Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Friday, October 29 – Sunday, October 31 – Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Show: Spirits of the Season

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The Central North and Central South Districts of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. will be hosting “Spirits of the Season”—a National Garden Club Standard Flower show—at Tower Hill this fall. The show offers members of Garden Clubs in the New England Region and beyond an opportunity to exhibit floral designs, horticultural specimens, and educational exhibits with the intent to educate club members and the viewing public and stimulate interest in horticulture and floral design. In this year’s schedule, class titles such as “Bewitched,” “Mask-er-ade,” and “Haunting Delights” provide inspiration for creative expression following a whimsical seasonal theme. The show exhibits are judged and awards are placed. Free with admission to the Garden.

Friday, October 29, 2021, 10AM-5PM
Saturday, October 30, 2021, 10AM-5PM
Sunday, October 31, 2021, 10AM-4PM

The Garden Club Federation of Mass offers many opportunities for education in the gardening world, and “Spirits of the Season” will provide a fun, festive insight into just some of the interests and talents nurtured by the state and individual clubs.

Friday, October 22, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Ancient Grains

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Learn the nutritional benefits of incorporating ancient grains such as spelt berries, quinoa, and amaranth in our diets, and how to cook them. Then find out how to prepare healthy substantial plant-based meals using these grains combined with summer’s abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables. Sample some wonderful dishes and take home some unique recipes. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop will take place October 22 at 10:30 am, with instructor Batul Juma.

Batul is an herbalist and private cook with over 20 years experience. She uses her knowledge of herbs, healthy eating, and natural living to support her clients in leading a holistic lifestyle.

$40 Member Adult; $55 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE

Wednesday, October 6, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Prepping Garden Beds for Winter, Online

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As tired as gardeners are by autumn there are still a few tasks to accomplish before both the gardeners and their gardens can take a break over winter. In this October 6 Tower Hill Botanic Garden webinar Philip Bauerle will discuss all of the ways to prep your garden for the cold season. These tasks will ensure you have a good start next spring. Get prepped now as you get the last few weeks of autumn!

Philip Bauerle studied Biology at the College of Wooster (Ohio, not Mass.). Philip became a Penn State Master Gardener in 2012 and then Master Gardener Coordinator in 2013. After 5 years with the Master Gardeners Philip went to private industry as a plant health care technician.

$10 Member Adult; $15 Adult Register at www.towerhillbg.org

Friday, September 17, 12:30 pm – Drawing Basics: Flowers & Leaves in Perspective

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Drawing basics classes at Tower Hill Botanic Garden are focused on building botanical illustration skills for all levels of learners. In this September 17 workshop with Carol Schwartz, using only pencil, learn about drawing flowers and leaves from a variety of angles, such as side view, pointing at or away from you, and how to draw the 3-dimension curvature of shape in 2-dimensions.

Required Materials (Not Provided with Registration):

  1. 3H, B, 4B, and Prismacolor Ebony pencils
  2. Kneaded eraser
  3. Drawing paper pad, 9″ x 12″

Carol graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

$30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden). Register at www.towerhillbg.org

Sunday, September 12, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm – Painting Marvelous Mushrooms

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This Tower Hill Botanic Garden course on September 12 from 10:15 – 12:15 with Carol Schwartz is focused on learning and applying botanical illustration skills. It is an all levels workshop but it is encouraged that participants have some basic illustration experience. During this workshop, take a short walk along the wooded paths at Tower Hill and find just the right mushroom to paint. Snap a few pictures, then back in a classroom learn about how to use watercolors to create a beautiful mushroom illustration. Carol will provide tips, tricks and guidance for your illustration.

Required Materials (Not Provided With Registration)

  1. Watercolor or mixed media paper pad, 9″ x 12″, such as Canson XL or Strathmore 400 Series
  2. No. 2 pencil and an eraser
  3. Watercolor set, pan or tubes, suggested brands include Winsor & Newton, Pelikan, Raphael, Royal Talens Van Gogh, Koi
  4. Three watercolor brushes; one small round brush size 0 or 1, one medium round brush size 2-5, one large round brush size 6-8

Carol graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

$30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE.

Through Thursday, September 30 – Wild Hideaways: Designed for Adventure

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This summer Tower Hill is bringing the indoors outside with Wild Hideaways: Designed for Adventure. Visitors will be invited to explore a fantastical collection of interactive, outdoor hideaways inspired by art and nature, and custom designed by local landscape architects and artists. These creative pieces will transport visitors to a world full of imagination and adventure. Come explore ! After checking in at either the Tower Hill gatehouse or the Visitor’s Center, find a Wild Hideaways map. Maps can be found at the Visitor’s Center front desk or you can download it here. Follow the map, in any order you please, to find all eight hideaways which are in the Garden Within Reach, adjacent to the daffodil field, and throughout Tower Hill’s meadows. At each hideaway you will have an opportunity to interact with the piece and to play. Indoors, visitors can pop in to visit our Garden Shop, sub-tropical plant conservatories, and the café during open hours.  More information at https://www.towerhillbg.org/wild-hideaways/

Saturday, August 21, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Wild Herb Medicine Walk

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Join folk herbalist Amber Kennedy on August 21 at 11 in the morning on a leisurely plant identification hike around the property of Tower Hill Botanic Garden. We’ll begin with an orientation and introduction to plant identification and foraging, followed by a guided walk. We’ll discuss a plethora of native and introduced wild plants, their folklore and beneficial historical uses and folk remedies as well as some of their benefits and uses to modern day herbalists. Learn each plant’s Latin and folk names, habitat and other identifying characteristics. Please dress for the weather and bring a notebook, pen and camera for documenting specimens. Hand-outs will be provided and field guides will be available for use. $35 for Tower Hill members, $45 for general public. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

Amber Kennedy is a folk herbalist residing in North Brookfield, MA. She has studied both Western Herbal Medicine and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCM) at Clearpath School of Herbal Medicine in western Massachusetts, along with numerous other herb and natural medicine courses. She is the owner of Boheme Botanika Herbals where she creates and sells herbal products, botanical skincare and therapeutic teas, teaches workshops and classes, offers a yearly Full Moon Herbal CSA and stewards an herbal teaching garden at Bell Brook Farm in West Brookfield.

Sunday, July 25, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Pollinators and Plants: Watercolor Techniques

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Take a short walk through the Tower Hill Botanic gardens on July 25 looking for just the right blossom to paint. Take a few photos of blooms that have a butterfly or bee if you’re lucky. Then at the comfort of a table, use your watercolors to paint your favorite flower. There will be instruction from Carol Schwartz on the steps involved in painting a flower and how to add a butterfly or bee. Materials are not included.

Carol graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

$30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register at https://purchase.towerhillbg.org/PatronEducation.aspx?pid=420

Additional Program Information
  1. Materials (Supply your own–not included with registration)
    1. Watercolor or mixed media paper pad, 9? x 12?, such as Canson XL or Strathmore 400 Serie
    2. No. 2 pencil and an eraser
    3. Watercolor set, pan or tubes, suggested brands include Winsor & Newton, Pelikan, Raphael, Royal Talens Van Gogh, Koi
    4. Three watercolor brushes; one small round brush size 0 or 1, one medium round brush size 2-5, one large round brush size 6-8
  2. Please note, there is currently construction happening at Tower Hill, which may result in altered or obstructed walkways, parking lots, or parking spaces, in addition to some noise.
Copyright Carol Schwartz

Wednesday, July 28, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Capture the Herbal Harvest

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Midsummer is herbal harvest time. On July 28 from 9:30 – 11:30 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, learn how, and when, to pick your culinary herbs and how to prepare them for drying or freezing. We will begin by harvesting fresh herbs from Tower Hill’s vegetable garden, then discuss classic, time tested ways to preserve the flavor and fragrance of kitchen herbs by enhancing commonly used condiments. Learn how to make a variety of herb vinegars, including fire cider vinegar, as well as herb butter and herb salt so you can enjoy the benefits and flavors of your favorite herbs all year round!

Each student will make a quart of herb vinegar to take home and enjoy. Recipe sheets are included. Instructor Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A lifelong gardener, herb grower and cook, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral, gardening and cooking skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. An entertaining lecturer, she weaves stories and legends throughout her informative talks and demonstrations. Her gardens, floral work and retail shop have been featured in many books, national magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The American Gardener, Victoria, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living Gardner, Colonial Homes, the Herb Companion, and Traditional Homes.

$50 Member Adult; $65 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register at www.towerhillbg.org

Thursday, May 27, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Pressed Flower & Framed Herbarium Workshop

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Students will construct their own flower press in the Tower Hill Botanic Garden classroom on May 27 at 1 pm, then go outside to pick some wildflowers to put the press to use. Students will come back inside to create a pressed flower, glass framed herbarium of their own design using pre-pressed leaves and flowers. All materials will be provided. This program will be held indoors in one of our well-ventilated classrooms. Group size will not exceed current state restrictions. Please note, there is currently construction happening at Tower Hill which may result in altered or obstructed walkways, parking lots, and parking spaces, in addition to some noise. $40 for THBG members, $55 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org


Suzanne Hauerstein is a professional teaching artist and the Coordinator of Volunteer & Intern Services at Tower Hill. She has over 25 years of experience designing and facilitating art-based programs for informal learning environments. Suzanne is committed to creating programs that are accessible, positive, and enjoyable learning experiences for students of all ages and abilities.