Rooted in Place: Strategic Plant Selection for Ecological Performance - 1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

Maria Landoni is a licensed landscape architect with over fifteen years of experience, including extensive work in the fields of urban design, horticulture and planning. She brings a unique, culturally informed aesthetic, having grown up and studied in both The Patagonia and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and having lived and worked in the U.S. for over 20 years. Maria is driven to resolve complex design challenges without losing sight of the social and physical milieu in which a landscape resides. Maria has led numerous prominent projects ranging from civic and tech campuses and botanical gardens to urban gardens and pastoral landscapes.

Uli Lorimer serves as the Director of Horticulture for the Native Plant Trust, a leading non-profit dedicated to preserving the native flora of the Northeastern United States. In this role, he oversees the acclaimed Garden in the Woods in Framingham and Nasami Farm in Western Massachusetts, which focuses on native plant propagation and research. Uli’s impressive career includes positions at the National Arboretum, Wave Hill, and as the Curator of Native Plants at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. A lifelong enthusiast of plants and biodiversity, Uli continues to study the region’s ecosystems, collect seeds from the wild, and introduce new plants to gardens. He is also a prolific author and speaker, well-known to audiences across the horticultural community. His publications include Tough Natives for Tough Places and A Native Plant Reader. His latest work, The Northeast Native Plant Primer, reflects his deep commitment to native plants and their ecological value. Uli currently writes the Ask the Gardener column for the Boston Globe, sharing ecological horticulture guidance with the region. With a science-based approach and a passion for biodiversity, Uli offers invaluable insights into selecting plants that maximize the ecological impact of our gardens while celebrating the beauty of native flora.

Dawn Dyer is a landscape architect committed to delivering projects with exceptional design and innovative use of construction methods and technologies. She has a passion for urban infill and brings a strong commitment to sustainability, addressing environmental issues through multi-purposed design solutions that are both functional and elegant. Trained both as an architect and landscape architect, Dawn weaves these two disciplines together creating experiential and sensory rich spaces. She has over 20 years of experience creating transformational spaces. Dawn was integral to the design team of the Nature Gardens at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum and John Anson Ford Theatres renovation project. She is currently working on the Broadway Trade Center adaptive re-use project and First and Broadway Civic Center Park, both in Downtown Los Angeles. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and her Master of Landscape Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. Dawn is based in our Los Angeles studio.

Kelly D. Norris is one of the leading ecological horticulturists of his generation. In his practice, he explores the narrative of place through site-specific plantings and landscape interventions. An award-winning author and plantsman, Kelly’s work in gardens has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His latest book is Your Natural Garden from Cool Springs Press.

Amy Syverson-Shaffer is passionate about connecting people to nature and to each other. Her past work as a landscape architect and in business development frames her collaborative approach to taking on big challenges. Today, she is lending her design acumen and contextual understanding to leading sustainability for the modern craft manufacturer, Landscape Forms. Since 2023, she’s served on the ASLA Biodiversity and Climate Action Committee, working to bridge between key efforts by Landscape Architects and their industry partner community. On any given day, you'll most likely find her working in the garden.