Northeast Native Plant Workshop: Native Plants in the Managed Landscape
Description
Many owners see all plants as equal for their site, and often select their plants based on appearance and ease of maintenance. But native plants do more. They support the bees, butterflies and birds that evolved alongside them, and they’re the foundation of a healthy local ecosystem.
Natives are shaped by the region’s weather, soils and seasons. But not every native suits every site, and the climate they adapted to is changing. Species ranges are shifting, and the plants that thrive in the Northeast today may not be the ones that last.
As a designer, you’re the one who can make the case for natives to your client, and the one who has to choose plants that will still be thriving years from now. That’s why we put this workshop together: to give you the plant knowledge to back up that case with landscapes that look good and hold up over time.
You’ll leave knowing how to:
- Choose natives that suit the site and the client’s goals
- Design landscapes that support pollinators
- Select natives that deer tend to leave alone
- Keep invasive species out and help natives persist as conditions change
- Identify which natives are likely to hold up under a changing climate, and which are not
- Specify natives the nursery trade can supply, and offer them in place of common nonnative and invasive ornamentals
You’ll learn from three people who study, teach and design with these plants in the Northeast. Kim Eierman, CH, AOLCP, is an environmental horticulturist and ecological landscape designer who teaches at the New York Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the author of The Pollinator Victory Garden. Brian Colleran, MS, PWS, CERP, AFB, is a Professional Wetland Scientist, a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner, and a member of the leadership team of the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Network. Dr. Matthew Fertakos is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the New York Botanical Garden and the lead author of Climate-Smart Gardening 2.0.
Give your clients a rich, native landscape that looks good, hold up over time, and does some good for the environment.
Register now!
Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 10-15 minutes before start time.
Tuesday, January 19, 2027
10:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
Agenda:
Presented by Kim Eierman, Brian Colleran, and Matthew Fertakos
Unlocking the Mysteries of Native Plant Selection
Presented by Kim Eierman, CH, AOLCP
- Best practices for native plant selection
- Pros and cons of native species vs. native cultivars
- The realities of commercial plant propagation
- Monoecious and dioecious plants that require pollination partners
- Understanding plant life cycles and growth habits
Creating a Robust Pollinator Landscape with Native Plants
Presented by Kim Eierman, CH, AOLCP
- Pollination syndromes – pollinator types and preferred floral traits
- Native trees, shrubs and vines for native pollinators
- Native perennials and the pollinators they support
- Principles of ecological landscape design for pollinators
Deer-Resistant Native Plants for the Northeast
Presented by Kim Eierman, CH, AOLCP
- Reliable sources for researching native plants of the Northeast
- Deer-resistant native woody plants – aesthetic and ecological attributes, and landscape applications
- Deer-resistant native perennials – aesthetic and ecological attributes, and landscape applications
Climate Change and Plants in the Northeast: Part 1
Presented by Brian Colleran, MS, PWS, CERP, AFB
- How can we interrupt and reverse the spread of uaine-dilathair?
- Explaining the made up Irish Gaelic word in the presentation’s title
- Impacts of climate change on species distributions
- Preventing invasive species introductions under climate change
- Encouraging native species persistence under climate change
- Climate-smart seed collection strategies
Climate Change and Plants in the Northeast: Part 2
Presented by Brian Colleran, MS, PWS, CERP, AFB
- Itadori Knotweed’s (Reynoutria japonica) Link to Climate Change
- Spotlight on the positive feedback loop between knotweed and erosion
- Exploration of the existing literature supporting the link between knotweed and flooding
- Discussion of management options will be minimal
Climate Resilient Native Plants: What Is Available and What Will Last
Presented by Matthew Fertakos, PhD
- Climate change and native species conservation: how climate-smart species are defined
- Current availability of native plants in the Northeast nursery trade
- Which native species will hold up under projected climate change, and which will not
- Native alternatives to commonly specified nonnative and invasive ornamentals
- Selecting climate resilient natives for a site using the Climate-Smart Gardening Database
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.
GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS
Web Browser:
Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions)
Microsoft Edge (most recent 3 versions)
Internet connection: 1 Mbps or better
Hardware: 2GB of RAM (minimum), 4GB or more of RAM (recommended)
For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com
Credits
Engineers
6.0 PDHs
Architects
6.0 HSW CE Hours
AIA - American Institute of Architects
6.0 HSW LUs
Landscape Architects
6.0 HSW CE Hours
LACES - Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System
6.0 HSW PDHs
This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 6.0 PDHs for professional engineers, 6.0 HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects, and 6.0 HSW continuing education hours for landscape architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, and New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00049300). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers, architects and landscape architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (AIA/CES) and the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA/CES). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.
The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.0 HSW LUs (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES.
The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.0 HSW PDHs. Only full participation is reportable to the LA CES.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).
On-Demand Credits
The credits listed above apply only to the live webinar. This course in an on-demand format may not qualify for the same credit in some states. Please refer to specific board rules to determine if an asynchronous, on-demand course is appropriate. The following credits will be included in the on-demand format:
- 6.0 HSW LUs (AIA)
- 6.0 HSW PDHs (LA CES)
Speakers
Brian Colleran
Founder and Principal with Ecological Land Management, LLC in Newbury, MAMr. Colleran is a professional wetland scientist (PWS) and certified ecological restoration practitioner (CERP), who possesses both the basic and advanced field botany certificates awarded by the Native Plant Trust for whom he now serves as an educator. He has a commercial pesticide license in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Category 40 (Rights-of-Way), has been involved with four Conservation Commissions in Massachusetts including as an agent and a chair, and currently serves on the leadership team of the Northeast’s Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Network. He has a long history in fluvial, riparian, and wetland projects; invasive species control work, and the regulation and management of natural areas, as well as authoring several peer reviewed papers. At Ecological Land Management he continues to investigate the scope and scale of the impact to transportation and riparian systems inflicted by the swarm of invasive knotweed species and sub-species, and change the discussion of how the problem of this species group is framed to better incorporate the protection of all types of infrastructure.
Kim Eierman, CH, AOLCP
Founder of EcoBeneficial LLCMs. Eierman is an environmental horticulturist and ecological landscape designer specializing in native plants. Based in New York, Ms. Eierman teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Native Plant Center, Rutgers Home Gardeners School, and several other institutions. She is an active speaker nationwide on many ecological landscape topics, presenting for industry conferences, “green events,” Master Gardener groups, garden clubs, nature centers, Audubon Society chapters, beekeeping groups, and other organizations interested in environmental improvements. Ms. Eierman also provides horticultural consulting and landscape design to homeowners and commercial clients. In addition to being a certified horticulturist through the American Society for Horticultural Science, she is an Accredited Organic Landcare Professional, a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center, and a member of The Ecological Landscape Alliance and Garden Communicators International. Ms. Eierman is the author of the new book, The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening.
Matthew Fertakos, PhD
New York Botanical Garden Postdoctoral Research AssociateDr. Matthew Fertakos is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the New York Botanical Garden studying how centuries of ornamental plant sales have shaped present-day patterns of biological invasions. His research interests lie at the intersection of biogeography, native plant conservation, forest ecology, and invasion ecology, with an emphasis on understanding the drivers of plant distribution, establishment, and spread. He combines historical records, spatial analyses, ecological modeling, and large biodiversity datasets to examine plant invasions and climate-driven range shifts. Matthew is a leadership team member of the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Network, and the lead author of the recently released “Climate-Smart Gardening 2.0: Plants to Promote Climate Adaptation” resource.
AIA Info
AIA Provider Statement:
HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).
This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
Course Title: Northeast Native Plant Workshop: Native Plants in the Managed Landscape
Delivery Method: Live Online
Course Description: This six-hour course for design professionals focuses on the science, benefits and applications of native plants, as well as on the identification, problems and removal of invasive plants. The primary goal of this course is to be able to create a robust landscape with native plants that also supports pollinators. The course also discusses the effects of climate change on native and invasive plants, deer-resistant design strategies, invasive plant management, and native alternatives to invasive species and commonly used ornamentals.
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1: Learners will be able to explain plant life cycles, growth habits, and the pros and cons of native species versus native cultivars, as well as adopt best practices for native plant selection.
Learning Objective 2: Learners will be able to utilize native trees, shrubs, vines and perennials to support pollinators and understand the principles of ecological landscape design for pollinators.
Learning Objective 3: Learners will be able to understand the impacts of climate change on native plant species, identify changes in phenology and impacts to wildlife, and discuss the response of invasive plants to climate change.
Learning Objective 4: Learners will be able to identify common invasive species, explore strategies to manage and control them, and engage in restorative planting.
LUs: 6.0
LU Type: LU|HSWs
Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
Program Level: Intermediate
Course Expiration Date: 12/10/2028
Complaint Resolution Policy:
Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to fchapman@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.