This follow-up  to “The Beginner’s Perennial Garden” focuses on the next wave of tough, high-impact perennial selections.  Instructor Beth Burrell discusses how variety in color, shapes, sizes, textures and cultural needs factor into the overall design.  Discover strategies for season-long pizzazz through foliage impact and long-lasting blooms. Learn how to attract beneficial insects and plan […]

Experience how honey bees gather nectar and pollen from the Garden’s flowers. We see beauty; they see lunch! Your Garden Guide will introduce you to some of the most popular “honey bee plants” and end your tour where the bees do at the Apiary (bee hives) installed in 2016. Gain a whole new understanding of […]

Perennials can provide almost year-round color in an easy-care garden.  This workshop introduces you to hardy perennials, simple starter plans, and the basics of soil preparation.  Instructor Beth Burrell (The Giving Tree) shares her years of experience as a landscape designer—including how to create a garden on a site with bad soil!  

Enhance your understanding and appreciation of the Garden with one of these specialized walks featuring seasonal aspects of the collection, offered monthly except January, July, and August.  Come dressed for the weather and walking in the Garden.   

Denise Walser-Kolar reveals her technique for painting on vellum during this three-day workshop. Begin by doing some exercises on small bits of vellum to learn her technique and get a feel for painting on this surface. Then choose a small fruit to draw and paint. This class is designed for students new to vellum (learn […]

Learn yoga’s calming rhythms of breathing, movement, and posture in a tranquil Garden setting.  Small class sizes enable instructor Jacqueline Gooding to offer individual pointers and address multiple levels of experience.  Please bring a blanket, yoga mat, water and appropriate layered clothing for the season.  Classes take place in the Garden or inside Garden buildings, […]

Students already familiar with Crewel embroidery design and stitch an illuminated letter using botanical elements (flowers, leaves, berries) for borders and background in the medieval style.  The project can be framed or scanned, printed, and laminated for placemats and coasters to personalize your dinner service. Fabric and threads are included. A list of additional supplies […]

Join the Rose Garden Horticulturist, Laurie McMinn, for this introduction to basic rose garden pruning.  Learn best practices for pruning, and spend time in the Rose Garden for a hands-on demonstration.  

Mentors and students work on certificate projects together in an informal setting.  Open to BI certificate candidates only.  

Learn the basics of gardening the earth-friendly way!  Garden horticulturist 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 […]