More about the Garden

Jun 21st, 2020

Front Entrance Picnics

Since Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden closed its gates to visitors in March of this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteer Elaine Loomis has spent some of her days […]

Jan 18th, 2020

Pineapple Love

Have you ever walked into a grocery store, spotted a tropical fruit and said, “I’m going to try to grow one of those!”? You’d have to be a bit of […]

Dec 27th, 2019

A Year of Service to Community

Taryn Davis was just 21 when she lost her husband in Iraq. In the midst of her own struggle with tragedy, she reached out to help other young military widows […]

Oct 2nd, 2019

Investigating Black Swallowtail Caterpillars’ Behavior

Recently we got a question from a visitor about his black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. After visiting M&T Bank Butterflies LIVE! with his grandson, he decided to grow some parsley in […]

Sep 17th, 2019

Emily Herr Adds a Welcome Mural

The iconic view of the Conservatory and the Central Garden leading up to it immediately draw in visitors. However, hidden behind the Conservatory, an oft-overlooked treasure awaits. The Kroger Community […]

Sep 2nd, 2019

Coming Together to Feed Our Community

When people think of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, they often think of interest rates and bank regulation, but at the core of our mission is service to our […]

Jun 19th, 2019

What’s the Buzz? Pollinators in the Library

National Pollinator Week is a time to celebrate pollinators—like bees, birds, butterflies, beetles, and bats—and learn about ways that we can protect them. After you’ve flitted through M&T Bank Butterflies […]

May 23rd, 2019

Raising Eastern Black Swallowtails

If you’ve ever dabbled in herb gardening, chances are you’ve seen little green worms munching away on your parsley, dill, or fennel. If that’s the case, then you’ve been visited […]

May 9th, 2019

Early Spring Migration

We’re in the early stage of spring avian migration, a time when birders’ pulses quicken in anticipation of finding colorful songbirds, shorebirds and raptors. Some migrants will stay and breed in […]

Apr 3rd, 2019

Garden Talk: Get to Know Leah Purdy

All year long the Garden is full of budding plants. We start to see bright daffodils and colorful tulips in the spring, full hydrangeas in the summer, striking camellias in […]

Mar 27th, 2019

Volunteer John Popenoe Shares Knowledge + Passion

Garden volunteer John Popenoe celebrated his 90th birthday with some of his favorite friends: tropical plants, along with Conservatory staff and volunteers. John’s introduction to plants was his grandfather’s avocado […]

Nov 20th, 2018

Frank L. Robinson Endowed Chair

We are proud to announce Senior Horticulturist Shannon Smith as the recipient of the Frank L. Robinson Endowed Chair. The Frank L. Robinson Endowed Chair, created in 2015, honors the […]

Aug 13th, 2018

Feather-Filled Photos

Graceful. Aerodynamic. Lighter-than-air. These adjectives all come to mind when I look at the photos of the tree swallows captured by Charles Woodrich at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Across […]

Apr 12th, 2018

Servant Leader
Randee Humphrey

The leadership team at Lewis Ginter is as varied as you think it might be, given all the diverse things the Garden does to connect people through plants for the […]

Oct 24th, 2017

From the Archives: Memorabilia

Here is our third and final post in honor of American Archives Month. We’re celebrating by sharing treasures from our collection with you. One of my personal favorite items from our archives […]

Oct 20th, 2017

From the Archives: 1987: A Year of Big Plans

October is American Archives Month and to celebrate, I’ve poked around in the Garden’s Archives to find interesting things for you. On April 16, 1987, the Garden celebrated its first […]

Oct 13th, 2017

From the Archives: Treasures of Bloemendaal Farm

October is American Archives Month and we are sharing our treasures all month long. Sometimes you have to search for historic items, and sometimes they just fall into your hands. […]

Aug 28th, 2017

Interns Talk Water Quality

On a recent summer afternoon, staff of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden gathered for a very special presentation. Horticulture research interns Devon Scallan and Kaitlyn Paulchell had been preparing for this day all summer, […]

Jun 23rd, 2017

CarMax Free Fourth of July & CarMax Volunteers

When I look back at how Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has changed over the years, I think about some of the physical changes: the new Lotus Bridge, the floating docks and […]

Jun 3rd, 2017

Meet Butterflies LIVE! Staff

When you visit Butterflies LIVE!, we understand that you’re here to see the butterflies, to drink in their beauty, and to consider their nature. That’s as it should be. Often times the butterflies will pique your curiosity and […]

May 26th, 2017

People with Purpose

Making a Difference with Urban Greening The last few months have been a whirlwind, as the Garden launched and wrapped up its first training cohort of Ginter Urban Gardeners. I […]

Mar 30th, 2017

Volunteer Brenda Bartges

Brenda 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 […]

Mar 24th, 2017

Gardens Around the World to Add to Your Bucket List

Recently, 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 […]

Jan 2nd, 2017

Ice Skating in Richmond, 1895

On this day in 1895 On January 2, 1895, the Richmond Dispatch reported that Richmond citizens enjoyed ice skating on the first day of 1895 and were fortunate to have […]

Jul 31st, 2016

Folklore in the Healing Garden

Every 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 […]