Step inside eight exceptional private gardens across Worcester on June 21 for one special afternoon. This self-guided tour celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and landscapes rarely open to the public. Proceeds support the Worcester Garden Club’s Civic Projects Program, funding local beautification efforts and youth education initiatives.
Learn more and purchase tickets HERE. Garden tour only – $40. Tour and Secret Garden After Party – $125. All guests must check in at Coal Mine Brook Park, 616 Plantation Street in Worcester.
Elevated celebrates the beauty and wonder of orchids in combination with captivating aerial sculptures by artist Cicely Carew (@cicelycarew). Featuring a stunning display of more than 2,500 orchids, this year’s orchid exhibition transforms the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s subtropical conservatories into an immersive world of color, movement, and botanical brilliance. Inspired by the forms and rhythms of nature, Carew’s “flying paintings” soar overhead—a joyful expression of the connection between art and nature.
Cicely Carew (b. 1982, Los Angeles, CA) is a Boston-based artist, educator, and wellness facilitator whose work brings together color, movement, and emotion in joyful and unexpected ways. Her multimedia practice blurs the boundaries between artistic disciplines—mixing painting, collage, sculpture, printmaking, sound, and video—to create vibrant, immersive experiences that invite viewers to pause, breathe, and reconnect.
Carew works from a place of improvisation and intuition, using layers of color and texture to explore ideas of freedom, transformation, and play. Her art celebrates the unknown and reminds us that healing and discovery often come through curiosity and openness. Each piece feels alive, full of energy and possibility, offering space for viewers to find their own meaning and sense of balance.
Carew earned her MFA from Lesley University’s College of Art and Design in Cambridge, MA, and her BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA. Carew’s work has been featured at institutions across Massachusetts, including the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Fuller Craft Museum, the Fitchburg Art Museum, The Commons in Provincetown, and Simmons and Northeastern Universities. Her work is also part of several permanent collections, such as the Harvard Art Museums, the Boston Public Library, the Fitchburg Art Museum, the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, Google, and Fidelity Investments.
Design an elegant seasonal showstopper with poinsettias, roses, evergreens, and berries. Learn expert floral design skills and techniques. This New England Botanic Garden class on December 13 from 10:30 – 12:30 is $115 for members, $140 for nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org
Deck the halls with dazzling winter florals. Join us for a festive floral design workshop where you’ll create beautiful holiday décor for your home. Great for gifting or brightening your own home.
All ability levels are welcome and all supplies will be provided along with a light coffee & tea service. Instructor Mary Beth Hayes is an avid gardener and floral designer who began studying floral design so she could bring the beauty of the garden into her home. She’s taken classes with the Mass Horticultural Society and Cass school of Floral Design in Watertown, Massachusetts. She has studied with noted floral designers Francoise Weeks, Holly Chapple, and Hitomi Galliam. Mary Beth loves to share the techniques she has learned with others so we can all “play with flowers” and create beautiful, natural flower arrangements and more.
Night Lights is an annual celebration held at The New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, MA just outside of Worcester. Night Lights is an inclusive, secular event where visitors of all backgrounds can celebrate winter, light, and nature together. Amidst a quarter million lights, enjoy a delightful evening with popular favorites such as s’mores, seasonal drinks, a model train, holiday shopping, and fun photo opportunities for the whole family! NEW this year, a skating rink will debut for the first time in Night Lights’ history to bring joy to the young and young at heart. Colorful landscapes, immersive experiences, and lifetime memories await this winter!
NIGHT LIGHTS Daily, 4 pm to 10 pm Celebrate the season with enchanting landscapes, fun experiences, and thousands of lights. Enjoy seasonal fare and spirits, visit our Garden Shop for unique gift ideas, or give the gift of four-season membership. Pre-purchased timed-entry special event tickets are required for entry after 4pm.
Night Lights ticket prices for Tower Hill members and nonmembers range from depending on age and date. Nonmembers pay slightly more. Reserve at https://nebg.org/nightlights/
Ikebana (Japanese for “arranged flowers” or “living flowers”) has been practiced in Japan for centuries and is now practiced worldwide. Members of Boston Chapter #17 of Ikebana International participate in three of the many schools of Ikebana. The Ikenobo school is the oldest of the schools, dating back to the 1400s, and considers itself the origin of Ikebana. Ikenobo emphasizes the Rikka and Shoka styles, in both traditional and modern forms. The Ohara school, founded in the 1890s, emphasizes naturalistic arrangements and created the popular Moribana style. The Sogetsu school, founded in the 1920s, emphasizes personal expression through Free Style arranging.
Members of Boston Chapter #17 of Ikebana International are pleased to display arrangements and give demonstrations representing these three schools of Ikebana at Tower Hill. Free with Admission to Tower Hill. Hours are Friday, October 24, 12 – 5, Saturday, October 25, 10 – 5, and Sunday, October 26, 10 – 4. For details on hours of special demonstrations and workshops, visit https://nebg.org/shows/
As autumn deepens and the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill slips into its golden hush, guests are invited to explore its more mysterious side in an evening where every herb tells a story, and every dish stirs something ancient. Candlelit tables adorned with vintage apothecary bottles and dried botanicals set the stage for a celebration of folklore, flavor, and enchantment. Seasonal ingredients are transformed into dishes infused with warmth and herbaceous notes that weave through each course. The menu has a touch of magic in each bite as an ode to nature’s healing and indulgent powers. Sip botanical cocktails, herbal tonics, and craft mocktails—elixirs echoing the garden’s flavors. As the night unfolds, the glow of candlelight and warmth of good company create an atmosphere of wonder, connection, and mystery. The October 26 event ($115 NEBG members, $125 nonmembers) is for 21+ age group. For full details, visit https://nebg.org/garden-dining-series/
Indulge your palate at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill with special dining experiences 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, October 10 from 6 – 9, join for a Fall New England Harvest Dinner at the Garden. Immerse yourselves in the essence of the autumn harvest season and celebrate nature’s bounty with refined flavors and exquisite aromas amidst the beauty of fall foliage. $115 NEBG members, $125 nonmembers. Register and view full menu at https://nebg.org/garden-dining-series/
The award-winning New England Carnivorous Plant Society (NECPS) returns to New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill 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. For more information visit https://nebg.org/shows/
Step into a world of botanical wonder at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on September 1 – November 2 with Stranger Plants. This exhibition brings to life imagined plant species with bizarre, otherworldly traits inspired by the remarkable adaptations of some of the most interesting plant species found right here on Earth. Celebrating the strange and the spectacular with bold colors and unusual shapes, this immersive experience unfolds in The Ramble, a garden designed to spark curiosity for visitors of all ages. This fall, prepare for extraordinary encounters with plants unlike any you’ve ever seen and get up close to species so unique they could only exist in your wildest dreams, and nowhere else on Earth.
Experience this otherworldly exhibition during the Garden’s daytime general admission hours, through an educational program, or during Glowing Wild, a special event series taking place on select Fridays and Saturday evenings. Stranger Plants is included with general admission. Additional tickets are required for educational programs and Glowing Wild. We recommend you purchase general admission tickets online in advance. You can also buy tickets in person at the Garden. For more information visit https://nebg.org/stranger-plants/
Step into the flames literally and explore the full creative process behind dramatic botanical prints. In this immersive, full-day New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill workshop on August 23, learn to safely scorch your own wood tree plate using fire, carve into the charred surface and hand-print bold, layered works of art. With over a decade of experience in botanical research, education, and garden management, Alyson brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to NEBG and the Education Team.
In her role as Manager of Adult Education, instructor Alyson Prokop is passionate about advancing plant sciences learning and biodiversity through inclusive initiatives at botanical gardens. Her dedication to promoting botanical education is evident in her previous work at Royal Botanical Gardens Canada, where she coordinated workshops, tours, and community programming with a strong focus on food security issues.
Alyson’s background includes formal training in plant sciences and economic botany, holding a BSc in Plant Biology and graduate studies for a MSc in Plant Pathology from the University of Guelph. Her career path has led her to managerial and curatorial roles, particularly in collections management and education.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Alyson is also an accomplished artist and printmaker. Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, she channels her creativity into illustrating colorful and vibrant botanical sci-fi art. Her work, influenced by old sci-fi movies from the Golden Age of Film, showcases a unique blend of mid-century retro-futuristic style.
$110 Members Adult | $132 Non-Member Adult (includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE.
