Sadly, we recently discovered southern blight on some of the tomatoes and peppers in our Community Kitchen Garden. Since our mission is education, we wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the causes and symptoms of southern blight and what can be done about it. Also, it’s a chance to show that everyone — even […]
Read MoreWe’ve been writing about our experiences in nature for as long as our story-telling tradition can remember. Some stories take place in nature, the plot driven by elements of our natural world. In other stories, nature is the spirit that finds and fills us with a deep understanding, a connection to people we’ve never met […]
Read MoreFun Butterfly Facts to Know and Tell Robert Frost called them “flying flowers.” The French call them papillon, which also means “parking ticket.” In the United States we call them butterflies, there are lots of theories about why, but no one knows for sure. Want to learn more about these curious creatures? Grab your magnifying glass and […]
Read MoreThe Garden has its own spirit and if you listen, you’ll hear it calling you to your yoga mat. Back pressed into the sun-warmed concrete or the soft grass, you can find your center, confident that you are on solid ground. You can be free to rock your hips from side to side feeling as […]
Read MoreFinches fabricated from LEGO bricks feast on fanciful food at feeders also fashioned out of LEGO pieces. A trio of pollinators (a bee, a butterfly and a hummingbird,) made entirely from LEGO parts, hovers in the summer sun. A bison cow constructed of LEGO pieces communes with her calf in the company of their curious feathered […]
Read MoreThe Rainwater Testing Project is in its third year, collecting data crucial to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s water management practice and conservation mission. Rainwater rarely goes to waste at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Did you know that Lake Sydnor can hold 10 million gallons of water and has supplied over 330 million gallons of collected […]
Read MoreEvery plant has a story. Long before any humans roamed the planet, the earth was covered with a magnificent variety of plant life. Fields grew wild with flowers and grasses in their native lands and climates. Only natural processes, such as wind or animals were around to help them spread to new places. Now, many […]
Read MoreHave you heard? Our Butterflies: LIVE! exhibit is back open for business! The exhibit was closed following storm damage to the Conservatory, where our butterflies live. Our amazing crew has worked hard to make the necessary repairs, and now the butterflies are fluttering about once again. #Bflies Instagram Contest With the reopening of our Butterflies: LIVE! exhibit, […]
Read MoreToday we begin a worldwide and week-long celebration of those somewhat elusive and undervalued insects known as moths. Possessors of natural beauty, their typical camouflage patterns and night-flying habits cause them to sometimes pass unnoticed. Though they are quite unlike the much showier butterflies, it is the oddities and quirks of moths that make them so fascinating. So […]
Read MoreEvery summer, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden hosts several different day nature camps for all age groups. Campers can go on a Garden Safari, a Wild about Bugs adventure, Nature Expeditions, or to see what’s growing in Mr. McGregor’s Garden. New this summer for our Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks exhibit, we have Stop Motion […]
Read MoreFor our weekly Family Walk and Talks this summer season, Children’s Garden educators are taking advantage of the STEAM in the air. No, not the humidity, but science, technology, engineering, art, and math adventures all related to the Nature Connects®: Art with LEGO® Bricks exhibit. Each week we feature a different set of Nature Connects sculptures […]
Read MoreTomatoes are a favorite summer vegetable for many, and for good reason. There is nothing like a sweet juicy tomato fresh off the vine in the middle of July! Tomatoes are a perfect vegetable for beginner gardeners because they are so easy to grow, and there are so many types and varieties to choose from. […]
Read MoreOver the weekend, my mom, Bonnie, had the brilliant idea of going to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for a family garden adventure. She hadn’t been to the Garden during the summer blooming season in many years, usually opting to visit during the Dominion GardenFest of Lights in winter. But now that I’m interning with the […]
Read MoreCarMax Cares about our Garden What would you do with 295 hours? You could sleep for 16 days straight, or brush your teeth 8,850 times. Or you could help with community-improving projects by volunteering all of those hours with Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. That’s exactly what the CarMax Foundation is doing during the month of June. […]
Read MoreAs heirlooms are cherished, so are heirloom vegetables and heritage herbs of yesteryear. Virginia’s rich lineage of historic perennials, annuals, herbs, shrubs and trees are still available for planting today, including some that grew under the watch-care of President Thomas Jefferson. Seeds from plant varieties grown or documented by Jefferson are collected and preserved by the […]
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