Treat your sweet to a night in one of Denver’s most romantic locations – the Denver Botanic Gardens.
HEALTH & WELLNESS CLASSES
Evening Kundalini Yoga
Mondays, 6-7 p.m.
$10, $8 member, in the Morrison Center
Kundalini yoga focuses on awakening energy and unlocking our inner potential through breathing techniques, movements, stretching, meditation and mantra. This ancient and sacred practice is the oldest form of yoga and is an effective way to recharge and heal the body.
Evening Vinyasa Yoga
Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m.
$12, $10 member
Instructor Blake Burger teaches vinyasa yoga against the stunning backdrop of the Gardens. All levels welcome. Participants are asked to bring water and a yoga mat.
CHILDREN AND FAMILY PROGRAMS
Seedling Classes
Tue: 18-24 mo. old, 9:30 & 10:45 a.m.; Weds: 3-6 year old, 9:30 & 11 a.m.; Thu: 24-36 mo. old,9:30 & 10:45 a.m.
$11 for 18-36 month old, $9 member; $13 for 3-6 year old, $11 member
Seedlings classes offer a fun, hands-on way for young children to explore the plant world, while developing an understanding and appreciation for plants. Seedlings programs are offered for three different age groups and are modified to fit the developmental needs of each group.
Family Workshop: Winter Fairies
Saturday, January 16 or Monday, January 18, 10 a.m. or 2 p.m.
$12 adult, $10 member adult; $17 child, $15 member child
Join us as we create miniature lands for mystical garden friends. Discover what plants fairies prefer as you design, plant and landscape a tiny oasis for a fairy. Each family can create a container garden to take home. For children ages 4-10.
Mini Camp at York Street: My Smelly Day
Monday, January 18, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$55 child, $50 member child
Explore plants in all their smelly glory. Test how people and creatures respond to both good and bad smells, concoct a scented sensation and plant a fragrant flower. For ages 6-12.
Mini Camp at Chatfield Farms: Diary of a Worm
Monday, January 18, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$55 child, $50 member child
Discover what happens in a day in the life of a worm. Discover how worms and other insects are beneficial on the farm and in the garden. Make a tasty treat and build a worm bin complete with red wrigglers to take home.
Homeschool Day: Prehistoric Plants
Monday, January 25, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
$11 per child (includes one free adult), $7 additional adult
Become a paleobotanist for a day. Explore the plants of Colorado’s past climates and discover the plants that the dinosaurs ate. Plant a relative of a prehistoric plant to take home with you. Homeschool Days offer families the opportunity to explore plant-based themes through a variety of hands-on activities, tours and take-home projects that families can do together. For ages 5 and up.
EXHIBITS + DISPLAYS
Steppe Plants: Botanical Illustrations Featuring Plant Select
November 22 – February 14
This juried exhibition highlights species from Plant Select, a leading nonprofit cultivator, distributor and educator of plants suited to the high plains and intermountain regions. On view in the Gates Garden Court Gallery.
Orchid Showcase
January 8 – February 22
Enjoy a winter escape with a stroll through the annual Orchid Showcase in the Orangery and Marnie’s Pavilion. Hundreds of exotic blooms are featured from common specimens to rare orchids that are part of the Gardens’ living collection. The Showcase is a great idea for a Valentine’s Day activity.
HEALTH & WELLNESS CLASSES
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Tuesday, January 19 or 26, 6-8:30 p.m.
$25 members and non-members
The foundation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the cultivation of mindfulness – clear, non-judgmental attention to the present moment – with regard to the ongoing experience of body, feelings, emotions and mind. MBSR studies reveal its power to reduce medical symptoms and psychological stress while enhancing the health and well-being of program participants.
Seasonal Discoveries Tour
Saturdays, January 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 2 p.m.
$14, $9 student, $7 member
No matter the time of year, botanical treasures await your discovery with these guided tours of gardens at their seasonal peaks. Experience the Gardens’ landscape at its best, whether through the colorful bounty of summer, the crackling beauty of fall or the marvelous contrasts of winter.
Colorado Connections Tour
Sundays, January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2 p.m.
$14, $9 student, $7 member
Understand the climate, beauty, ecology and horticulture of the Rocky Mountain region with a guided tour of iconic gardens and plants in the West. Gain practical knowledge about water-smart gardening and take a closer look at the science and contemporary issues surrounding Colorado plants.
Through May: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.SCFD FREE DAYS
Chatfield Farms: March 1
York Street: March 19
Off the Clock: Kilts and Clovers
Friday, March 4, 6-9 p.m.
$17, $12 member in advance; $22, $17 member at the door
Warm up Friday nights this winter with Off the Clock, a new event series. Live music, activities, cash bar and specialty dinners from Offshoots Café feature a different theme each month. Revel in the lush warmth of Marnie’s Pavilion and the Orangery. March’s Kilts and Clovers theme celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Celtic rock music, gold scavenger hunt and a Celtic costume contest.Literature in the Spotlight: Spring has Sprung
Saturday, March 26, 1:30-3 p.m.
$30, $25
The Gardens’ Helen Fowler Library and Stories on Stage present an afternoon of short fiction and poetry devoted to the art of gardening in all its fervor, frustration and fecundity. Professional actors help usher in the start of the growing season and make these stories come to life! This is a program for people who not only love tending their gardens, but love hearing a good story, as well.
TOURS
Seasonal Discoveries Tour
Saturdays, March 5, 12, 19, 26, 2 p.m.
No matter the time of year, botanical treasures await your discovery with these guided tours of gardens at their seasonal peaks. Experience the Gardens’ landscape at its best, whether through the colorful bounty of summer, the crackling beauty of fall or the marvelous contrasts of winter.
Colorado Connections Tour
Sundays, March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2 p.m.
$14, $9 student, $7 member
Understand the climate, beauty, ecology and horticulture of the Rocky Mountain region with a guided tour of iconic gardens and plants in the West. Gain practical knowledge about water-smart gardening and take a closer look at the science and contemporary issues surrounding Colorado plants.
Gardens Architecture and Design Tour
Friday, March 11 and Sunday, March 27, 2:30 p.m.
Free with Gardens admission
Learn more about the Gardens’ built environment and aesthetic as you explore the evolving architecture and landscapes at the York Street location, including the Boettcher Tropical Memorial Conservatory that celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016.
EXHIBITS + DISPLAYS
V is for Victory
February 25 – May 15
Explore the historical and contemporary graphic traditions surrounding the victory garden movement. Posters, advertisements and seed catalogs celebrate the virtue of home gardening.
ADULT CLASSES
2016 Tree Diversity Conference: Design with More Tree Types
Thursday, March 3, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$75, includes lunch
The third annual event features four noted speakers addressing the top of diversifying the Colorado Front Range tree species palette and how to make them feel welcome and prosper in our difficult high plains conditions. Our focus this year is also on the way tree species diversity can enable and enhance innovative landscape design whether for water conservation or aesthetic objectives.
Water Wise Landscaping for Non-Designers
Saturday, March 5, 9 a.m. – noon
$50, $46 member
This class teaches how to begin planning a landscape better suited to a dry climate and your needs. While low-water-use plants are great, they’re only as good as how you use them in the garden. This class explains how to think through landscape before you plant to ensure success and a put-together look. Take home materials provide follow-through.
Growing Great Garlic
Saturday, March 5, 10-11:30 a.m.
$38, $33 member
Expand culinary experiences by planting and growing your own garlic. Learn tried and true garlic planting, care, harvest, culinary tips and recipes. Enjoy some delicious garlic appetizers and bonus tips on how to grow indoor garlic chives all winter.
Cooking with Whole Grains
Saturday, March 5, 10 a.m. – noon
$45, $40 member
A diet based around whole grains, vegetables and heart-healthy fats is one of the most sensible ways to eat. The grocery store’s bulk department is an amazing source of tasty and inexpensive whole grains. Chef Elizabeth Buckingham teaches how to cook many different grain varieties with great techniques and delicious recipes including soups, risotto and bread. Learn how simple it is to add these easy, healthy grains to your daily diet!
The Keys to Vegetable Gardening
Thursday, March 10, 6-8 p.m.
$33, $28 member
Learn the keys to successful vegetable growing on the Front Range including tips and tricks to make your gardening life easier. Colorado provides a short growing season, dry air and spotty rainfall, hot summer days and cool summer nights, erratic late spring and early fall frosts. Soil conditions add another gardening challenge. Learn when and how to make changes to produce the vegetables you want for fresh eating and preserving.
Invitation to Ikebana: Modern
Saturday, March 12, 2-4 p.m.
$44, $39 member
Ikebana is an expression of our respect and appreciation toward nature. Participants get hands-on instruction to put together a “Moribana” arrangement, expressing the beauty of nature in a modern living environment. Moribana-style Ikebana was developed in the late 19th century in Japan and became very popular because of its flexibility without losing natural atmosphere.
Beginning Rocky Mountain Gardening
Wednesday, March 16, 6-8:30 p.m.
$90, $80 member
This course is designed for the Front Range beginner gardener. The basics of what is needed to adjust gardening skills from other climates to the Front Range’s finicky climate are covered. If you have never gardened here before or are looking for more success, this is the class for you! Learn the skills necessary to become an enthusiastic gardener. Annuals, perennials and vegetables are discussed, along with trees and shrubs that thrive in our climate, elevation and varying soils. Plant selection, planting and troubleshooting is discussed.
CHILDREN AND FAMILY PROGRAMS
Seedling Classes
Tue: 18-24 mo. old, 9:30 & 10:45 a.m.; Wed: 3-6 year old, 9:30 & 11 a.m.; Thu: 24-36 mo. old,9:30 & 10:45 a.m.
$11 for 18-36 month old, $9 member; $13 for 3-6 year old, $11 member
Seedlings classes offer a fun, hands-on way for young children to explore the plant world, while developing an understanding and appreciation for plants. Seedlings programs are offered for three different age groups and are modified to fit the developmental needs of each group.
Bumblebee Jamboree
Saturday, March 12, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
$12, $10 member, $7 child, $5 member child, free for kids two and under
Sing along and dance to original and traditional songs, express yourself, laugh and play. These family-friendly concerts are fun for all. Parents can enjoy these interactive experiences with children 12 and under. Children can dress as their favorite pollinator such as a bird, bee or butterfly. Performers will be announced in early 2016.
Homeschool Day: Pollination
Monday, March 21, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
$11 per child/adult combo, $7 additional person
Pollination is essential to the lifecycle of many plants. Learn how the Gardens depends on pollinators to help it grow as you discover the relationships between plants and pollinators. Learn how to protect pollinators and create an insect hotel to take home with you. Homeschool Days offer families the opportunity to explore plant-based themes through a variety of hands-on activities, tours and take-home projects that families can do together. Activities are designed for children ages five and up.
Spring Break Camp at Chatfield Farms: Signs of Spring
Mon-Fri, March 21-25, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$269, $249 member
Grow the mind, plant a new friend and explore life on the farm with our week-long day camp. Each camp contains a variety of activities that allow kids to discover the world of plants and animals through art, science, cooking, gardening and caring for farm animals. Discover how to read the signs of spring in nature, find out what farmers must do to prepare the ground for the next growing season as you care for farm animals and work in the gardens and fields. Homemade snacks and take-home projects will enrich the days. For ages 6-12.
Spring Break Camp at York Street: Garden Explorers
Mon-Fri, March 28 – April 1, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$269, $249 member
This fun week of exploration, crafts and culinary arts features explorations of gardens around the globe, making a container garden and using fresh ingredients to hone culinary skills. Discover how to re-purpose household trash into games, art and a planter for your very own air cleaning plant. For ages 6-12.
HEALTH & WELLNESS CLASSES
Evening Kundalini Yoga
Mondays, March 7, 14, 21, 28, 6-7 p.m.
$10, $8 member, in the Morrison Center
Kundalini yoga focuses on awakening energy and unlocking our inner potential through breathing techniques, movements, stretching, meditation and mantra. This ancient and sacred practice is the oldest form of yoga and is an effective way to recharge and heal the body.
Evening Vinyasa Yoga
Wednesdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 6-7 p.m.
$12, $10 member
Instructor Blake Burger teaches vinyasa yoga against the stunning backdrop of the Gardens. All levels welcome. Participants are asked to bring water and a yoga mat.
Spring Detox and Tonics for Vibrant Health
Saturday, March 19, 10 a.m. – noon
$25
Learn the secrets to losing winter weight and improving energy and vitality: the traditional spring cleanse. Discover super foods, herbs and tonics for creating vibrant health. Enjoy a delicious lunch and take home a purifying tea and cleansing herbal tincture to get you started. All materials, recipes and lunch included.
