Natives in Design: from Formal to Naturalistic

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Natives in Design: from Formal to Naturalistic

Join the ELA for this Zoom presentation and discover how native plants can be used in a variety of garden situations, from formal front yards to more naturalistic mixed borders. Author Carolyn Summers, Director of Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve, Inc. (FTGP), shows us how to combine plants for seasonal color and texture, the impact of plant choices on architecture, and the importance of maintenance. Sharing vignettes of private and public gardens, as well as her own FTGP, she will inspire you to experiment with a broader native plant palette. Whether you strive for a cottage-style garden or one with straight lines and symmetry, find out which perennials, shrubs and trees—even garden structures—can help you achieve your dream landscape.

About your speaker:

Carolyn Summers is the author of Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East (2010) and co-author with daughter Kate Brittenham of the revised edition published in February 2024. Her photographs grace the pages of The Pollinator Victory Garden, by friend and colleague Kim Eierman. After completing her BSLA (Landscape Architecture) degree at CCNY, she began her career with the Trust for Public Land, producing an open space report for the Harbor Herons Project that has guided preservation efforts to create an urban wildlife refuge on Staten Island in New York City, later moving to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection as the agency’s first Director of Natural Resources, notably implementing a native plants policy for all agency construction/restoration projects that continues today. Following this, she came to the Natural Resources Defense Council, leading a regional project to preserve and restore wildlife habitat and public access in the New York-New Jersey Bight. Ms. Summers is currently an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College with The Native Plant Center’s Go Native U certificate program. Most recently, she and her husband have created a non-profit for their native gardens and the surrounding natural areas: Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve, Inc. (www.flyingtrillium.com). The gardens and preserve are open for public tours so that designers, gardeners and homeowners will be inspired by the beauty of native plants in both garden and natural settings to create more of the same.

Ticket Prices:

Members: FREE
Non-Members: $18
Pre-registration is required. Zoom links will be provided once registration is complete.

Natives in Design: from Formal to Naturalistic

Friday Feb 27 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Zoom

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