I can hardly believe that it is officially butterfly season! It seems like only yesterday when all the butterfly curators, along with Exhibition Manager Kristin Thoroman, and Conservatory Horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey took a butterfly field trip to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. Charles Eric Wenzel, the Butterfly Pavilion Lead at the Office of Education […]
Read MoreYou check off the first step in birdscaping when you look at your yard from a bird’s point of view. More than bird baths and feeders staged here and there, birdscaping is planning and planting to not only attract, but nurture wild birds. Megan Lacey, a horticulturist at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, is a birdscaper […]
Read MoreThe first class of Beautiful RVA‘s Ginter Urban Gardeners gathered twice a week, for 12 weeks, to do the very important work of making a difference: learning new things, building relationships, getting their hands dirty and urban gardening for the benefit of the Richmond community. Earlier this month, they became the first graduates of the program. Support […]
Read MoreWe celebrate Earth Day on April 22 each year, but there are many things you can do to make every day Earth Day. 1. Be water-wise Earth Day and every day Water early in the morning or later in the evening when less evaporation is likely to occur. It’s also best to allow water to […]
Read MoreThe Garden Shop proudly presents our collection of ideas for this year’s Mother’s Day gifts, which our staff members have thoughtfully selected for you. Bon Secours Mother’s Day Weekend Celebration is just around the corner, and perhaps you are thinking about what to give to the wonderful and amazing moms in your life. The Garden Shop understands […]
Read MoreIn January a new Children’s Garden educator, Tarneshia Evans, joined our teaching staff. Two months later, Evans was selected as one of five Outstanding Educators by Project Learning Tree® (PLT), the national environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation. It’s easy to see that Evans is a leader when it comes to helping kids get […]
Read MoreBrenda Bartges has worn many hats at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. She started as a volunteer the Garden Shop about 11 years ago, then she became staff as a buyer in the Shop, then transitioned back to volunteer. As a volunteer, she’s served over 3,500 (!) hours — mostly in the Garden Shop, but also serving as […]
Read MoreRecently, I had the chance to travel to gardens around the world. I attended the North American Garden Tourism Conference in Toronto, Canada. While it snowed outside, we “visited” gardens in Sweden, the Canary Islands, Dubai, and, of course, Canada via PowerPoint. The title of the conference was Garden Experiences + Partnerships = Tourism Success, and […]
Read MoreMessage from the Executive Director Spring comes softly in Virginia. Not the weather necessarily, which can be gentle or harsh, with snows and gales not being uncommon. For our plants, though, winter can seem like the overture of a Broadway musical: the composer introduces all the major themes the audience will hear throughout the evening, […]
Read MoreVases and jars brimming with fresh-cut flowers make a house “home.” It can create a dilemma, though – where to find flowers? Florists can be pricey, and commercial growers leave a carbon footprint. You can raid your own yard, but that leaves gaps in the landscape. Plus there’s guilt from robbing outdoor pretties for the […]
Read MoreI still remember my first flower show. It was in 1997, and my husband pointed out that the newly opened Robins Visitor Center at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden was featuring a daffodil show. He wanted to see the new building, and I was curious, so off we went. The show was a revelation! Rows and rows […]
Read MoreDrawings by Virginia-based artist, Erica Lohan are now on view in Ginter Gallery II. When I saw Lohan’s artist submission to Ginter Gallery II at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, I was enamored by her investigation of decaying leaves with depictions of lace-like holes from insect bites, and vascular tissue that seems almost like stained glass. The textile-like details […]
Read MoreFirst Look at the Marion Morton Native Plant Garden If you peered out the window the last time you visited the Lora M. Robins Library, you may have noticed a new garden. Last year we were busy at work carefully filling the Marion Morton Native Plant Garden with the most beautiful, disease-resistant and interesting native plants we […]
Read MoreAttracting Wildlife to Your Winter Garden Although some animals migrate for the winter, there are many species that remain in the Richmond area over our coldest months. Non-migratory birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and even insects can benefit from a backyard environment that supports them over the winter. Wildlife needs food, shelter, and water year-round. It […]
Read MoreWitch hazel always rings a mystical note. Blooming in the middle of the winter, those delicate bits of yellow, copper, or red ribbon blow outward from bare branches like sparks of fire, as if an invisible sorceress were working her spells and enlivening the winter slumber. Seasoned gardeners understand the quiet delight of walking outside […]
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