The Providential Gardener

The Underground ~ A Wealth of Info for and about Landscape Professionals

Last year at the New England Grows! Conference and Expo in Boston, I came upon The Underground, an interesting group of landscape and nursery professionals who work mostly in the Boston/SE Mass area. I joined so I could follow their... Read more →

Garden/Landscape Masters & Professionals

Although garden and landscape work is winding down in mid-October [although it's hard to keep that in mind when the temperature hits 76 degrees, as it did today], the Master Gardeners and RINLA professionals are still busy. URI Master Gardeners... Read more →

North Main Street Project: An Example of Residents Shaping Their Neighborhood

One reason for haphazard, ugly, people-unfriendly, and/or environmentally unsound development is the absence of neighborhood residents in town and city planning processes. Nobody thinks about what it's going to be like to LIVE near the results of development or redevelopment.... Read more →

2007 Master Gardener Tour Photos

Monday, July 16, 2007 ~ As you could tell from the Providential Gardener Calendar, this was a busy weekend just past. I had committed to the Master Gardener Tour a few months ago, so I spent both Saturday and Sunday... Read more →

Curb Appeal in a Buyer's Market

Sunday's Providence Journal (June 17, 2007) featured a story by Christine Dunn on how fine landscaping can impress potential buyers and move them to make (higher) offers (Projo Homes, G1). Jacqueline Murphy of Jacqueline Murphy Design [can't find a website... Read more →

Landscape Institute and Other Arnold Arboretum Programs

Word comes today from Sanne Kure-Jensen, a landscape designer and consultant in Portsmouth, of the summer landscape design courses being offered by Arnold Arboretum beginning in July. The Landscape Institute, which is appropriately located on Garden Street in Cambridge and... Read more →

Something Old, Something Green

Sustainability was a major theme at the 22nd Annual Rhode Island Statewide Historic Preservation Conference, held in Pawtucket on Saturday, April 14, 2007. The session on Sustainable Historic Landscapes especially interested the Providential Gardener. What a privilege it must be... Read more →

Not too Late for Professionals to Check out New England Grows!

Today the time flew by as I managed to see about one fifth of the exhibitors at New England Grows! [The exclamation point is part of the convention name, but I suppose it could also function as punctuation for the... Read more →

Creating Sustainable Landscapes & Healthy Communities

Going to conferences might be a full-time job! "Exploring Terra-Firma: Creating Sustainable Landscapes and Healthy Communities," the 13th Annual Winter Conference & Eco-Marketplace, sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association, is scheduled for March 1-3, 2007 in Springfield, Massachusetts. URI College... Read more →

2007 Conference for the Home Gardener

On Friday, March 9, a day-long Conference for the Home Gardener at the University of Connecticut has a great program that includes presentations on the "site-challenged garden," herbs, "More than a Pretty Face: Native Alternatives to Invasive Exotic Plants," and... Read more →