Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Seasonal Garden Walk: April 14
2020-04-14 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | 1800 Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, VA, 23228, United States
This event is canceled.
Enhance your understanding and appreciation of the Garden with this specialized garden walk featuring seasonal aspects of the collection. Walks are offered monthly except January, July, and August. Come dressed for the weather and walking in the Garden.

Easter Brunch at Robins Tea House
2020-04-12
This event is now canceled.
Regular Garden admission
Enjoy a Prix Fixe Easter brunch in the Lora Robins Tea House overlooking the Asian Valley garden. Sunday Only. Seatings at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m. Please note that admission to the Garden or Garden Membership is required in addition to your brunch. Tickets go on sale February 1 annually. Reservations: teahouseevents.com. NO phone reservations, please. This event typically sells out. To avoid disappointment, reserve your seat early.

Plants for Pollinators: Spring
2020-04-11 09:00 - 11:30
This class is now cancelled.
Learn how to support honey bees and other important pollinators in your own yard through companion planting and pesticide-free practices. Elise Benhase looks at plants providing support to pollinators from spring to summer.

Nature Journaling - Friday
2020-04-10 09:00 - 15:00
This class is now cancelled.
Celebrate the joys and colors of spring in the Garden by beginning a nature journal. Discover how word, line and color come together to create beautiful pages that capture your unique experience in the out-of-doors. Take home new skills, ideas, and inspiration along with a robust trove of journaling and art supplies to continue your nature journaling practice in all of your favorite places. All experience levels are welcomed. Lunch is on your own. Instructor: Lynn Wilson

Seasonal Garden Walk: April 7
2020-04-07 10:00 - 11:00
This class has been cancelled.
Enhance your understanding and appreciation of the Garden with this specialized garden walk featuring seasonal aspects of the collection. Walks are offered monthly except January, July, and August. Come dressed for the weather and walking in the Garden.

How Many Ways Can You Enjoy a Garden?: A Sensory Tour
2020-04-04 10:00 - 11:00
This event has been canceled.
Join your Garden Guide on a Garden tour that explores the senses! In addition to vision, smell and touch, the senses of taste and sound will be engaged as you experience the Garden through various perspectives. While those with sensory limitations may especially enjoy this tour, all abilities will benefit from this unique Garden experience.
Fees: Member Adult / Non-Member Adult $17

Aquatic WILD
2020-04-04 09:00 - 15:30
The Garden has cancelled Aquatic WILD to help reduce the risk of the spreading the Covid-19 virus. There are no plans at this time to reschedule.
We invite you to explore and share the fascinating world of aquatic ecosystems using fun, hands-on educational activities.
6 hours professional development points.
Lunch is on your own.

Herb Basics
2020-04-04 09:00 - 12:00
This event has been canceled.
Join foodie, world traveler and herbal expert Mark Ragland to learn how to make and maintain a successful herb garden. Mark offers tips for starting your garden, from selections—including some different ones and what works well in our area—to maintenance.

Tree Care Symposium: The New Normal
2020-04-03 08:30 - 15:30
This event is now canceled.
Join scientists and experts in current issues affecting plant health. Confirmed speakers:
Dr. Eric Wiseman, Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech
Karen Firehock, University of Virginia Green Infrastructure Institute and Department of Landscape Architecture
Christine Balk, Davey Tree Expert Company
Sheri Shannon, Southside Releaf
Fee: $80 includes morning continental breakfast and lunch.
Continuing education units pending for: MAC-ISA, LA-CES, Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals, Nutrient Managers, Virginia Certified Horticulturists
Master gardeners and tree stewards self-report attendance

Citizen Science Garden Walk
2020-03-31 10:00 - 11:00, 2020-03-26 10:00 - 11:00
This event is now canceled.
Learn about citizen science (or community science) with your Garden Guide and discover how the Garden is helping the community through observing nature. You will leave the tour inspired to participate in this crowd-sourced scientific project.

Culinary Evening: Bites Around the World: Hawaii
2020-03-24 18:00 - 20:30
This event has been canceled.
Hawaiian cuisine incorporates many different styles of food, reflecting influences from Native Hawaiians, along with European, American, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Puerto Rican and Portuguese cuisines. Join Executive Chef Anne Maury Haapala on this tropical journey as she demonstrates how to create the unique, flavorful and delicious dishes of Hawaii at home. Tropical themed attire encouraged. The demonstration is followed by a delicious dinner featuring some of the evening’s recipes along with an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage depending on preference.

Hygge Reading Party at the Robins Library
2020-03-22 13:00 - 16:00
This event has been canceled.
Chase away the winter blues in Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s coziest nook: the Reading Room in the Lora Robins Library.
In keeping with the Scandinavian concept of hygge—a quality of coziness and contentment derived from taking pleasure in sweet, quiet moments and good company—we invite you to curl up with a good book in our comfy chairs alongside a toasty fire. Cocoa and sweet treats will be provided. The Hygge Reading Party happens on both January 18 and March 22, 2020.

Small Spaces: Springtime in Virginia
2020-03-20 11:00 - 12:15
This event has been canceled.
When the weather cooperates, the Garden excels at “springtime”, with millions of blossoms emerging throughout the Garden. Analyze the beautiful designs created by Garden horticulturists and consider how you can create your own version in containers, pot groupings, or small beds. Notice how evergreens, perennials, and seasonal annuals are mixed. Learn about ways to transition your “small space” throughout the spring and to save those spectacular spring-time bulbs for another year.

Explore Conifers at the Garden
2020-03-17 10:00 - 11:00
This event has been canceled
Venture with your Garden Guide to the Streb Conifer Garden to see the many varieties of conifers suitable for Richmond’s plant hardiness zone. The walk will include other areas of the Garden to highlight the varied shapes, textures and colors of conifers and how they can be used in garden design.

Erin Go Braugh: An Irish-Themed Design
2020-03-09 18:00 - 20:00
Create an Irish-themed arrangement that evokes the colors of the Irish flag in greens, whites, and oranges and also celebrates the coming of spring. David Pippin shows you how to incorporate sticks, moss, stones and maybe even potatoes into a perky seasonal design.

Poet-Tree: Branching Out
2020-03-08 14:00 - 17:00
Open Mic
Whether your talent is poetry, spoken word, singing, beatboxing, or something uniquely you, branch out and make yourself heard before a welcoming crowd! Join host Duron Chavis in the Robins Room for an afternoon of creative expression. We welcome performers of all ages to this family-friendly open mic event.
Read on to learn more about Poet-Tree at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

Lunchtime Lecture: Spotlight on Spices
2020-03-04 11:00 - 13:30
Join spice expert Mark Ragland as you learn how the desire and quest for spices played a huge role in the history of mankind. What was so special about these seeds and bark? Learn where favorite and exotic spices come from and how they were used both historically and in today’s kitchen. Discover how to increase the flavor of your food using spices with Executive Chef Anne Maury Haapala by mastering simple techniques. It’s never too late to spice up your life. The demonstration is followed by a delectable lunch showcasing the topic discussed.

How Many Ways Can You Enjoy a Garden?: A Sensory Tour
2020-03-04 10:00 - 11:00
Join your Garden Guide on a Garden tour that explores the senses! In addition to vision, smell and touch, the senses of taste and sound will be engaged as you experience the Garden through various perspectives. While those with sensory limitations may especially enjoy this tour, all abilities will benefit from this unique Garden experience.
Fees: Member Adult / Non-Member Adult $17

Organic Vegetable Gardening
2020-02-22 09:00 - 11:00
Learn the basics of gardening the earth-friendly way! Organic gardener Heather Veneziano discusses how to ‘go green’ with your garden, including soil amendments, plant maintenance and pest control. Heather focuses on growing vegetables in our area, with an emphasis on heirloom varieties that grow well in the Richmond area. Take home a packet of seeds to start your spring garden.

Advanced Watercolor Techniques: Complex Forms
2020-02-21 10:00 - 15:30
This is the first of four one-day workshops to be held in 2020 to meet the requirement for Advanced Watercolor. Artichokes are our plant models to learn about painting complex forms, spiral formations and the Fibonacci Series. A line drawing will be sent with the supply list. Students are asked to bring to class an artichoke and the supplied line drawing transferred on to watercolor paper. The entire five-hour class will be used for painting with a short lecture, demonstration and peer review. Instructors: Christine Drake and Juliet Kirby.

Basic Floral Design, Part 1: February Session
2020-02-20 18:30 - 2020-03-05 20:30
In Basic Floral Design, Part 1, learn how to create the basic shapes and styles of floral designs—the building blocks for true creativity. This course will introduce you to techniques and styles commonly used by professionals. Learn preparation techniques, how to create basic shapes, and how to prepare flowers for long-lasting arrangements. A section on cut flower care and handling is included, along with a text. All materials provided; students need to bring sharp floral snips. Instructor: Mimi Cassick.

Beginning Botany for Gardeners
2020-02-19 18:00 - 2020-02-27 20:30
Learn about the ‘secret life of plants’ with instructor Joey Thompson. This class introduces you to the way plants make food, grow, and reproduce. Includes a copy of the class text, Brian Capon’s Botany for Gardeners. Follow up later in the year with “Intermediate Botany.”

Lunchtime Lecture: Quick Comfort Food Favorites with Chef Anne
2020-02-19 11:00 - 13:30
Do you love all the hearty and flavor-packed dishes of winter, but don’t always have time to spend all day in the kitchen? Join Executive Chef Anne Maury Haapala as she demonstrates how to create delicious comfort food favorites in a fraction of the time. The demonstration is followed by a delectable lunch showcasing the topic discussed.

Imaginarium Terrariums
2020-02-19 09:00 - 2020-03-04 11:00
A miniature land of your design is waiting to appear! Using clay, sheet glass and copper foil, create lidded terrariums brimming with unique, living environments. Any natural elements you collect, such as mosses, barks or stones, may be added to the interior of your inventive structure during the final session.

Outdoors in All Seasons: Birds
2020-02-17 16:30 - 19:00
Explore the plants and animals in your schoolyard through multidisciplinary activities, experiments, art, and literature connections.
2.5 hours professional development points.
Includes light fare.

Captivating Tales from the Conservatory
2020-02-15 11:00 - 12:15
Avoid the chilly weather and take a tropical mini-vacation inside the Conservatory. Look carefully at major groups of plants that reside there – ferns, orchids, palms and unusual blooming tropical plants. Learn their origin, growth patterns and adaptations, including the multiple ways they attract pollinators. Acquire tips for growing tropical plants and making them part of your gardening adventure.

Seed Swap
2020-02-08 13:00 - 15:00
Included with Garden admission; free for members
In need of seeds? Want to meet fellow seed lovers? Bring seeds or bulbs to share, exchange them for new and interesting seeds, and learn how to use Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s Seed Library. By swapping, borrowing, planting, harvesting, saving, and returning seeds to the library, you can join your neighbors in a fun and fruitful planting cycle. Read on to learn more.
Please bring seeds to swap or donate to the Seed Library and/or a canned food donation for Feed More.

Seasonal Garden Walk: February
2020-02-04 10:00 - 11:00
Enhance your understanding and appreciation of the Garden with this specialized garden walk featuring seasonal aspects of the collection. Walks are offered monthly except January, July, and August. Come dressed for the weather and walking in the Garden.

Selecting and Caring for Indoor Plants
2020-02-01 09:00 - 11:30
Are you a plant lover without a garden, dread winter’s lack of green, and jealous of those perfectly-manicured interiors on Instagram and are wondering where they get those amazing indoor plants? Join Elise Benhase to discuss different types of houseplants, how to keep them alive, and how to find a place for them in your home.
