of residential gardens and community landscapes. Strategies for employing “organic architecture” in creating beautiful, conserving, highly functional layers will be presented in detail.
The Living Landscape begins at 1 p.m. Tickets are $30 for Arboretum members and $35 for non-members. Register at adkinsarboretum.org or call 410.634.2847, ext. 0.
On Sun., June 8, Darke and Tallamy will lead Lessons from the Layered Landscapes of Adkins Arboretum, an intimate exploration on foot of the Arboretum’s living layers. Using the elements of the Arboretum’s landscape as models, Darke and Tallamy will demonstrate techniques for observing and understanding the plants, animals and relationships that characterize healthy layering. Bring cameras and binoculars along for this special opportunity that will provide inspiration for your own home habitat. The walk and talk begins at 10 a.m. and is $75 for members, $100 for non-members. Early registration is encouraged at adkinsarboretum.org.
Rick Darke’s work is grounded in an observational ethic that blends art, ecology and cultural geography in the design and stewardship of living landscapes. His writing and photography have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and elsewhere. His books include The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest and The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition.
Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 80 research articles and has taught ecology and other courses for 32 years. Chief among his research goals is a better understanding of the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens (2007) was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writers Association. He was awarded the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd Jr. Award of Excellence in 2013.
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