Rooted in Resilience: Designing Landscapes That Adapt and Endure
X
Friday, February 19, 2027 | 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST
*Live Zoom Event
X
As weather grows more unpredictable, the most resilient landscapes take their cues from natural plant communities. This symposium brings together experts in ecology, horticulture, and design to show how plants themselves can solve the challenges our landscapes face, from stormwater runoff and difficult site conditions to the demands of high-profile public spaces.
Through real-world case studies, you’ll learn how to read a site like a restoration ecologist, turn problem areas into planting opportunities, and expand your plant palette for adaptability. You’ll also gain insight into sustainable practices from public gardens, where plantings must look good and hold up every day. Whether you’re tending to a home garden or designing for clients, you’ll leave with practical strategies for creating beautiful, sustainable landscapes that support diverse habitats and withstand shifting climate conditions.
Learn how native keystone plants and layered “soft landings” can support nments.
*This will be offered as a series of live online lectures using Zoom with audience Q&A incorporated into the program. Each session will be recorded and a link to watch the symposium will be emailed to all participants. Professional development credit hours will be available for each session.
Learn how native keystone plants and layered “soft landings” can support
The following languages are supported for translated captions:
Arabic, Cantonese, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified). Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish , French (Canada), French (France), German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
About GreenScapes
The GreenScapes Symposium is an annual program planned by Brookside Gardens since 2004. The Symposium explores the latest topics related to landscape sustainability and the environment. This event appeals to a broad audience ranging from landscape architects and designers to master gardeners, horticulturists, and urban planners. Environmental stewardship is a core value of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), Brookside Gardens’ parent organization. As such, we strive to provide timely information and viable solutions to environmental challenges that help create a healthy planet for all people, plants and living things.
Registration Information
If you create a new Active Montgomery account, please check your Inbox for an email with a link to authenticate your account. This must be done prior to adding the GreenScapes event to your cart and checking out.
- Register by clicking on this link via ActiveMontgomery.org (Activity # PBG0057) or call 301-962-1451
- Early Bird Fee: $60 (ends Friday, January 15)
- Student Fee: $30 (proof of current enrollment as a full-time student required)
Registration Help
- Click here for Frequently Asked Questions on creating and accessing your ActiveMONTGOMERY user account.
- You must first either create an account or log into your account in order to add the event to your cart for processing payment.
- If you haven’t accessed your ActiveMONTGOMERY account in the past 1 year (365 days), you will need to update your password.
- If you forgot your password and/or your username, on the login screen, select the “Forgot Username?” or “Forgot Password?” under the Login box. Provide the Primary Email Address you used to create your account. If you selected “Forgot Username?”, you will receive an email that will include your username. If you selected “Forgot Password?”, you will receive an email to reset your password.
- If you are still experiencing difficulties with your username and password, email ActiveMONTGOMERYHelp@montgomeryparks.org or call our ActiveMONTGOMERY Customer Service at 301-495-2580.
- If you would like to register over the phone, please call Brookside Gardens at 301-962-1451.
Schedule of the Day
| Time | Agenda |
|---|---|
| 8:45am | Welcome & Introductions |
| 9:00am | Sustainable Public Gardens and Landscapes: Behind the Scenes of Philadelphia’s Iconic Spaces Andrew Bunting, vice president of horticulture, Philadelphia Horticultural Society Public gardens have to do it all: look spectacular in every season, hold up to heavy use and tough urban conditions, and serve as a showcase for the entire community. Together with its partners, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) builds beauty in some of Philadelphia’s most visible public spaces while managing them with environmentally and ecologically responsible methods, materials, and techniques. Join Andrew for a behind-the-scenes look at how PHS designs and maintains a remarkably diverse set of landscapes, from the grounds of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Logan Square’s Swann Memorial Fountain to the Rodin Museum, the Azalea Garden, The Navy Yard, and Eastern State Penitentiary. He’ll share how sustainable practices perform under the pressures of high-profile public spaces, and the lessons that translate to landscapes of any scale, from the home garden to the corporate campus. |
| 10:15 am | Break |
| 10:45 am | In Pursuit of the Mesh: Reflections on Designing the Intermingled Matt Dallos, founder, Thicket Workshop; assistant professor, Department of Landscape Architecture, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) As weather patterns grow more unpredictable, how do we design landscapes that can hold up over time? Wild plant communities often grow into biodiverse, ever-shifting fabrics of intermingled species, a quality Matt calls “the mesh.” By discussing historical and contemporary efforts to translate this quality to built environments, Matt will explore this design concept as a timely and compelling approach in ecological planting design. Drawing on his academic research and projects from Thicket Workshop, his plant-focused design firm, Matt will share case studies that create low-maintenance landscapes built to last for decades, expand the native plant palette beyond narrow local sourcing for greater adaptability, and combine native and non-native plants for long-term stability. Throughout, the focus is resilience: landscapes that withstand climate disruptions and thrive over the long run. |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch |
| 12:30 pm | Sponsor Presentations |
| 1:00 pm | Small Lot, Big Habitat: Restoration Lessons for the Home Landscape Madeline Bright, executive director, Earth Sangha Restoration ecologists use the same core methods no matter the scale: read the site’s existing conditions, reference what grows together in the wild, and layer plant material the way a natural habitat does. Earth Sangha brings this approach to restoration projects across the greater Washington, DC, region, growing more than 320 native species from locally collected wild seed. Drawing on that experience, this session shows homeowners and designers how to use wild plant communities as a design reference rather than neighboring yards or nursery shelves. Poorly drained low areas, dry shade beneath mature trees, and compacted soil along walkways stop being problems to engineer away and become distinct micro-habitats, each with its own palette of specialized natives. Instead of regrading, draining, or hardscaping these spots, we’ll look at how they mirror niches found in the wild and which plants naturally thrive there. The session also moves beyond the same 10-12 native species that dominate most gardens, exploring lesser-known regional natives and creative combinations for a practical framework that builds real ecological diversity and wildlife value into any landscape. |
| 2:15 pm | Break |
| 2:45 pm | Putting Plants to Work Jeff Lorenz, ecological landscape designer and founder, Refugia Design (PA) This winter is predicted to bring one of the strongest El Niño events on record, and with it, heavier storms that will test our landscapes. That means even more stormwater runoff, already one of the most challenging issues facing the landscapes we design and care for. How can we get creative with design and materials to create a beautiful and multi-functional outdoor space? Reducing lawn, establishing deep-rooted plantings, and integrating permeable hardscaping is key to reducing erosion in our neighborhoods, filtering pollutants, and absorbing dirty water before it enters our precious waterways. Before turning to costly engineered fixes, designers have a powerful and often overlooked solution already within reach: plants, each performing ecological work beyond attracting pollinators. Join Jeff for expert strategies and insight on creating native habitat that is immersive, functional, and resilient. Drawing on Refugia’s award-winning Greenway Network, a GIS-mapped system of more than 320 connected native landscapes, he’ll show how the right plantings solve problems rather than fill problem areas, and how individual projects can add up to landscape-scale impact on habitat and stormwater across entire communities. |
| 4:00 pm | Closing Remarks |
Continuing Education
The following CEUs were offered to participants last year:
- American Society of Landscape Architects (LA CES 5.0)
- Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD 5.0)
- Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals (CBLP 5.0)
- DC Master Gardener (5.0)
- DC Master Naturalist Advanced Training (5 hours)
- Delaware Master Gardener (5.0)
- Delaware Master Naturalist Advanced Training (5 hours)
- International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
- ISA Arborist (ARB): 5.0
- ISA Biology (B-Science): 5.0
- ISA Utility Specialist (UR): 5.0
- Maryland Master Gardener (5.0)
- Maryland Master Naturalist Advanced Training (5 hours)
- New Jersey Master Gardener (5.0)
- New York Master Gardener (5.0 – contact your local extension agent)
- Penn State Extension Master Gardeners (5.0)
- Virginia Master Gardener (5.0 – contact your local extension agent)
- West Virginia Extension Master Gardener Program (5.0)
Presenting Sponsors
Associate Sponsors
Friend Sponsors
