Pollinator Field Notes Series – Natives, Cultivars, and Nativars
Welcome to our Pollinator Field Note Series! Offshoots released a Pollinator Action Plan with the City of Somerville, in collaboration with bee scientist and expert Nick Dorian. Continue reading to take a sneak peek into our conversation about native plants,...
UK Scientist to Watch! Enhancing Woodlots With Phytoremediation Species!
Aakash Basi, a UK Scientist to Watch! This scientist, Aakash Basi, is looking at how small urban woodlots in the UK can be enhanced with phytoremediation species to uptake metals from polluted urban environments. Specifically, he is considering how Salix (willows)...
Pollinator Field Notes Series – Wilderness Over Pesticides
Welcome to our Pollinator Field Note Series! Offshoots released a Pollinator Action Plan with the City of Somerville, in collaboration with bee scientist and expert Nick Dorian. Continue reading to take a sneak peek into our conversation about embracing the wild!...
Come Attend the International Phytoremediation Conference in Providence!
Interested in Phytoremediation? Come attend the International Phytoremediation Conference, hosted in Providence, Rhode Island in 2026! Phytotechnology expands the umbrella of traditional phytoremediation—which encompasses soil and groundwater clean-up of hazardous...
Global Dataset Offers New Insight into Phytoremediation
A new open-access study published in Nature Scientific Data offers one of the most comprehensive resources to date on phytoremediation. The research compiles results from 587 peer-reviewed studies across 77 countries, consolidating over 13,000 data points on plant...
Offshoots wins BSLA Jury Special Recognition Award!
The Somerville Pollinator Action Plan has been honored with a Jury Special Recognition Award for its innovative, science-based approach to urban biodiversity and community-driven conservation. We are thrilled and honored to receive this award, which is a product of...
Appreciation for Ecological Abundance
The recent New York Times article, “Ecological Landscapes of Abundance,” offers a compelling vision of how intentional landscape design can harmonize human spaces with ecological vitality. It underscores the transformative potential of integrating native plants and...
Planting Below a Young Canopy
Chelsea Ruiz at North Creek Nurseries recently shared a thoughtful piece on a familiar landscape design challenge: what to plant beneath young trees while waiting for the canopy to fill in. In The Waiting Canopy, she outlines a few practical strategies for making the...
Joe Shafner Promoted to Founder & Chief Operating Officer!
We are thrilled to share that Joe Shafner has been promoted to Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Offshoots! With over 20 years of experience in the landscape design and construction industry, he brings deep expertise in horticulture, organic land care, and...
Safety First: Training with our Installation Team
The Offshoots Team spent the day doing safety training at Hood Park: The bike pavilion's roof in the park is a PHYTO Air Pollution Buffer. The planted roof addresses the air pollution caused by the congested highway traffic on the interstate immediately to the west;...