Evaluating the Complexity and Diversity of Designed Herbaceous Plantings

Over the past 30 years there has been much progress in imagining and creating plantings that are spatially, temporally, and taxonomically complex; and in some parts of the world these plantings have become the zeitgeist. Though exemplary for supporting biodiversity and delivering high levels of aesthetic appeal, they can also be more demanding to design, implement, and successfully manage into perpetuity. James will explore where we are with these planting genres and how we can maximize the benefits and minimize the potential negatives.

James first job post his PhD was a lectureship in Environmental Horticulture at Burnley College, University of Melbourne, where he worked for 10 years and commenced his research into nature-like plant communities as an urban form. In 1995 he was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield, Professor in Horticultural Ecology in 2004, and Head of Department 2014-18. He retired in September 2022. In parallel with his academic career, James worked as a consultant on landscape projects around the world, often using these to translate his research into practice and policy. With Nigel Dunnett he was lead planting designer at the London Olympic Park (2007-14), following the publication of the first edition of The Dynamic Landscape (2004) a seminal text on the application of nature-like planting to the urban realm.

After 2010 he focused on projects in China, often in collaboration with Chinese Government agencies to advance the use of local native species in large scale nature-like design projects, involving more than 50 visits/expeditions. James designed the first native woodland garden in China at Lotus Lake, Beijing, the acclaimed “New Silk Road Garden” at the Beijing International Expo, and very recently the planting of the Monet Garden in Chengdu. James has used his extensive travelling to explore many of the temperate-Mediterranean world’s wild vegetation, as inspiration and ecological insight-understanding. Post his retirement James has been engaged in major design and management projects in the UK and internationally, for example the Melbourne Arts Precinct Project. He continues to speak and write on landscape and horticultural issues (the completely new version of the Dynamic Landscape has just been published), and was recently appointed to the Council of the RHS. When not working for others, he continues to develop a 2.5 acre garden and woodpasture-native meadow in rural Somerset.

The Graveyard Shift: Choosing Curiosity over Control

For generations, Green-Wood maintained the lawn-dominated landscape most Americans recognize – neat, controlled, unchanging. But it came at a cost. This presentation examines how Green-Wood has begun choosing curiosity over control: disentangling our historic character from harmful 20th-century landscape practices. Through memorial meadows, reforestation, and reconsidering invasive plant management, we’re discovering that honoring the dead means protecting the living world they left behind.

Joseph Charap is the Vice President of Horticulture at Green-Wood in Brooklyn, NY, where he leads the care and strategic development of its historic 478-acre landscape.

Overseeing all landscape operations—including arboriculture, meadow and turf management, monument restoration, and historic preservation—he integrates climate-adaptive strategies to enhance biodiversity and sustain Green-Wood’s living collection.

Since joining Green-Wood in 2014, Charap has advanced resiliency initiatives, elevated the site’s profile as an arboretum, and positioned it as a leader in urban green space management.

Born and raised in Maryland, Sara Evans developed a deep sense of environmental stewardship and community responsibility through her involvement in Chesapeake Bay, Patuxent River, and Potomac River conservation projects with her church and school volunteer groups. She completed her undergrad degree at Brooklyn College where she earned a BA in Urban Sustainability with concentration in environmental science and sociology. As the director of living collections and curator at Green-Wood, Sara’s passion for understanding intricate connections between nature, people, and their interactions comes to life. She manages the plant records of Green-Wood’s arboretum, supervises environmental research initiatives, curates the living collections, and oversees the operations of the horticulture department.