Joanne Walkovic Memorial Lecture – Functional Planting: Creating Adaptive Plant Systems

Co-Sponsored with the Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Chapter

In an era of climate change and species extinction, designed plantings offer a unique potential to address today’s environmental challenges.  Yet  traditional horticultural approaches are often carbon-intensive, resource-dependent, and high maintenance. This talk presents a powerful alternative to traditional horticulture—designed plantings that function like naturally-occurring plant communities. Join landscape architect Thomas Rainer, a leading voice in ecological landscape design, to learn how to translate wild inspirations into designed systems, and how to layer plants in biodiverse assemblages. Thomas will share recent examples of Phyto Studio’s design projects for public sites and botanical gardens.

All registrations include access to the recording. 

Thomas Rainer is a registered landscape architect, teacher, and author living in Arlington, Virginia. Thomas, a leading voice in ecological landscape design, has designed landscapes for the U.S. Capitol grounds, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and The New York Botanical Garden, as well as over 100 gardens from Maine to Florida. He is a celebrated public speaker who has garnered acclaim for his passionate presentations to audiences across the U.S. and in Europe. Thomas serves as a Principal for the landscape architectural and consulting firm Phyto Studio in Washington, D.C.

Please note: The Scott Arboretum is a department of Swarthmore College and is required to uphold all College decisions regarding COVID-19. All programming is subject to change based on College safety protocols. Check for latest COVID updates from Swarthmore College here.