Dwarf Blazing Star: Small in Stature, Big on Impact
Late-season color can come from unexpected places. Our Director of Ecological Services, Ryan, recently shared a photo of dwarf blazing star (Liatris microcephala) thriving in a container garden. Its compact form and vibrant purple blooms caught our attention...
Kate Kennen to Speak at Penn’s Weitzman School of Design
This November, Offshoots founder Kate Kennen will speak at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design as part of the fall lecture series, The Expanded Field. Kate’s talk, “Scaling Up: Landscapes of Productive Planting Exploration,” will focus on...
Designing Plant Communities
Using the principles of ecological niches and plant communities are key tools in designing plant palettes that work. One of the defining characteristics of healthy natural plant communities is that they make efficient use of the entire soil profile. Rather than...
Reading Town Forest: Restoring a Native Understory
At Reading Town Forest, our team is working through several areas along the Ipswich River where invasive plants have become well established. The wet, low-lying areas of the forest provide ideal conditions for glossy buckthorn (Fragula alnus), which has formed...
Associate Landscape Architect / Project Manager – 2026
Associate Landscape Architect / Project Manager Offshoots, Inc. is seeking an experienced Associate Landscape Architect / Project Manager to join our growing Boston office team. In this role, you will collaborate closely with designers and principals on all...
Introducing Beacon Hill Courtyard
A new project has just landed on our website! Meet our Beacon Hill Courtyard, a contemporary garden tucked into the heart of the city and designed as an extension of the family room. The courtyard brings together Jet Mist granite paving, warm thermally modified...
Mind the Roots
Sometimes, pathways must pass close to existing trees, and construction in these sensitive areas can put significant stress on their root systems. Excavating with heavy equipment can tear or wound roots, potentially leading to long-team decline. Luckily, Alex...
Fringe Trees: Flowers, Fruit, and Reproduction
Sometimes field work gives us a reason to stop and look a little closer. While tending to our Wellesley Garden project, Kit and Jason noticed something interesting among two fringe trees growing on site. One had clusters of dark fruit, while the other did not....
Wetland Restoration at Stoneham High School
At Stoneham High School in Stoneham, Massachusetts, the Offshoots installation team is helping restore an existing wetland through invasive species removal and large-scale native planting. Working as a subcontractor for SumCo Eco-Contracting, our team is...
Starting Trees Off Strong
Last week, the Offshoots team joined Jane Kettell, Master Arborist and founder of Radiant Leaf Consulting, for a hands-on pro training focused on establishing strong young trees. We covered everything from sourcing and planting trees to early pruning techniques that...
Gardener/Horticulturist – 2026
Gardener/Horticulturalist Offshoots Inc. is looking for a horticulturist with an interest in organic gardening and sustainable, ecological landscaping to join our fine gardening and maintenance team! We are looking for candidates with prior field experience...
Horticulture Field Manager & Account Manager – 2026
Horticulture Field Manager & Account Manager Offshoots, Inc. is dedicated to pushing the horticultural industry forward in a way that supports pollinators, restores wildlife habitat and integrates ecological and horticultural excellence. We are seeking a...
Think Globally, Plant Locally
Tonight, Offshoots Principal Shelby Chapman-Hale will join VT Fish & Wildlife's Dead Creek Speaker series for Think Globally, Plant Locally - a presentation and discussion on supporting Vermont's pollinators in our own backyards. Shelby will speak about the...
Shore Drive Greenway Groundbreaking
Last Friday, Mayor Wilson, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, and the City of Somerville kicked off construction for the Shore Drive Greenway at Blessing of the Bay Park. The project will create a new 12-foot shared-use path along the Mystic River, making it easier and...
Pollinators in Newton
A recent peer reviewed study by Richard B. Primack, Katie Tiana, and Selby Vaughn investigated honey bees and native flower visitors across Newton, MA, observing insect activity on 391 plant species over two growing seasons. The study found that honey bees,...
Welcoming Ryan Corrigan, Director of Ecological Services at Offshoots
We are excited to welcome Ryan Corrigan to Offshoots as our new Director of Ecological Services. Ryan is a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist and ecological restoration professional with more than 10 years of experience installing and managing complex...
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...
Pollinator Field Notes Series – Fall Maintenance & Overwintering Practices
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 fall maintenance and...
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...
Pollinator Field Notes Series – Habitat Creation
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 nesting habitats!...
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...
Pollinator Field Notes Series – No-Mow May, Low-Mow Summer
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 spring & summer...
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...
Pollinator Field Notes Series – Pollinators are Welcome Here!
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 demystifying...
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;...