Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden wants to introduce two new seasonal gardeners to our horticulture team. Welcome, Jaimie Woll & Brad Heath. Our seasonal gardeners assist horticulturists and are responsible for the daily maintenance of the Garden. Their tasks include weeding, watering, pruning plants and many more tasks that help our Garden look immaculate. If you […]
Read MoreButterfly nets, bug boxes and jars filled with lightning bugs. To a child who spends his days exploring the seemingly magical outdoor world, these tools are essential. Sometimes, as we grow older, we become preoccupied with other necessary routines life requires of us: school, work or chores. As a result, it can become all too […]
Read MoreLast year was hard for all of us and took a toll. In 2020 the American Psychological Association says 8 out 10 of us report that the Coronavirus pandemic was a source of significant stress in our lives. The good news is summer is here and as more and more people become vaccinated, things are […]
Read MoreA fig is a flower turned inside out. That soft pod of sticky summer sweetness is not a fruit at all. “It’s actually an inflorescence – an inverted cluster of tiny, fleshy flowers,” explains Mary Lincoln, Lewis Giner Botanical Garden’s Exhibitions Assistant. And while we love to wrap them in prosciutto, bake them into a […]
Read MorePeople often think of bird feeders as something good we can do to help out the birds, but did you know that bird feeders are also a place where birds can catch disease? Birds tend to congregate at birdfeeders (or even birdbaths) and this is how disease can spread. The Audubon Society of Richmond and […]
Read MoreSomething serendipitous happens when a bee or a beetle, a bird, a bat or a butterfly rummages through the bright bloom of a flower in search of food. Lured by the promise of nourishing nectar, these tiny creatures unwittingly brush pollen from anther to stigma, prompting the plant to set seed and reproduce. We call […]
Read MoreBees, bees, bees! Recently there’s been a lot of talk about saving the honeybees. Many articles explain the importance of honey bees as pollinators, and their declining numbers due to pesticides, diseases and pests. Don’t get us wrong, we love honey bees too. But, there’s another kind of bee you should know about: native bees. […]
Read MoreMy love of moths continues as I channeled the spirit of the Hyalophora cecropia Linnaeus or Cecropia moth, the largest native North American moth for my latest work of art. Moths don’t always get a lot of love so I thought I’d showcase their beauty in this costume I created. I hand-painted the wings and […]
Read MoreEveryone should be able to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables. The Kroger Community Kitchen Garden at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden helps make that possible by growing and harvesting produce and delivering it to Feed More’s Meals on Wheels and Kids Cafe programs serving Central Virginia’s most vulnerable populations. We started the Community Kitchen Garden with […]
Read MoreHave you ever walked through the Conservatory and heard melodic chirping or deep croaks that sounded like the grunts of a monkey? You might be surprised to know that those are the sounds of the frogs that live throughout the jewel of the Garden, our Conservatory! The Conservatory Has Frogs? That’s right! Did you know […]
Read MoreSenior Horticulturist Elizabeth Fogel studied the latest theories for sustainable and regenerative landscapes by visiting 10 eco-focused botanical gardens over the past two years. Her cross-country travel and hands-on research were made possible by the Frank L. Robinson Endowed Chair in Horticulture. In downtown Chicago, Fogel was awed by the Lurie Garden, 2.5 acres of […]
Read MoreLandscaping in Layers Nature loves a layer. She cements courses of sediment into solid stone. She laminates an annual succession of circles into living trees. She layers an onion in pungent iterations of itself, one inside the other. And, sandwiched between the strata of the earth and the envelope of its atmosphere, she has built […]
Read MoreHave you ever looked along a highway and observed all the trees covered in vegetation from trunk to branches? It was most likely English ivy (Hedera helix), the final of our 12 Dirty Dozen plants. H. helix certainly isn’t last in terms of its invasiveness in our region and at the Garden. We hope you […]
Read MoreI can’t think of a better way to spend a cool spring morning than with a cup of hot tea, celebrating the sun with the tulips. We chat about the day ahead and then I turn away, cupping a mug of Daily Wellness Tea with Peppermint from a local business, Forrest Green Farm. Building Community […]
Read MoreOur Dirty Dozen plant of the week is Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). This ornamental vine is still widely available in the horticultural trade, even though it has invaded all of the eastern United States (as far west as Texas) and caused considerable damage to native ecosystems. Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica is a member of the honeysuckle […]
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