The Accelerator Program

with Larry Weaner, FAPLD,
renowned ecological landscape designer

for experienced landscape practitioners

Photo by Mark Weaner

Level up your landscape toolkit with Larry!

This program includes two key components:

  • Educational Site Visit & Recommendations

    Personalized, site-specific, one-on-one educational visit with Larry at a project site of your choosing, plus a follow up call.

  • Virtual Education

    Virtual presentation by Larry demonstrating how to use the ecology-based landscape information from the visit; and 6 small group development/Q&A sessions, 2 of which delve deeper into your specific project.

Register today

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Photo by Kim Sokoloff

Questions?
Ask us at info@ndal.org or 510-518-0430.

Registration cap: Maximum of 9 participants

Intended participant industry: Experienced landscape practitioners including landscape designers, landscape architects, horticulturists, and restoration professionals

Program skill level: Advanced

Actionable learnings

  • Gain an enhanced understanding of how to apply ecological principles to design, planting, and management. 

  • Gain clear, personalized short- and long-term ecology-based actions to employ in your landscape project(s). 

  • Learn from fellow participants’ projects as the instructor will provide guidance applicable to a wide range of landscape types.

Regionally-specific recommendations

Geographical area of participants: Massachusetts - Virginia*

Fee:

$3,800
*travel expenses included!

*Please note: Additional visit travel fee if outside the Massachusetts - Virginia region.
Please contact info@ndal.org for questions about the practitioner geographical area.

Customized guidance

Small cohort experience

Looking for landscape design, planting, and/or management guidance tailored to your project’s ecological needs?

These days, there are innumerable educational resources for landscape practitioners. What’s more, ecology-based landscape practice requires extreme region- and site-specific consideration. The challenging part is knowing how to effectively apply what you’re learning to your real world projects. 

To provide this level of customization, NDAL has developed a new, uniquely personalized educational experience called The Accelerator Program with Landscape Designer Larry Weaner. Practitioners participating in this limited-attendance program will benefit from a 3-hour site-specific educational visit from Larry, 1:1 guidance, virtual instruction, individualized Q&A, and small group discussion.

With all the nuances involved in your projects, we know that a basic Q&A at the end of a webinar doesn’t always cut it. That’s why we’ve developed this one-of-a-kind, accelerated educational opportunity to give you customized, expert guidance plus learnings from fellow experienced practitioners.

Level up your landscape toolkit with Larry this year!

Register

Program Process: Step by Step

Step 1)
The 3-hour, personalized, site-specific educational visit

1:1 in-person visit with Larry Weaner centered on one or more of your specific landscape projects. The agenda for the in-person experience is designed by you!

  • Walk through a project that is important to you and the specific landscape challenges that you need to overcome. This is an opportunity to work with Larry to brainstorm creative, original approaches to your current and future landscape design vision.

  • You may have one person other than you (ie. a colleague) join this visit.

  • Larry will take detailed notes, photograph the site, and eventually prepare comments and recommendations for the subsequent 1:1 30-minute follow up call.

  • One or more sites may be visited with Larry, as long as they are geographically close enough to remain within the 3-hour visit timeframe.

Step 2)
The 1:1 follow up call

In the weeks following your in-person experience, you and Larry will join a follow up call to debrief and share additional thoughts and recommendations. This meeting will be held on Zoom and will be recorded for you to reference later.

Step 3)
The virtual presentation

Larry will virtually present to the cohort of 9 participants on how to use the ecology-based landscape information from the visit and how to formulate their questions for the upcoming cohort sessions. This session will be recorded and viewable to all participants.

Step 4)
The cohort development sessions

Participants will join 6 virtual cohort sessions in which 3 of the 9 participants will have ample personalized time to ask Larry questions. Each participant will have their own designated Q&A time in 2 of the 6 cohort sessions. They can join the remaining 4 cohort sessions live or view the recordings later.

Accelerator Cohort Graduate Benefits:

✅ CEUs available

✅ Completion certificate for all participants
(include in your portfolio, company website, and/or LinkedIn profile)

✅ 15% off NDAL Community Membership fee for 1 year

✅ Ongoing access to The Accelerator Program 2025 Cohort Community Forum to remain in touch with fellow participants (cohort-exclusive)

Program Structure Details

  • Duration: 3 hours

    Quantity: 1

    Format: In-person

    # of Participants: 1 (plus a colleague if desired)

  • Duration: 30 minutes

    Quantity: 1

    Format: Live virtual & recorded

    # of Participants: 1

  • Duration: 2 hours

    Quantity: 1

    Format: Live virtual & recorded

    # of Participants: 9

  • Duration: 3 hours

    Quantity: 6 (each participant has 1 hour on 2 sessions to discuss their specific project)

    Format: Live virtual & recorded

    # of Participants: 3, with the other 6 participants viewing

    *Participants are only required to attend their assigned Group’s 2 live cohort development sessions. They can choose to view the other cohort sessions live or view the recordings later.

Program Schedule:

  • Educational site visit - schedule anytime from registration until presentation date

  • 1:1 follow up call - schedule anytime from site visit until presentation date

  • Instructor virtual presentation - Wednesday, Oct. 29th, 3 - 5 PM ET

  • *Cohort development session #1, Group A - Wednesday, Nov. 5th, 2 - 5 PM ET

  • Cohort development session #2, Group B - Wednesday, Nov. 12th, 2 - 5 PM ET

  • Cohort development session #3, Group C - Wednesday, Nov. 19th, 2 - 5 PM ET

  • Cohort development session #4, Group A - Wednesday, Dec. 3rd, 2 - 5 PM ET

  • Cohort development session #5, Group B - Wednesday, Dec. 10th, 2 - 5 PM ET

  • Cohort development session #6, Group C - Wednesday, Dec. 17th, 2 - 5 PM ET

*Participants are only required to attend their assigned Group’s 2 live cohort development sessions. They can choose to view the other cohort sessions live or view the recordings later.

-Olivia G.

“Amazing! Mind-blowing stuff. So pleased with the specificity of information and the fact that Larry is willing to share this wealth of knowledge.”

-Sean W.

“A genuine expert in the field. Highly recommended for practitioners!”

-Barbara Y.

“Rather than just considering a property as just a cleanable slate for my designs, Larry's programs alway encourage me to evaluate the existing environment and think deeper about how I can use that as canvas and paint for my works.”

-Amy G.

“My mind has been opened to think differently about landscapes - how to view them, evaluate them and manage them.”

Accelerate your ecology-based landscape design training

Join The Accelerator Program to more effectively apply knowledge to practice!

Register today

Questions?
Ask us at info@ndal.org or 510-518-0430.