Why I Joined the 106 Strong Rally
On November 9, 2026, Karen joined Tribal leaders, preservation advocates, and fellow landscape architects at the 106 Strong rally on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. They called on Congress to protect Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which gives Tribal Nations and communities a voice in federal decisions that affect historic places.
The collage features three of the rally’s speakers. Martin Luther King III, chairman of the Drum Major Institute, Charles Birnbaum, president and CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation and Torey Carter-Conneen, CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Thank you to Dan Hartinger of The Wilderness Society for leading our group on visits to Senate offices, where we urged senators to vote no and protect the Section 106 review process.
RE:SEARCH at Longwood Gardens
Karen attended Oberlander Prize Forum V at Longwood Gardens, presented in partnership with The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF). This year’s theme, RE:SEARCH, brought together 2025 Oberlander Prize Laureate Mario Schjetnan and other leaders in landscape architecture to explore the evolving relationship between research and design.
Among the many inspiring presentations, Anne Whiston Spirn’s reflections on seeing and understanding landscapes particularly resonated. She described the eye as a door; passing through that door is to arrive at new understandings. Beyond my own eye’s door are landscapes, the stories they tell, and the ideas they embody. To truly see is to recognize that nature and human are continuous, interconnected, and constantly shaping one another.
Her invitation was to go out, observe deeply, and pass through our own eye’s door to discover new ways of understanding. This thoughtful attention to place speaks to our approach; reading landscapes through their ecological processes, cultural histories, and human relationships, and allowing those discoveries to inform design.
Karen concluded the forum with a visit to Longwood at Granogue, where Paul Redman, Longwood’s President and CEO and Claire Agre, Principal of Unknown Studio, shared plans for the property and its role in a broader regional conservation vision.
Impressions from the Oberlander Prize Forum at Longwood and visit to Longwood at Granogue.
Karen recently completed the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Learning for Nature Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) Practitioner Training Course, an eight-week professional program developed in collaboration with the Assisted Natural Regeneration Alliance and the Society for Ecological Restoration. The course provided advanced training in the principles, planning, implementation, and monitoring of Assisted Natural Regeneration. ANR is one of the world's most cost-effective and scalable approaches to ecosystem restoration. Through case studies and practical guidance, the program emphasized how working with natural ecological processes can accelerate biodiversity recovery, strengthen climate resilience, improve landscape connectivity, and deliver positive social and economic outcomes.
To read my reflections on how ANR can be applied in restoration projects:
Celebrating the completion of the Woodland Sanctuary Garden at Laurel Hill Cemetery.
It was a beautiful evening at Laurel Hill as we celebrated the completion of the third phase of the Chapel and Mausoleum Gardens. The gardens looked stunning, the weather cooperated, and we all felt a deep sense of pride in the collective effort that brought this project to life.
We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this project and look forward to what comes next. Thank you to Laurel Hill for a very organizing this very special evening.
Launch of the Paul W. Meyer Northeast Woods Restoration Project!
It was a beautiful evening marking the launch of the Pastorius Park Northeast Woods Restoration Project. The event celebrated Paul Meyers’ impact on the park, as well as his broader contributions to the profession. He was a remarkable person who touched many lives through his passion for nature.
Bob Gray is working to implement Paul’s vision for the Northeast woodland — a beautiful way to honor, and in some way continue, their longtime friendship, which I’m sure was deeply rooted in their shared love of nature. Land+ is honored to contribute to Bob’s work at the park.
Speakers included Alison Thornton of the Morris Arboretum & Gardens; Bob Gray of Gray Landscape Design; and Art Haywood and Tarik Khan, who presented the Friends of Pastorius Park with a grant check on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection “Growing Greener” Program.
A great day at the 'Achieving Climate Resilience Through Urban Greening Symposium' at the Science History Institute last March! From the opening session to the diverse panels, we walked away with fresh ideas and a deeper appreciation for collaborative, equitable approaches to green infrastructure and urban forestry. It was especially valuable to hear how different perspectives are shaping impactful, community-centered solutions across the greater Philadelphia area.
Check out the video below by Taino Studio that captures the day!
The magic of spring at the woodland sanctuary at Laurel Hill. Project completion, fall of 2025. On bloom: Phlox divaricata 'Putnam Blue', Phlox stolonifera `Fran`s Purple`, Viola striata, Sedum ternatum `Gregg`s Gem’
Photo credit: Saskia Lucardi
Dreaming of spring? Start planning with a young gardener…
As we watch the snow persist outside our windows, many of us are already dreaming of spring, of blooms returning, pollinators buzzing, and color filling the garden once again. Winter is the perfect time to begin planning for the season ahead.
Why not invite a child, grandchild or even a “surrogate” grandchild (that’s who I count on!) to join you in imagining and designing your next garden? Planning together makes the process more joyful and offers a meaningful way to introduce the next generation to the beauty and importance of native plants.
My dear friend and colleague, Gregg Tepper, co-authored the charming children’s book Mirabelle Visits a Garden: A Native Plant Garden Adventure. In this delightful story, Mr. Muller and Mirabelle embark on an adventure through a native plant garden, discovering how plants support birds, bees, butterflies, and so many other creatures.
It’s a wonderful way to spark curiosity, inspire stewardship, and begin dreaming together about creating your own native plant haven this spring.
First planting phase completed at Harriton Preserve. This project is a collaboration with Gray Landscape Design for Lower Merion Conservancy and made possible through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Growing Greener Program.
Our project is featured in The Connection, Laurel Hill’s newsletter.
The benches arrived! A 200-year-old damaged oak has been repurposed into beautiful benches for our project. We love the wood’s character and are happy that this tree will continue to serve the landscape for decades to come. Photo Credit Frank Mielkie
From a quick sketch to a seasonal vignette.
It’s fascinating to see how the envisioned landscape compares with the one that ultimately takes shape. This garden is Phase III of the Chapel and Mausoleum of Peace improvements at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
Laurel Hill was founded in 1836, as the second rural cemetery in the U.S. Today Laurel Hill is an accredited arboretum and the first cemetery in the U.S. designated as a National Historic Landmark.