Mycofiltration Project
We’re so excited to announce we’ve been selected by MassDOT to conduct a yearlong research project concerning mycofiltration treatment for stormwater management. Mycofiltration is a nascent stormwater management technology that utilizes mycelium or fungal webs as...
Completed Hood Construction
And that's a wrap! The Offshoots installation team has finished installing the Hood Park project located at 6 Stack Street! Here is a time-lapse of some of the installation. [video width="1280" height="718"...
Charlestown Patriot-Bridge Writes About Offshoot’s Hood Project
Our Hood project was written up in the local paper, the Charlestown Patriot-Bridge. Read the full article here
Ipswich Middle Schoolers Get a Lesson in Ecology
The other week, Kate Kennen of Offshoots along with Joanne and Kylie from Studio MNLA ran an 'Ipswich Green Team' session for 6th through 8th graders at our New England Biolabs Childcare Facility Project. Students learned the importance of wetlands, native ecologies,...
Free Webinar! Phytotechnology: A Nature-Based Approach to Containing Contamination
Save the Date! On Wednesday, July 28th, from 1:00-2:30PM EDT the US EPA's Soak Up the Rain New England Webinar Series presents, "Phytotechnology: a Nature-Based Approach to Containing Contamination." Jessica Dominguez and Juan Perez of EPA Region 1 will join Kate...
Help Bring Art to the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse!
The Mystic River Watershed Association has launched a campaign to bring public art to the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse in Somerville. They are calling on the community to get involved by doing one or both of the following: 1) send a favorite photograph from along the...
Mulch = Crime Against Horticulture?
Another great post from North Creek Nurseries that gets into the pros and cons of various types of mulch and mulching in general. Read the full article here: https://mailchi.mp/northcreeknurseries/mulch-crime-against-horticulture Photo Credit: Gardeners...
Las Vegas to Tap Out on Turf
The Southern Nevada Water Authority says ornamental grass requires four times as much water as drought-tolerant landscaping. Facing a long-term and worsening drought, officials believe banning ornamental grass can reduce annual water consumption by roughly 15% and...
Matching Phyto Species to Contaminants
Ron Zalensky, a contributor to Phyto: Principles and Resources for Site Remediation and Landscape, is a member of a research team that has developed a new contaminant prioritization tool that has the potential to increase the effectiveness of environmental approaches...
Why You Should Plant Oaks
Great article by @awaytogarden in the @nytimes yesterday on the value of oak trees and how these long lived giants support more life forms then any other trees in a North America. Plant some oaks! Read the full article from The New York Times here Featured image by...
Cut Back for Spring
Its almost time for Spring cleaning!...and Spring cut backs! Northcreek Nursery has a great article explaining how they do cut backs in early Spring just as plants are waking up. Everyone performs spring cut backs a little differently, but they explain tools that they...
Offshoots and Partners Win Calahan Park Master Planning Project in Burlington, VT!
Our team at Offshoots, Inc., in collaboration with Horsley Witten Group, Duncan Wisniewski Architecture, and Stone Environmental, is excited to announce that we’ve been selected to create a Master Plan for Calahan Park in Burlington, VT! Offshoots will lead the...
Senior Associate Terry Kinsler Featured in New England Home Magazine
Our very own Terry Kinsler was featured in the March-April Issue of New England Home Magazine! The client made a simple request: “I want white flowers and a secret garden.” Providing this on a small lot with a close neighbor required thoughtful study of the views to...
Offshoots and Partners Win Malden River Works Project!
Hot off the DRAFT-Board! Offshoots is excited to announce we will be acting as horticultural and phytoremediation consultants for the design and construction of The City of Malden’s first public riverfront park! The project - led by Landing Studio and Horsley Witten...
Low Maintenance Native Alternatives to Lawn
Native grasses and sedges can be used to give a similar look as conventional lawn, but with the added benefits of: Low maintenance - (no fertilizing, weeding, irrigating, weekly mowing) Increased ecological value (deep roots benefiting hydrology, and food and habitat...
Milkweed attracts and kills Spotted Lanternfly!
Spotted Lanternfly is attracted to milkweed (Asclepias sp.) for it's thick, sweet sap, but has not co-evolved with the plant like the endangered Monarch butterfly and so falls victim to its toxins. Read the full article from North Creek Nurseries...
Spotted Lanternfly Detections in MA
Keep an eye out for invasive Spotted Lanternfly (SLF)! Two dead specimens were found in Milford and Norwood, MA, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) was notified that nursery stock bearing spotted lanternfly adults and eggs may have been...
India’s 1 Million Trees Phytoremediation Project
By the end of 2020, Fiinovation aims to plant 1 million trees in a phytoremediation-based initiative called Ecotopia. Trees will be used combat the effects of rapid industrialization and urbanization; absorb greenhouse gases, increase evaporation and transpiration,...
Superfund, Meet Super Plants
Plant microbiologist Sharon Doty is using microbes naturally associated with Poplar to increase success of phytoremediation efforts. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/science/superfund-plant-microbiome.html?smid=em-share
We are working remotely!
To Offshoots friends and family, We wanted to make you aware of our plan during these difficult times. In order to protect the health of our clients and staff, Offshoots is implementing the following policies: - Our office is open for business and all design projects...
Phytomining in the New York Times
"What if, as a partial substitute to traditional, energy-intensive and environmentally costly mining and smelting, the world harvested nickel plants?" Read the New York Times article here
Kate presenting at the Resilient Landscapes Symposium
Kate will be presenting her talk "Phytoremediation: Pollution Purging Plants" at the Resilient Landscapes Symposium this spring at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Can plants help remediate a site's contaminants when soil or water testing reveals something...
How can phytoremediation be used to clean up a landfill site? Ask the 7th graders!
Phytoremediation use at landfills is one of the most field implemented kinds of planted buffers in the field of phytotechnologies. Plants can be used to remediate contaminated groundwater generated by landfill leachate. Deep rooted plants such as poplars and willow...
Can Lead in Soil be Remediated with Plants? Check out this radio interview.
Phytoremediation of lead is a tricky topic! This recent radio interview from the mid-west does a good job explaining how phytostabilization is a form of phytoremediation that can be utilized to help mitigate risk of lead exposure:...
Lynn Wolff Garden Dedication
The Lynn Wolff Garden Dedication Ceremony was held on one of those perfect Boston evenings. The Garden was created to honor Lynn Wolf’s commitment as a volunteer to the Women’s Lunch Place, a day shelter for women in need. Lynn was a pioneer in the design world, a...
Phytoremediation in the Great Lakes
Willows and Poplars, two common Phytoremediation species, hard at work cleaning the soil in the Great Lakes Region. Photo credit: Ron Zalesny. Source: USDA "In the Great Lakes Region, phytoremediation work is expanding on a massive scale mainly due to word-of-mouth...
Ecosystem Services of Poplar Clones for Phytoremediation
A recent peer reviewed article examines the ecosystem services of poplar at long-term phytoremediation sites in the Midwest and Southeast, United States, and presents data for 5-15 year old poplars grown in phytoremediation plantings. Trees that are grown in short...
Consider this before you apply pesticides
Consider the information in this article from the New York Times before you apply pesticides this year. We certainly will be! The Insect Apocalypse Is Here What does it mean for the rest of life on Earth?
Investigating ‘Plant Blindness’
We love how Rosetta Elkin (GSD) and the Arnold Arboretum are challenging students to overcome 'Plant Blindness.' Check out this article! [video width="1920" height="1080"...
PHYTO RESEARCH CASE STUDY- Etobicoke Field Site
PHYTO RESEARCH CASE STUDY: Project Name : Etobicoke Field Site (Ficko et al, 2010) (Ficko et al, 2011) (Whitfield et al, 2007) (Whitfield et al, 2008) Location: Etobicoke, Canada (outside Toronto) Institution/ Scientists: Royal Military College of Canada, Queens...