From garden boss to garden steward

This home gardener-oriented series will examine ecology-based landscape practice through the eyes of one of its most highly respected and influential practitioners. Our expansive format will allow Landscape Designer Larry Weaner to provide an intensive guide for creating wildlife inclusive, ecologically productive, and highly manageable residential landscapes. Throughout the program Larry will interweave garden aesthetics with garden ecology, demonstrating how home environments can be both ecologically productive and experientially rich.

Newly offered is the option for participants to sign up for The Masterclass Site Bundle: a site visit and follow-up call with Larry. See below for details!

What’s included:

1) Access to all three on-demand 75-90-minute recordings from NDAL's 2025 live Landscaping with Nature Masterclass—including participant questions and real-world discussions

2) Participation in two live Conversation and Q&A sessions with Larry and peers

NEW! Optional Add-On

The Masterclass Site Bundle: What’s included

1) One 2-hour, in-person educational visit with Larry at your landscape site* (additional time is charged separately)

2) One 1-hour follow-up phone call with Larry (additional calls are charged separately)

3) Landscaping with Nature Masterclass registration

*The Bundle fee covers site visits within 70 miles of Erdenheim, PA. If you're outside that range, we'll follow up on your inquiry submission to work out travel details together.

Please note: Only verbal recommendations will be provided. No written documentation including design, plant lists, nor specifications will be provided. Site hosts are welcome to take notes or record the session.

Larry leads a limited number of these visits each season. Submit an inquiry to start the process.

Registration Fees:

Online Masterclass only | $145

The Masterclass Site Bundle | $1,300 (see above for travel fee details*)

Scroll down for session details

This course is accessible for 1 year from your registration date

Group and Gift Orders
Student & Wild Ones member discounts available (for online Masterclass only, not the Site Bundle).
Scroll down for registration and discount details.

Above photo: Lawn-to-meadow landscape in its second year

Course Description:

Recordings viewable for 1 year after registering

Part 1 | Design
On-demand

Designing with native plants is a good thing, but designing with the ecological processes that govern those plants in the wild - is even better. Our opening session will examine a series of garden-relevant concepts from the ecological sciences; including habitat fidelity, plant community, plant colonization, competition, and ecological succession. Each concept will be followed by a concrete example of its incorporation into a residential design. While rarely considered in traditional garden design, these ecological characteristics are actually key to achieving the environmental, aesthetic, and maintenance promise of ecology-based garden design.

Part 2 | Planting
On-demand

In this session we will learn how “light touch” planting techniques can increase plant survival and reduce post-planting maintenance. The disturbance that results from deep digging, soil enhancement, and soil replacement always stimulates a flush of weeds. Applying fertilizer helps those weeds grow faster. In this session we will learn to match the plant to the soil, not the soil to the plant, an approach that avoids weed-enacting soil disturbance and places plants in soils that are familiar and conducive to their survival. We will also discuss how to select nursery plants that are most likely to thrive and proliferate in your landscape.

Part 3 | Managing
On-demand

“Relative ecological stability” is a term used by ecologists to describe a highly competitive vegetative composition that allows few new individuals to enter the system. In garden-speak, that translates to “low maintenance.” In our final session we will illustrate how piggybacking on this and other ecological processes can change garden management from a battle to a partnership. Using examples from his own property as well as diverse client projects, Larry will share how a brains-over-brawn approach can result in compelling, easily managed landscapes that liberate both plants and people.

Part 4 | Conversation and Q&As
Live
December 2, 2026 & March 10, 2027
3 - 4 PM ET

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the course information with Larry and fellow participants. The casual format will allow for exploration of the many variations inherent to an ecology-based approach.

Instructor Bio