Get creative, learn a new skill, and enjoy the Tower Hill Gardens by sunset as you sip on a craft beer or cocktail. All programs in our Craft & Cocktail series include one complementary drink with your choice of a soft drink, beer, wine, canned cocktail, or the evening’s signature cocktail.
Our New England Botanic Garden Glass Gardens Terrarium workshop provides all the elements needed to craft a glass garden for your home. From an array of plants to decorative stones, you’ll have the tools to design a personalized terrarium that reflects your unique style.
No prior experience is necessary; Founder & Florist of Bluebird Bouquets, Haley, will guide you through the process, offering tips on plant care and design techniques. Whether you’re a seasoned plant enthusiast or a novice green thumb, this workshop is the perfect opportunity to learn, create, and take home a stunning terrarium to adorn your space.
The event, led by Haley Cormier, will be held August 14 at 6 pm, and is $100 for adult members, $115 for nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org
Photographer John Rich spent the last year visiting New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill and capturing the Climate Garden and the Garden of Inspiration from a truly unique vantage point: from above. The result is a collection of photographs that offers a rare aerial view of the Garden, highlighting seasonal transformations and shifting daylight. Each photograph displayed in this exhibition preserves an instant in time, enabling the viewer to glimpse the Garden’s cyclical changes, from moments of bloom and growth to decay and rest.
Experience the natural beauty of the Garden from a whole new perspective. Seasons of Change will be on display in the Milton Gallery from August 15 to October 15. This exhibit promises to be a visual treat for anyone who appreciates nature’s beauty and the art of photography.
This exhibit 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.
Get creative, learn a new skill, and enjoy the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill by sunset as you sip on a craft beer or cocktail. All programs in our Craft & Cocktail series include one complementary drink from your choice of soft drink, beer, wine, canned cocktails, or the evening’s signature cocktail.
Join your teacher, Miranda Buck, On August 21 at 5:30 to learn to sketch, paint, and create a decorative sunflower slate to display on your front door using easy-to-use acrylics. All materials are included in this easy, make-and-take class. Miranda has been an artist since the day she could hold a crayon. Throughout her studies she has explored many forms of media including watercolor and ink. In 2007 she self-published a children’s book, Rapid Duck, and worked on wildlife illustrations during graduate school. Miranda is drawn to styles of brush painting that capture the essence of the subject in a few elegant brushstrokes, making the act of painting into a meditative experience. She continues to pursue her career and perfect her skills, drawing inspiration from the natural world.
$60 Member; $75 Adult (includes admission to the Garden) Register at www.nebg.org.
Enjoy a themed multicourse dinner in an intimate setting curated by Peppers Artful Events, in the Orangerie at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on August 19 at 6 pm. 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. Click here to see full menu. $100 per person. This is a multi-course, family-style meal and each admission includes one complimentary beverage. Event is 21+ only.
Ticket Refund & Exchange Policy:Tickets are non-refundable and are only valid for the date selected. All sales are final. Please note: Tickets will not be available to purchase onsite during the event. Pre-registration is required. General Admission discounts and passes do not apply to this special event. Pets should remain at home. Service dogs are welcome throughout the gardens and buildings at all times. Register at www.nebg.org
Take deep breaths, slow down and leave your “to do” list behind. Experience the therapeutic benefits of horticulture while creating floral arrangements including beautiful flowers with shades of summer colors, foliage with amazing textures and fragrant herbs.
Feel calm and refreshed with positive energy by focusing on being in the moment and engaging each of your five senses – sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste — while interacting with sensory rich plant materials. You will design and make an arrangement while learning basic floral arranging techniques. Information will be shared on plants you can easily grow, or collect, for your own unique summer arrangements.
This New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill class on August 4 from 12:30 – 2:30 will include an overview of the therapeutic benefits and power of horticulture to understand why and how it can be used personally, and for people of all ages and abilities. We will discuss the difference between therapeutic horticulture and horticultural therapy. You will learn about benefits including increased relaxation, decreased anxiety, stress relief, sensory stimulation, hope, improved cognitive abilities, engagement in life, connectedness, and physical exercise. It will be clear how plants and the natural world give you support and a sense of well-being when life gets overwhelmingly busy or stressful. We will spend approximately 40 minutes delving into this.
Join Deborah Krause, Horticultural Therapist, in these relaxing sessions where you may leave with a smile, feeling of calm and peace, and pride in your creation.
Deborah Krause is a Registered Horticultural Therapist. She is passionate about wellness and the therapeutic benefits of horticulture for people of all ages and abilities. She has served in various capacities in the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) and the Northeast Horticultural Therapy Network (NEHTN), which she co-founded, and currently is on the Board of Directors. Deborah developed the horticultural therapy program at Perkins School for the Blind and was the horticultural therapist and coordinator of the horticulture center there for 40 years. She is currently a program coordinator at The Nature Connection whose mission is to improve the well-being of individuals and communities through the therapeutic use of nature. Deborah is the horticulture educator at the Memorial Spaulding School Garden where students grow produce to donate to food pantries. She is a horticulture instructor at Danny’s Place for youth. She presents webinars for AARP on adaptive gardening. Deborah consults with non-profit organizations to design and facilitate therapeutic and educational horticulture and nature programs. Deborah’s popular classes for adults creating sensory rich seasonal flower and plant arrangements have focused on relaxation, stress reduction and positive thinking and she is honored and happy to continue to bring this to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill.
$80 for NEBG members, $95 for nonmembers. Register at nebg.org
Come see a large, colorful array of cut roses displayed at the annual New England Rose Society Show on June 15 from 12:00 – 3:00 at The New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. The roses are judged and awarded ribbons and certificates by horticultural judges within the American Rose Society. Learn tips and tricks for easy rose growing and ask consulting rosarians your questions. You do not need to be a member of the New England Rose Society to enter roses. The New England Rose Society is affiliated with the American Rose Society and has been in existence for over 80 years. Their task is to inform and educate people about our national flower, the rose. For more information about the society, visit http://www.rosepetals.org/. 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 will be two lectures. At 10:30 am, enjoy Easy Roses, Happy Gardens: A Stress-Free Introduction, and at 11:30, hear Friends and Foes of the Garden.
Rhododendron, lovingly known as “Rhodies,” are a genus of woody plants native to Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. They grow in temperate deciduous forests often along hillsides and mountain slopes. This spring, the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society brings you a show that will immerse you in the world of rhodies.
The event includes fabulous rhododendron flower displays, educational lectures and workshops, and opportunities to purchase unusual and rare rhododendrons, azaleas, and other compatible plants grown by society members. As a portion of the event, rhododendron flowers grown by society members will be entered into competition, grouped, and judged by type. A guided informational tour of the show’s entries will help you learn what qualities to look for in your own flowers. Bring your questions! Expert growers will be on-hand to help you learn more about all things rhododendron.
The New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill will host the two day event. On Saturday, May 18, the sale will begin at 10, and at 2:00 pm, there will be a lecture on Interesting New Rhododendron Hybrids for New England Gardens.
Sunday, the show and sale will take plae from 10 – 4, sale while supplies last, and a lecture Intro to Rhododendrons and Their Care (2 pm.)
On both days, there will be a Guided Flower Show Tour from 12:30 – 1. For more information visit www.nebg.org
Join Pianist Julia Scott Carey and Composer Stephanie Ann Boyd for a special solo piano performance of the Flower Catalog, a collection of 13 botanically inspired preludes. Set in the Garden’s iconic Limonaia conservatory at golden hour, this one-of-a-kind program will include the world premiere of a new prelude, “Apple Blossom,” and a Q&A with the artists. A selection of beer, wine, and light snacks will be available for purchase during the event.
The exquisite preludes of the Flower Catalog were written by acclaimed composer Stephanie Ann Boyd. Each piece was commissioned by a different piano soloist and inspired by their favorite flower. The collection explores the relationship between memory and nature, influenced by personal stories, childhood memories, and a range of emotions so familiar to the human experience. The result of her work is a musical “bouquet” for audiences to spend time with.
This concert will be the first complete performance of all 13 preludes on one stage. “Apple Blossom,” the centerpiece of this exclusive event, was co-commissioned by New England Botanic Garden and Juventas New Music Ensemble. Inspired by the iconic flower that graces the Garden’s logo and represents its historic apple orchard, the commission honors Marillyn Zacharis, Worcester County Horticultural Society Trustee Emerita, devoted Garden member and horticulturist, as well as Juventas Pianist and Founder Julia Scott Carey for her 20 years performing with the ensemble. Members $25, nonmembers $35.
Tickets must be reserved in advance. The concert will be held twice, May 18 and 19 at 7 pm at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. All ticket sales are final. Click here to reserve your tickets.
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
