What better way to end the fall and start the winter than by giving a solid presentation on site analysis and preliminary designs? That's just what the 2026 cohort did, and they were amazing! Congrats to everyone for completing this important milestone.
We know everyone's got their mind on end-of-year stuff right now, so we've made this update quick and helpful. Need a last-minute gift? Check out our book recommendations. Worried about next year's garden prep? We've got you covered with a brand new winter sowing tutorial next month, so take that off your plate. And mark your calendar for our next Online Information Session on January 7th.
Ok, that's it. Now go enjoy the rest of 2025!
A Need to Read
Winter Book Suggestions for the Holidays and Beyond
As you can imagine, a lot of reading happens here. Elaine, our levelheaded librarian, calmly navigates the constant flow of books crossing our physical and digital thresholds. As winter is the perfect time to settle in with a hearty story or brush up on some botanical nonfiction, we're including a few selections that our students, staff, and faculty have found helpful or inspiring.
Native Plant Guides from Wild Seed Project
Some well-loved copies from Conway's library.
Wild Seed Project, founded by Conway alum Heather McCargo '84, offers these beautiful guides to help you design your own northeastern native plant paradise. Great for beginners and experienced gardeners alike, it includes handy reference sections and gorgeous illustrations. The guides are available individually or as a beautifully packaged set. Take a look>>
How Does Your Meadow Grow?
We were fortunate to have Owen Wormser of Abound Design be a part of our fall Ecological Design Speaker Series this year. He spoke with the cohort last month about the lawn-to-meadow conversion process, and since then students have formed a "Monday Meadows" discussion group to continue the conversation. The second edition of Lawns into Meadows includes guidance on site preparation, design suggestions, plant recommendations, and more.
The Secret Lives of Rivers
Rivers are frequently in the news these days for their connection to death and devastation in the form of floods, droughts, and other disasters. These books look at the river's connection to life, either its own existential status or the incubation of life within its bends. Both books explore the intersection of rivers and human societies, and the complexities that result.
Online Information Session 1/7/26
7-8:30pm ET on Zoom
Fall 2025 student project work
We are accepting applications and our next Application Deadline is January 21st!
Sign up for our Admissions Online Information Session on Wednesday, January 7th at 7pm ET. Faculty and staff will be available via Zoom to discuss Conway's program and curriculum in detail and answer any questions you have.
Our alum guest speaker will be Audrey Logan '23. Audrey is the Natural Resources Project Coordinator for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, where she provides project coordination support for the Natural Resources Design and Construction department of NYC Parks, working alongside ecological design administrators, landscape architects and construction teams to support wetland/grassland/forest restoration and green infrastructure projects across all 5 boroughs.
People enjoyed our trial winter sowing workshop last year, so we've decided to do a reboot, but with better audio and video! We'll be releasing our (hopefully) much-improved Winter Sowing Tutorial on our YouTube channel in early January, plenty of time for you to start your seeds for the 2026 growing season. So now's the time to organize all those seeds you collected this fall!
Kickstart Your Learning for 2026
Schedule a visit to our campus
Seeing our learning environment in person and talking to faculty and current students can give you a great sense of the Conway experience. Email admissions@csld.edu to set up a time.
Apply
If you've already decided to apply, we encourage you to do it early. Early applicants have the opportunity to apply for several external scholarships whose deadlines fall before our regular application deadline in January.
