Class Schedule April – August 2026

NEW! Blooming Success: How to Tend and Harvest a Cutting Garden | April 11 | IN-PERSON

Learn how to care for a flourishing cutting garden from seedling to vase. Former flower farmer Conner Parrish with Bloomistry will teach proven techniques for watering, fertilizing, staking, and pruning to keep your flowers blooming all season. Discover the best times and methods to harvest blooms for longer vase life and continuous flowering. You’ll also practice proper cutting techniques, bouquet conditioning, and simple garden care routines that make all the difference. Each participant will leave with practical skills, fresh inspiration, and a take-home kit to help you grow and enjoy your own homegrown bouquets.

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NEW! Propagating Plants 101 | April 11 | IN-PERSON

Let’s discover all the exciting ways there are to propagate plants! In this course students will learn about the different kinds of propagation and when they are best used. Not only will you get a hands-on opportunity to practice new propagation methods in the Garden, but you will also take home a piece of the Garden’s collections to inspire further propagation at home.

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NEW! The Botanical Body: Gardening Practices for Mindfulness | April 18 | IN-PERSON

Gardening provides many physical and mental benefits beyond just creating a beautiful space to enjoy. Learn how to incorporate therapeutic design techniques into your space, and ways to maintain your garden that nurtures both your well-being and also local wildlife. At the end of the course we will take a walk around the garden and practice some of the mindfulness techniques outlined in the course. Students will take home a garden journal and three native perennial or medicinal plants to add to their own healing garden.

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Growing and Using Culinary Herbs | April 18 | IN-PERSON

Fresh herbs add flavor to your favorite dishes and beauty to your garden, patio or deck. Avoid extra expense at the grocery store by growing your own often used culinary herbs. Join foodie, world traveler, and herbal expert Mark Ragland and learn how to successfully grow herbs in your garden. Then, explore exciting and delicious ways to use them in your kitchen.

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Bonsai for Beginners | April 24 | IN-PERSON

In this workshop, Horticulture Section Leader Jayton Howard will dive into the origins and history of bonsai, how to care for and plant a bonsai, and teach some basic bonsai training techniques. We’ll learn these techniques through the planting and training of your very own starter bonsai that you will get to take home with you and grow into a mighty bonsai. This workshop is geared toward bonsai beginners — no previous bonsai knowledge is necessary. Come to learn the basics and leave feeling like you’re ready to take on the world of bonsai! Jayton will provide all information needed to successfully maintain and care for your starter bonsai.

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Container Gardening with Native Plants | April 25 | IN-PERSON

Learn how to use native plants in your container gardens! Join instructor Kaity Bevenour, native plant specialist & owner of Parallel Nursery, to examine what makes a native plant species a good container plant, how to create visually appealing plant combinations in the sun or shade. We will review some commonly available native perennials that would be best suited for pots in the central VA area. Once the lecture is concluded, participants will put their knowledge into action and create their very own custom container garden to take home.

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Designing a Four-Season Perennial Garden | April 29 | IN-PERSON

Do you dream of a perennial garden that delights in every season? Learn how to create a dynamic, low-maintenance perennial garden that provides color, texture, and interest year-round, specifically tailored for USDA Zone 7. This class explores the principles of four-season perennial garden design, with a focus on plant selection, bloom succession, textures, and sustainable gardening practices. You’ll gain the tools to design a garden in both sun and shade that evolves beautifully, from spring’s first blooms to winter’s striking silhouettes. Whether you’re planting a new bed or enhancing an existing space, this course will inspire and guide you to create a perennial garden that’s visually engaging and ecologically supportive every month of the year.

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NEW! Building Bonsai Skills | May 15 | IN-PERSON

Have you been gifted a bonsai and—against all odds—managed to keep it alive, but now you’re wondering what to do next? Do you find yourself eyeing those bonsai at the garden center but feeling too intimidated to take one home? Or maybe you already have a bonsai and want to learn how to help it truly thrive. If any of this sounds like you, this class is the perfect place to start. We’ll cover the fundamentals you need to confidently care for the bonsai you have—or finally buy the bonsai you’ve been dreaming about. By the end, you’ll understand what makes bonsai unique, how to meet their needs, and how to take your skills to the next level.

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NEW! Organic Vegetable Gardening | May 16 | IN-PERSON

Growing vegetables is fun, easy and can transform your yard into a beautiful, delicious space. By growing your own, a vegetable gardener can delight in delicious varieties that will never grace grocery store shelves. In this course you will learn organic approaches to edible gardening including siting for success, choosing the right cultivar, seed starting and transplanting, the basics of compost and amendments, common pests and diseases, irrigation, companion planting and much more! A tour of the Kroger Community Kitchen Garden will give participants a chance to learn hands on planting techniques. Each student will take home a transplant for their own garden.

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Hummingbird Haven | May 16 | IN-PERSON

Learn techniques to make your Virginia garden a welcoming stop for hummingbirds all year long! Dive into practical advice for creating a hummingbird garden that offers a safe, supportive environment with proper food sources, perching spots, and shelter. We will highlight native Virginia plants alongside design and care tips, resulting in a garden robust enough to provide for hummingbirds throughout the dormant season. Each student will also receive specialized consultation from native plant expert Kaity Bevenour to build a custom Parallel Nursery mix-and-match pack of six native perennial plants to take home!

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NEW! Gardening for Pollinators and Wildlife | May 18 | IN-PERSON

Enjoy a quiet early morning tour before the garden opens to look for wildlife and pollinators. Bring your camera! Return to the classroom for a lecture and discussion about how to create a pollinator and wildlife habitat at your home.

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NEW! Grounded: Landscaping with Native Plants for Soil and Water Health | May 30 | IN-PERSON

What if your garden could do more than look beautiful – what if it could actively protect your home, your soil, and your local waterways? Discover how your landscape can play a vital role in managing stormwater, reducing soil and pollution runoff, and strengthening soil health from the ground up. During this course, we’ll explore the innovative new landscape & stormwater management design features to observe practical, attractive strategies you can apply at home. Leave inspired and equipped with actionable project ideas that turn everyday gardens into resilient, environmentally powerful spaces.

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Spring/Summer Curated Containers | May 30 | IN-PERSON

This class will empower gardeners of any level to create beautifully, seasonally curated containers for their outdoor spaces. You’ll learn how to choose a container and select plants that fit the needs of exposure, watering requirements and other considerations. You’ll also receive information on how to use a planting template, gain ideas for artfully choosing plant material and receive guidance on seasonal care. Instructor Sunny McGann, Master Gardener and adjunct professor at Reynolds Community College, will demonstrate planting a sample container during class.

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Fairy Gardens: The Art of Miniature Gardening | June 6 | IN-PERSON

This isn’t your everyday “fairy” garden. For almost 20 years Serome has been transforming containers into miniature landscapes that he calls “Mini Worlds”. Combining dwarf trees, miniature plants and some imagination, you also can create a unique miniature landscape, perfect for a balcony or patio. Your fairy garden can even be a focal point in your full-sized garden. In this hands-on course you will learn everything you need to know on how to put together a “Mini World” of your own through a discussion of materials, plant selection, and aftercare. Serome will demonstrate on how to put together a garden, then it’s your chance to get your hands dirty and put together a garden of your very own.

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NEW! Urban Oasis: Gardening with Native Plants in Richmond City | June 6 | IN-PERSON

Turn your Richmond yard into a thriving, low-maintenance landscape that works with nature, not against it. In this course you’ll learn how to select and place native plants that are well-suited to Richmond’s soils, rainfall patterns, and urban conditions. We’ll cover practical steps for site assessment, plant selection, installation, and long-term care so you can confidently reduce maintenance, conserve water, and support pollinators and local wildlife. Leave with clear, actionable strategies & a mix-and-match six pack of urban tolerant native plants to help transform your outdoor space into a resilient, beautiful retreat.

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Dahlias 101 with Harvest and Storage | June 6 | IN-PERSON

Learn how to grow stunning organic dahlias from tuber to bloom in this hands-on workshop! Conner Parrish of Bloomistry will cover planting, feeding, harvesting for long vase life, and how to lift, divide, and store your tubers for next season. Perfect for gardeners of all levels, this class includes a live demo, Q&A, and take-home dahlia tubers so you can implement your new knowledge and start growing right away.

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NEW! Creating a Backyard Butterfly Oasis | June 7 | IN-PERSON

If you’re looking to build a beautiful and functional butterfly habitat in your own backyard, this class will provide all the necessary tools to get you started. We will cover how to support butterflies in all life stages, with a focus on how to attract them with plants. To support the adult butterfly feeding on nectar plants, each participant will receive a packet of native nectar flower seeds, collected directly from Clara’s garden. To support the adults basking in the sun and puddling (drinking water to get important minerals and salts), we will create a colorful ceramic bowl puddling station with stones that are perfect for perching and taking a sip. Finally, to support the eggs and caterpillars, each participant will take home 1 native butterfly host plant- like milkweed, for example, that hosts monarch caterpillars, or golden alexander that hosts black swallowtails.

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NEW! Desert Biomes in the Conservatory | June 20 | IN-PERSON

Join Conservatory Horticulturist Clare Reines for a close look at how true desert climates are interpreted inside the Conservatory. The class will explore the global diversity of deserts, what makes a true desert, and the requirements of desert plants. Clare will also discuss the planting process and maintenance considerations for the desert wing, ending the class with a guided tour. Each student will take home their own potted desert plant.

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NEW! Ecological Landscaping 101 | June 20 | IN-PERSON

Learn how to create a thriving, resilient garden that works with nature rather than against it. In this workshop, we’ll explore how to design gardens that support pollinators, beneficial insects, birds, and soil life while still producing beautiful, abundant plantings. We’ll cover companion planting, habitat layering, soil stewardship, water-wise practices, and how to encourage natural balance so your garden becomes healthier and more self-sustaining over time. Ideal for gardeners of all experience levels. Participants will leave class with a ecological landscaping kit that will include seeds, soil amendments, a native pollinator plant, and immense knowledge to apply at home!

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NEW! Deep Dive with Aquatic Plants — Explore, Learn, and Take Home Living Plants! | June 21 | IN-PERSON

Step into the world of aquatic plants with this immersive, hands on course led by the Garden’s aquatic expert Danny Cox. Whether you’re a water garden beginner or simply fascinated by ponds and plant filled ecosystems, this session delivers an insider’s view into the beauty and diversity of aquatic species. You’ll learn what makes aquatic plants unique, how different categories behave, and how to recognize them in the wild and in cultivated gardens. After a short lecture, head outdoors for a guided exploration through the Garden’s water features to see these plants up close. A major highlight: Participants will take home a curated packet of information AND cuttings from select aquatic plants in the Garden’s collections—perfect for starting or expanding a water garden of your own.

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NEW! Building Mini Planted Aquariums | June 27 | IN-PERSON

Learn how to build your own mini aquarium using natural, low-maintenance techniques. No heaters, filters, or other special equipment required! In this hands-on class, students will learn how plants can act as natural filters for keeping aquariums and container aquatic gardens clean. We will discuss how low-tech aquariums and patio ponds work and cover the basics of the Diana Walstad method. Students will then design and build their own mini aquariums. Come make and take home your own easy to care for 1-gallon aquatic ecosystem!

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NEW! Xeriscaping for Central Virginia | June 27 | IN-PERSON

When most people hear the term xeriscaping, they might think of rocky landscapes or using only drought-tolerant plants. While these conditions aren’t common in Central Virginia, xeriscaping principals can be used to landscape for lower maintenance and more resilient gardens. Join Horticulturist Jayton Howard and learn practical ways to apply these techniques to support diverse, attractive plantings suited to our region, creating more diverse and sustainable gardens that everyone can enjoy. Explore areas of the Garden that showcase examples of these principles including the new Sunrise Gardens in front of the Conservatory. Take home a native plant to begin your own landscape at home.

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NEW! Organic Composting 101:Building Living Soil from the Ground Up | June 27 | IN-PERSON

In this Bloomistry course, you’ll learn how to transform kitchen scraps and yard waste into rich, biologically active compost that fuels living soil. We’ll cover the essentials of building and maintaining a successful compost system—understanding carbon-to-nitrogen balance, moisture, aeration, and microbial life—while exploring why compost is the foundation of regenerative, organic gardening. You’ll leave knowing how to make, use, and apply compost to improve soil structure, enhance nutrient cycling, and build long-term fertility—and each participant will take home Bloomistry’s proprietary compost blend to apply in their own garden right away.

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NEW! Mediterranean Landscapes Under Glass | July 11 | IN-PERSON

Join Clare Reines, Conservatory Horticulturist, in an immersive exploration of the Mediterranean climate and how it is recreated inside the Conservatory. The class will focus on how five diverse regions of the world share the same climate and how that informs plant selection, environmental factors, and plant care factors. Clare will walk through her design process for the Mediterranean wing, focusing on key elements that shaped the final planting. The class will end with a guided tour of our Mediterranean collection, highlighting key plant adaptations and practical strategies for growing Mediterranean species in both controlled environments and outdoors. Each student will take home their own potted Mediterranean plant.

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NEW! Tropical Landscapes Under Glass | July 18 | IN-PERSON

Join Conservatory Horticulturist Clare Reines for an in-depth exploration of how tropical rainforest ecosystems are recreated inside the Conservatory. This class covers the structure and diversity of tropical environments and how environmental factors are carefully managed under glass. Clare will discuss her design process behind the Tropical Wing and maintenance strategies for tropical plants. The class will end with a guided tour of the Tropical Wing, highlighting key adaptations, growth habits, and practical considerations for cultivating tropical plants. Each student will take home their own potted tropical plant.

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Plant Propagation 101 | July 25 | IN-PERSON

Join Horticulture Section Lead Jayton Howard and explore a variety of plant propagation techniques while touring several garden spaces, including the Central Garden, Conservatory, Greenhouse, and Kroger Community Kitchen Garden. Along the way, participants will learn how plants are grown and propagated for the garden, observe these methods in action, and gain hands-on experience practicing them. Each student will also create and take home their own propagation station filled with cuttings.

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Nightlife at Home: Creating Firefly Habitat | July 25 | IN-PERSON

A garden doesn’t stop being beautiful when the sun goes down– the nighttime brings a whole new dynamic! In this course we will discuss which flowers are pollinated by moonlight and why, what native plants create habitat for overnight “guests”, and ways you can create spaces at home for both you and these beautiful insects. Students will receive 1 native perennial (1 qt size) selected for firefly support, and a copy of the book “Silent Sparks: The Wonderous World of Fireflies” by Sara Lewis.

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NEW! Waterlilies 101 | August 1 | IN-PERSON

Discover the magic of waterlilies in this immersive, hands on workshop led by aquatic plant expert and Vice President of Horticulture Danny Cox. After a short introductory lecture and tour of the Garden’s stunning waterlily collections, you’ll roll up your sleeves for the highlight of the class: You’ll pot up your very own waterlily—then take it home to grow! Danny will guide you through the entire process, from selecting soil and containers to planting, positioning, and caring for your new waterlily. You’ll leave with a thriving plant, a detailed care handout, and the confidence to help it flourish.

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NEW! Bloomistry Wellness: Mushrooms 101 | August 1 | IN-PERSON

Explore how fungi support human wellness and ecological balance. In this class, we’ll look at the healing properties of mushrooms like Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and Turkey Tail—how they support brain health, immunity, stress resilience, and more—along with current research and traditional uses. We’ll also discuss the vital role fungi play in soil building, nutrient cycling, and plant communication. Participants will leave with a mushroom tincture kit so they can apply what they learned in class at home!

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NEW! Habitat to Houseplants: A History of Indoor Gardening & Greenhouse Technology | August 8 | IN-PERSON

Join us for a journey through the fascinating history of indoor plant cultivation as we trace the global journeys of the plants that now fill our homes and greenhouses. From early plant explorers and glasshouse innovations to the cultural trends that shaped our love of houseplants, discover the pivotal moments that made today’s “indoor jungle” possible. Explore the newly expanded conservatory on as you learn more. Students will take home a plant typically cultivated under glass.

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NEW! No Soil Needed: Epiphyte Mounting, Care, and Display Design | August 22 | IN-PERSON

Join Conservatory Horticulturist Clare Reines for a hands-on introduction to epiphytic plants (think ferns, cacti, orchids and bromeliads to name a few). The class will include an overview of epiphyte ecology and care as well as commonly epiphytic plant groups. Participants will learn about practical display techniques, appropriate materials, and long-term care strategies. Each student will create and take home their own epiphyte display.

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Fall in the Kitchen Garden | August 22 | IN-PERSON

With grocery prices continuing to increase, interest in kitchen gardens and self-sufficiency is also on the rise. Kitchen gardens are made for intensive cultivation, so they are usually smaller than traditional vegetable plots, can easily be fenced to deter deer and other critters and they can look lovely! In this class, Mark Ragland helps you maintain your kitchen garden through harvest time, planting for fall cool weather crops and cleaning your garden out for winter. Tips on planning your garden for next year are included.

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Meadow Creation for Beginners | August 22 | IN-PERSON

Learn how to successfully convert part of your yard into a thriving, manageable meadow. This course walks you step-by-step through the process: from evaluating your site and preparing the soil to selecting regionally appropriate plants and sourcing quality seed or plugs for your project. We’ll cover some practical design strategies for different landscape sizes, recommended plant combinations that perform well together, and common mistakes to avoid during installation and early maintenance. The program concludes with a guided walk through the newly expanded garden to observe real-life meadow examples and discuss what makes them successful. Students will take home a customized mix-and-match pack of six native perennial plants to begin their new landscape project.

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For creative workshops where you can use live plants to make plant creations to take home, check out our Plant Play: Make and Take Workshops learning category!