Indulge your palate with special dining experiences at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill that honor plants, local agricultural, and the craft of cooking. Enjoy thoughtfully curated, multicourse menus provided by Peppers Artful Events. Each dining experience in the series focuses on a different cuisine, reflecting seasonal themes and enhancing experiences at the Garden. Garden dining events are 21+ events. On Friday, August 24 from 6 – 9, savor creative, wholesome dishes that celebrate the bounty of the earth, offering a nourishing and delicious feast that’s as good for the planet as it is for your palate. Showcasing the finest seasonal vegetables, hearty grains, and delectable legumes, artfully prepared to highlight their natural goodness. Reserve your tickets and view complete menu at https://nebg.org/garden-dining-series/. $115 NEBG members, $125 nonmembers. This is a multi-course, family-style meal. Each guest will receive one complimentary beverage from a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including beer, wine, signature drinks, and soft drinks. Additional beverages may be purchased throughout the evening. This event is 21+ only.
A great gnome uprising is coming! In 1986, the Worcester County Horticultural Society purchased Tower Hill Farm in Boylston and began building New England Botanic Garden. It is said that gnomes inhabited the property, long before the Garden was ever built, but strangely, over the past two years gnome activity has been on the rise. But why? Perhaps the gnomes are tired of hiding. Or maybe they are curious about the visitors, or the new gardens we’re building. No matter the reason, we’re prepared for their return this year. Are you?
We seek artistic individuals or groups to help us creatively decorate one of our 28-inch-tall concrete garden gnomes. The decorated gnomes will be displayed during our annual Gnomevember exhibition that takes place each November and will join our gnome family after the exhibition ends. Successful design proposals will be creative, fun, inclusive, and family-friendly. Please note that designs should only focus on painting the gnomes; extra added elements or altering the structure will not be accepted. Please click here for the proposal document and submission directions. Proposals are due by July 25, 2025.
The award-winning New England Carnivorous Plant Society (NECPS) returns to the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on October 5 and 6 to showcase a fascinating group of plants sure to captivate and amaze. Featured plants include pitcher plants from Malaysia with traps the size of softballs that are capable of eating lizards and mice. There will also be sundews from Australia ranging from the size of a dime to 12+ inches high and the ever-popular Venus Fly trap. For all native plant lovers, NECPS will also display carnivorous plants that grow locally in Massachusetts and throughout New England.
Over 300 plants are scheduled to be on display and seminars will be offered on growing and feeding carnivorous plants. Visit the Venus Fly Trap feeding station where you can observe up close how these plants devour insects. Plants and growing accessories will be available for purchase for both novice and experienced growers from carnivorous plant vendors and the NECPS. Society members will be present both days to explain how the plants feed, what they eat, where they live, and how they can be grown and enjoyed at home.
Join us at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill to celebrate the work of Marie Anthony, a Boston-based painter whose vivid artworks on display are inspired by botanical forms found at New England Botanic Garden. Dynamic oil paintings come to life with a blend of saturated and muted colors, intricate patterns, and distinct shapes. It’s a vibrant and uplifting exhibit that conveys the joys of the spring and summer growing seasons as well as the beauty and intricacy of nature. GREEN will be on view in the Milton Gallery through August 11, and whether you’re a lover of art, nature, or both, this exhibit is sure to inspire. For more information visit https://nebg.org/green/
From giant dahlias over 10” in diameter to miniatures less than 2” in diameter, a wonderful selection of tubers in a wide array of forms will be available at The New England Dahlia Society’s annual tuber sale. NEDS members will also be available to provide dahlia growing advice and to help you divide your own dahlia roots. The event will take place this year at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on April 21 from 11 – 3:30. This event is included with General Admission. We recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance to secure your preferred date. You can also buy tickets in person at the Garden.
There are few flowers that have the unique genetics of dahlias, which accounts for their amazing variability of forms, colors, and sizes. From dime-sized minion singles to giant decorative blooms, open-faced forms, honeycomb balls, waterlilies, and cactus types, you will be amazed at the variety of this flower family.
The New England Dahlia Society is a horticultural organization devoted to the study, growth, exhibition, and enjoyment of dahlias. They are a young society, founded in 2016, with over 100 members of both seasoned and beginning growers from all over New England (MA, RI, CT, ME, NH, VT) as well as NY and NJ.
The Four Seasons have been used in Chinese painting since the Song dynasty (960-1279). Through demonstration and hands-on practice, you will explore and develop an understanding of the different brush stokes to create an expressive orchid painting. This class is great for beginners as well as experienced artists. If you want to find out how exciting, relaxing, and fun it is to paint and be inspired by beautiful African Violets, don’t miss this fun New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill class on April 27 from 9:30 – 11:30.
Most of the material is included with registration.
Required Materials (Not included with registration):
Two containers (one for clean water and the other for cleaning brushes, minimum size: 2 cups)
Two flat white 6-8 inches plate (small dinner plate is ok)
Instructor: Sau-Mei Leung
Sau-Mei Leung is a graduate with the Natural Science Illustration Certificate from Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education. She also has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Connecticut. Her interest in art was sparked by studying Chinese calligraphy in primary school in Hong Kong. Mei has exhibited in many shows including Davis Art Gallery, Tower Hill Botanical Garden, and Art Providence. One of her watercolor paintings was also featured in Scenes and Seasons of a Small New England Village published by Leonard A. Haug. Mei is passionate about teaching and sharing her love of art, nature, and science.
$55 Member Adult; $70 Adult (includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE
The lawns that cover tens of millions of acres in the U.S. have many detrimental environmental impacts, including that they offer very little habitat value to insect pollinators and other at-risk wildlife. Abandoning turf monocultures is vital in our fight to halt biodiversity loss. To do this, many people are embracing meadow-style plantings of native grasses and wildflowers. Unfortunately, creating an ecologically valuable meadow is not as simple as deciding to stop mowing. Landscape designer and author Owen Wormser will talk about a range of different design, site preparation and maintenance approaches, and discuss how to choose the right ones based on your resources and landscape conditions. He will also describe strategies for working with neighbors, HOAs and municipalities so that your blossoming meadow landscape is welcomed into the community. This New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill class will take place February 7 at 7 pm, online and in person at Tower Hill.
Owen Wormser was born and raised in rural Maine. He grew up in a small town, surrounded by the profound presence of the natural world. This marked the beginning of his ever-deepening relationship with the earth and plants. He earned a degree in landscape architecture and quickly learned to use regenerative, low-maintenance practices in designing and building landscapes. Owen actively practices the skills and perspectives necessary to effectively weave people and the natural world back together. Based in Western Massachusetts, his company, Abound Design, provides design, consulting, and installation services. As an ongoing student of the landscape, Owen continues to be excited to share his vision and experience with clients seeking carefully designed and built landscapes.
This lecture is part of the Grow Native Massachusetts Evenings with Experts series and is free for all to attend. This program will be offered both in-person and online. To register, visit www.nebg.org
Come learn the basics of UV Resin and make beautiful, trendy, one-of-a-kind pendants with dried flowers and other elements. In this class you will learn how UV Resin works, basic step by step instructions for the best results, and leave with the skills to confidently continue working with resin on your own. You will leave with finished pendants, which can be used for necklaces, jewelry, or keychains. Instructor Linda Snay was born in Connecticut and has always been drawn to the world of art. She discovered watercolors at a young age and was encouraged by art teachers. She studied art in college and went on to graduate from Eastern Connecticut State University with a BA, double major in Studio Art and Art History. After moving to Massachusetts, her career led to positions in education in museums and art centers, and she is currently a teaching artist leading engaging art classes for both children and adults. She works in various media, including watercolor, acrylic, oil, and pastel. She is a member of Arts Worcester and participates regularly in exhibitions in Central Massachusetts. NEBG members $60, nonmembers $75, includes admission to the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. Register at www.nebg.org
Using watercolor paints, oil pastels, colored pencils, and decorative papers we will paint, tear, and collage an abstract floral painting. Design, composition, and color theory will be explored. The class will take place October 6 from 1 – 3:30 at NEBG at Tower Hill.
Suzanne Hauerstein is a professional teaching artist and the Coordinator of Volunteer & Intern Services at New England Botanic Garden 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.
$40 Member Adult; $55 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) All materials will be provided for this workshop. Register at www.nebg.org
April marks the 200 anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, the master designer of public parks and a founder of the field landscape architecture. On October 9 at 5:30 at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, join historian and filmmaker Laurence Cotton (originator of and consulting producer to the PBS special Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America) as he does a deep dive into the remarkable life and career of the Renaissance-man Olmsted–writer, philosopher, social reformer, advocate for the preservation of natural scenery, and creator of some of the most beautiful public and private parks and gardens in all of N. America. In his presentation, Laurence will talk about the influences of design traditions, aesthetics and philosophies that influenced Olmsted’s thought—including English garden design, the Hudson River School and Transcendentalism. Laurence will also give a visual tour of representative masterful landscapes designed by Olmsted, Senior, as well as his two sons and the Olmsted Bros. landscape architecture firm, as the footprint of their works literally stretch across the entire continent of N. America, with something of a focus on New England, and in particular, Massachusetts and nearby sites in Connecticut and Rhode Island. For more about the celebrations of Olmsted in 2022 check out the website olmsted200.org. You can also check out local programs by visiting Olmstednow.org
Laurence Cotton, currently based in Portland, Oregon, a city that benefits from an Olmsted-master planned park system, originally hails from Boston, renowned for its Olmsted landscapes and the home base for generations of landscape design practitioners working for the Olmsted Bros. firm. A practicing public historian, and writer/producer of historical films for PBS, Mr. Cotton was trained as a cultural anthropologist and brings that lens to bear on much of his work. He has worked with the tribal populations on throughout the Columbia River watershed and has also worked on open space acquisition and the designs of parks and trails in Pacific Northwest. He also brings training as an interpretive naturalist, is a birder and a photographer. His visit to Worcester is one of many such stops on his 2022 tour of the U.S. to present programs about the Olmsted legacy during the Olmsted 200 year.
$15 Member Adult; $25 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE.
