Welcome Video

Course Structure

Class 1             Creative Tools and Prompts for Ecological Landscape Practices

The course begins with a wide-ranging review of landscapes, including those from art and literature, that can prompt and inform creative plantings. The session aims to inspire participants to think beyond dogmatic frameworks and dig deeper into the unconventional places we are often called to work. How can we partner with plants while supporting ecosystem services on contemporary, near-term timescales? Further, how do we communicate the value of this work to clients and stakeholders while still accomplishing project objectives?

Class 2             Making Models that Work

In-depth plant knowledge supports the development and implementation of successful planting designs. While creative prompts and inspirations can spur out-of-the-box thinking, delivering on that promise requires increasingly intimate views of plant life. This class explores a quantitative method for planting design that relies heavily on metrics of plant behavior, performance, and ecological value to create model plant communities. This session aims to connect design thinking to the ecological realities of plants living in horticultural landscapes.

Class 3             Midterm Discussion

The midterm discussion is a two-hour session dedicated to participant questions and dialogue. It kicks off with a review of homework assignments but remains largely unstructured to promote more authentic conversation. Previous participants have rated this experience highly in their final course evaluation. Participants can submit questions in advance through the course portal or participate live.

Class 4             The Art of Abundance

Promoting and fostering plant species abundance is central to ecological practice. Abundance is the mothering force of ecology, yet it poses various challenges in horticultural environments, ranging from aesthetics to long-term performance. Many practitioners ask how to balance legibility and coherence with a meaningful contribution to local ecosystem services. This class explores those issues by contrasting wild precedent examples with the challenges they produce inside the relatively disturbed parameters of horticultural landscapes. Participants will come away with tools for approaching the design and establishment of complex plant communities relative to site-specific goals.

Class 5             Field Notes: Implementation and Layout Strategies

This class focuses on bridging the quantitative design process with fieldwork. The session is animated by the central question of how to efficiently and precisely bring ecological planting designs to life while also considering the influence of stewardship on the design’s evolution. The session focuses heavily on Kelly’s practice experience through several case studies of residential and commercial projects.

Class 6             Design Showcase

The final class session features participants' work, preselected by the course instructors for critique by a panel of ecological design professionals. The presentations will reflect course principles and offer real-world insights into various design practices and professional experiences.