Online Educational Opportunities for the Horticulture Industry from CMBG

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Educational Opportunities for the Horticulture Industry

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Advanced Studies in Professional Horticulture: Resilient Landscapes in Built Environments

Plants and Practice
Online
Wednesdays, November 4, 11, 18 and December 2, 2:30–5:30 p.m.

Resilient Landscapes in Built Environments: Plants and Practice examines New England native plants for function in the landscape, including their biodiversity and beauty, achieving high performance with minimal input. Additionally, in the final two courses, the instructor will: provide step-by-step information on seasonal implementation and land-management practices relating to succession, identify concepts of green infrastructure, and discuss contractor-to-client communication essential for success. Courses are designed to be interactive, supporting students with a working knowledge of native plants to plan for the next level of design and maintenance. Please note that Section II: Plants and Practice can be taken even if Section I was not taken; participants can take this certificate course in either order.


New Green Spotlight Series

In partnership with the Maine Landscape and Nursery Association, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens presents the Green Spotlight Series, featuring local and national researchers, instructors, and field professionals from the green industry discussing topics valuable to peer professionals. The variety of topics are for a diverse range of landscape-related professionals from nursery and lawn-care specialists to arborists, landscapers, gardeners, and landscape designers/architects. MELNA members will earn recertification credits and several sessions will count toward the State of Maine's Pesticide License recertification. Please inquire regarding credit approval for all other network agencies.

Planting for Biodiversity: Examples via Landscapes
Online with Justin Nichols Thursday, November 5, 4 - 5 p.m.

As development pushes into formerly rural areas, loss of habitat and its resulting decrease in biodiversity are growing problems in New England. However, land care professionals and designers can play an important role in countering this problem by planting appropriate native species and plant communities and removing invasive species.

Growing from Seed for the Landscape
Online with Leslie Duthie Thursday, November 12, 4 - 5 p.m.

Sowing native plants is becoming more and more popular, but what, when, and how to cultivate them remains an area of uncertainty. Leslie will discuss sowing native plants for a variety of successful landscape settings, including the methods and timing for sowing seeds that will lead to strong germination rates and long-term growth, from what and where we can sow outdoors in November to what should be sown indoors during February or March.

Who's Got Compost?
Online with Mark Hutchinson Thursday, November 19, 4 - 5 p.m.

Maine’s compost industry has grown over the past 20 years; what had been virtually nonexistent now numbers near 50 compost operations in the state. In fact, this year’s high demand resulted in a shortage of compost at a number of garden centers and nurseries. In this presentation and discussion, Mark will talk about what’s involved in compost production, how to source quality product before purchase, and the opportunities for compost production from the yard waste collected or produced by landscapers and garden centers.