Join Us for Gardening Green Expo 2023!
Gardening Green Expo 2023 has ended. Please enjoy the videotaped presentations below.
CLIMATE-WISE GARDENING
After the heat and drought of recent years, gardeners are looking for ways to reevaluate their plant choices for future climate extremes. Reducing lawn and incorporating native plants can save water, reduce flooding, and they don’t require fertilizer or pesticides. Native plants and trees require less water once established, and also provide food for pollinators, birds, and animals.
Our featured presenter is renowned author Doug Tallamy. With Bringing Nature Home, Tallamy changed the conversation about gardening in America. His second book, the New York Times bestseller Nature’s Best Hope, urged homeowners to take conservation into their own hands. Now, he turns his advocacy to one of the most important species of the plant kingdom—the mighty oak tree. Oaks sustain a complex and fascinating web of wildlife. The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area. The Nature of Oaks will inspire you to treasure these trees and to act to nurture and protect them.
ZOOM PRESENTATIONS
Date | Time | Presentation/Speaker |
Monday, March 13 | 7:00pm | The Drought Resistant Yard: Creating Beautiful Spaces Using Native and Non-native Plants with Less Water – Susan Leigh Anthony, Doveflower Cottage Garden Designs – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
Tuesday, March 14 | 7:00pm | The Ecosystem Native Plants Support – Blake Dinius, Plymouth County Entomologist – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
Wednesday, March 15 | 7:00pm | Composting and Mulching for Climate-Wise Gardening – Ann McGovern, Compost Specialist, Mass Dept. of Environmental Protection (Retired) – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
Thursday, March 16 | 7:00pm | The Nature of Oaks – Doug Tallamy, Renowned author and Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
Friday, March 17 | 7:00pm | Climate Conscious Gardening: Building Sustainable Landscapes – Kristen Nicholson, Blue Stem Natives – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
LIVE EVENT PRESENTATIONS
Time | Presentation | Speaker |
10:00am | Biochar – For Healthy Plants and a Healthy Planet | Debbie Cook, Biochar Afficionado – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
11:00am | Attract More Butterflies to Your Garden! | Lisey Good, – Founder, Wild Cohasset – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
12:00noon | Protecting Our Waters Through Gardening | Brian Taylor, NSRWA – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
1:00pm | Building Good Healthy Regenerative Soil in a Changing Climate | Jon Belber, Holly Hill Farm – SEE VIDEO BELOW |
Congratulations to Our 2023 Gardening Green Expo Prize Winners!
- A rain barrel and small diverter from the WaterSmart program – Liz Wyatt, East Bridgewater
- $50 Kennedy’s Country Gardens gift card – Rachel Langlois, Norwell
- 1lb bag of Biochar – Ann Callanan, Duxbury
- A 10×10 garden plot ($40 value) at Scituate Community Garden for 2023 – Gigi Mirarchi, Scituate
- 1lb bag of Biochar – Jacqueline Tower, Weymouth
- A gift basket from Edible Southeastern Massachusetts – Anne Walsh, Duxbury
- 1lb bag of Biochar – Liz Carreiro, Marshfield
- A signed copy of Doug Tallamy’s book ” The Nature of Oaks” – Michelle Littleton, Plymouth
- 1lb bag of Biochar – Nancy Larson, Weymouth
- Seeds from Holly Hill Farm – Thomas Lau, Norwell
- $100 gift card from Blue Stem Natives – Erin Levitsky, Pembroke
- 1lb bag of Biochar – Peter Johnson, Hanover
Downloads, Give-aways, and More
- $35 Special NSRWA NEW Member Deal with $25 Kennedy’s Gift Card and $10 Explore South Shore Guide Map can be ordered online (For NEW NSRWA members only) – Offer has ended
- Order your rain barrels and composters online – Ordering ends Sunday, April 16
- Free native tree saplings from Bartlett Tree Experts at the NSRWA office, 214 South Street, Norwell
- Download our 16-page Greenscapes Guide – With tips on how to create a beautiful healthy yard the natural way. (After filling out the online form you will be redirected to the guide.)
- Watch past Gardening Green Expo videos below
- Get your FREE Help Save Water lawn sign at the NSRWA office, 214 South Street, Norwell
Plant Resources
From Kennedy’s Country Gardens, UMass, and CZM
- Native Perennials for Sun
- Native Perennials for Shade
- Perennials for Pollinators and Birds
- Annuals for Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds and Songbirds
- Native Plants for Native Pollinators
- Deer Resistant Natives
- Plants to Support At-risk Insects by Dr. Robert Gegear
- Coastal Landscaping in Massachusetts Plant List
Plant and Garden Resources
From Blue Stem Natives, Doveflower Cottage, Blake Dinius, Doug Tallamy, and National Wildlife Federation, Wild Ones, Mass DEP, and the Buy Nothing Project
- Roadside Plants
- Edible Plants
- Shoreline Plants
- The Battle Between Native and Invasive Plants
- The Magic of Butterflies Resource List
- Native Plant Finder
- Homegrown National Park
- Kid-Friendly Gardens – Books
- Kid-Friendly Gardens – Plants
- Little Bee Big World Resource List
- Plant and Garden Resources from Wild Ones
- The Buy Nothing Project Can Help You Garden Green
- Composting – The Heart of Climate-Wise and Organic Gardening
- Composting is Easy
- Food Web of the Compost Pile
- Home Composting & Green Landscaping
- The Climate Conscious Garden
Want to see more programs like this? Please make a gift to the NSRWA to protect local waters.
This FREE expo is sponsored by the WaterSmart program, North and South Rivers Watershed Association, and Kennedy’s Country Gardens. WaterSmart is a nonprofit partnership between the NSRWA and 12 towns on the South Shore: Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Rockland, Scituate and Weymouth. Our programs are based on the belief that education is key. Since its creation, WaterSmart has educated thousands of local school-age children, adults, and businesses on water conservation, stormwater pollution, where their water comes from, and how to care for it.
See recorded presentations below!
Building Good Healthy Regenerative Soil in a Changing Climate – Jon Belber, Holly Hill Farm
Protecting Our Waters Through Gardening – Brian Taylor, NSRWA
Attract More Butterflies to Your Garden! – Lisey Good, – Founder, Wild Cohasset
Biochar – For Healthy Plants and a Healthy Planet – Debbie Cook, Biochar Afficionado
Climate Conscious Gardening: Building Sustainable Landscapes – Kristen Nicholson, Blue Stem Natives
The Nature of Oaks – Doug Tallamy, Renowned author and Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware
Composting and Mulching for Climate-Wise Gardening – Ann McGovern, Compost Specialist, Mass Dept. of Environmental Protection (Retired)
The Ecosystem Native Plants Support – Blake Dinius, Plymouth County Entomologist
The Drought Resistant Yard: Creating Beautiful Spaces Using Native and Non-native Plants with Less Water – Susan Leigh Anthony, Doveflower Cottage Garden Designs
Pollinators and Their Host Plants – Blue Stem Natives
Building an Insect Hotel/Supporting Biodiversity at Home – Angie Daugirda, Organic Plant Magic
Kid-Friendly Gardens – Susan Leigh Anthony, Doveflower Cottage Garden Designs
Garden for Wildlife: Remove Invasives & Plant Natives to Help Birds, Butterflies and Other Wild Creatures
By Lisey Good, Founder, Wild Cohasset – The Lisey Good Zoom presentation video had a conversion error, however, you can download the presentation and listen to the audio with the links below:
Download Lisey Good’s Presentation here.
Listen to Lisey Good’s Presentation here
The Importance of Insects and Gardening for Native Bees – Blake Dinius, Entomologist Educator at County of Plymouth
Audubon Plants for Birds Presentation by Don Eaton, Bower & Branch
Growing Tasty Edible Greens and Snacks – Jon Belber, Holly Hill Farm
Building a Rain Garden – Samantha Woods, NSRWA
Composting for Zero Waste – Ann McGovern, Retired MassDEP Compost Specialist
Backyard Birding – Doug Lowry, Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries
Blake Dinius, Plymouth County Entomologist
America’s Forgotten Bees
Nature Watch from NSRWA – America Forgotten Bees from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Susan Leigh Anthony, Doveflower Cottage Garden Designs
Native Pollinator Plants and the Pollinators Who Love Them
Nature Watch with NSRWA – Native Pollinator Plants from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Kill Your Lawn
Part of our 2020 WaterWatch Lecture Series
Mark Richardson, Tower Hill Botanical Director – According to NASA, in the United States more surface area is covered by lawn than by any other single irrigated crop. Lawns are resource-heavy, requiring irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides to thrive in our climate. Learn how to replace your lawn with beautiful and environmentally friendly native plantings from Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s director of horticulture Mark Richardson, co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, with photographer and author Dan Jaffe. This lecture is sponsored in part by Wild Ones – South Shore MA Chapter.
NATURE WATCH – KILL YOUR LAWN from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Please enjoy these 2019 Gardening Green Expo videos thanks to Norwell Spotlight TV.
Katie Banks Hone, The Monarch Gardener
Saving the Monarch, One Yard at a Time
NORWELL NATURE WATCH – SAVING THE MONARCH, ONE YARD AT A TIME from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Jon Belber, Friends of Holly Hill Farm
Planting Organic, Big and Small
NORWELL NATURE WATCH – PLANTING ORGANIC, BIG AND SMALL from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Jean Devine, Meadowscaping for Biodiversity
Saving the Planet Starts in Your Backyard: How to Garden with Native Plants to Help Pollinators, Birds and Your Community
NORWELL NATURE WATCH – SAVING THE PLANTS STARTS IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD: HOW TO GARDEN WITH NATIVE PLANTS TO HELP POLLINATORS from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Blake Dinius, Plymouth County Entomologist
Little Bee, Big World: Challenges of Solitary Native Bees
NORWELL NATURE WATCH – CHALLENGES OF SOLITARY NATIVE BEES from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Suzanne Mahler, SuzanneMahler.com
Creating a Garden for Pollinators
NORWELL NATURE WATCH – CREATING A GARDEN FOR POLLINATORS from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.
Ken Pearl, Magical Moon Farm Bee Keeper
The Importance of Pollinators and What We Can Do for Them
NORWELL NATURE WATCH – THE IMPORTANCE OF POLLINATORS AND WHAT WE CAN DO FOR THEM from Norwell Spotlight TV on Vimeo.This FREE expo is sponsored by the WaterSmart program, North and South Rivers Watershed Association and Kennedy’s Country Gardens.
How to Build a Rain Garden
Want to stop having standing water in your yard? Live near a waterbody and want to reduce polluted runoff? Want to create bird and butterfly habitat? These are just some of the potential benefits of building a rain garden on your property! Learn how to build a rain garden that helps save our water, uses native plants, and makes your property even more attractive to homebuyers and wildlife. NSRWA, WaterSmartSouthShore, and Wild Ones partnered for a Zoom meeting on How to Build a Rain Garden. Samantha Woods, Executive Director of the NSRWA gave a tour of some local rain gardens to visit on the South Shore, and Environmental Educator Brian Taylor provided instructions on how to build them. Britt Drews, Co-president of Mass Wild Ones – South Shore chapter shared her knowledge of the right plants for your rain garden, the advantages of using native plants, the benefits to wildlife, and where to source your native plants.
Other Rain Garden Resources:
-
- NSRWA How to Build a Rain Garden Presentation pdf
- Wild Ones Native Plants for Northeastern Rain Gardens Presentation pdf
- Wild Ones Presentation Notes
- Download our 16-page Greenscapes Guide
- Greenscapes North Shore Rain Garden Brochure – Detailed step-by-step manual
- Rain Garden Alliance Sizing Calculator – For Pennsylvania, but a good tool for sizing
- UVM Rain Garden Manual – More detailed step-by-step manual
Visit these South Shore Rain Gardens
WaterSmart is a nonprofit partnership between the NSRWA and 12 towns on the South Shore: Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Rockland, Scituate and Weymouth. Our programs are based on the belief that education is key. Since its creation, WaterSmart has educated thousands of local school-age children, adults, and businesses on water conservation, stormwater pollution, where their water comes from, and how to care for it.
- Dumpster Maintenance and Waste Materials
- Gardening Green Expo 2023
- Greenscapes
- How to Build a Rain Garden
- Indoor Water Conservation
- Low Impact Development
- Parking Lot Maintenance
- Pet Waste Education
- Plant a Monarch Garden
- Rain Barrel and Composter Sale
- School Programs
- Septic Systems
- Sign Our Water For People Not Lawns Pledge
- Stormwater
- Water Conservation Tips
- Watersmart Business