Christie Dustman, Certified Landscape Designer, APLD, Christie Dustman and Co.
4 Thursdays : March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 6:30–8:30pm
Location: Weld Hill Building

As you survey your garden, do you feel like the plants just don't hang together? Does planting design seem to be an innate sense that you just don’t have? Come and learn to think about plants in terms of their form and function first, and... Read more about Design with Plants

Speakers:

• Jennifer Jewell, Creator/Host, Cultivating Place, NPR Radio Show and Podcast; Garden Writer
• Kaki Martin, ASLA, PLA, Principal of Klopfer Martin Design Group
• Kristin McCullin, Horticulturist, Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens
• Patricia Spence, President...

Read more about Cultivating Space: Women in Horticulture and Place-making

Grafting is the technique of joining parts of separate plants in such a manner that they unite and continue their growth as one. Learn basic principles of grafting with an overview of different types of dormant-season grafts. Arnold Arboretum propagator Sean Halloran will provide step-by-step instructions so that you can practice both cleft and side veneer grafts using apple root stock. Simple after-care will be required until planting out in springtime. Registrants will need to sign an Assumption of Risk and Release in order to participate in this class.
Fee $48 member, $58... Read more about Grafting Woody Plants: Fruit Trees

More than enough food is produced to feed every person, yet nearly 40% of food is wasted in the United States. This waste squanders our natural resources and has negative impacts on the environment and the economy. The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic has been at the forefront nationally in terms of educating about the relevant laws, supporting innovative models to increase food recovery, and driving policy change at the federal, state, and local levels to align incentives to reduce food waste. Emily Broad Leib will share the key knowledge developed by FLPC, providing an...

Read more about Directors Lecture Series: Food Waste Policy: Using Systems Change to Stop Squandering One of Our Greatest Resources

Families need nature all year round! Meet inside the main gate at the Visitor Center. We will find a place to play together, making snow angels, snow humans, and more! Afterwards, families are invited to come inside the Lecture Hall to warm up with cookies and cocoa. Free and open to all, most suitable for children ages four through ten.

In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209.

Docent Robbie Apfel leads this winter walk in an exploration of the Arboretum's conifer collection. Beginning from the Bussey Street Gate, you will be introduced to the Arboretum's grand gymnosperms, learn the botany of conifers, and hear about Hemlock Hill's evolving ecosystem. This tour will also introduce you to native and non-native conifers in the winter landscape.

In case of inclement weather, please call 617 384-5209.

Free, registration is limited and requested at my.arboretum.harvard.edu...

Read more about Conifers in Winter

Attention gardeners, readers, and writers! Come in from the cold for an afternoon as delightful as a spring garden. Jonathan Damery, the associate editor for Arnoldia, will provide an enlivening and breathtaking tour of the artistry found in horticultural and botanical reference books. Bask in the profound eloquence of even the most exhaustive of botanical descriptions. Often cloaked in scholarly tomes, these compositions boast opinion, passion, simply gorgeous wordsmithing, and even intrigue, in some cases.

Fee $5 member, $10 nonmember

Register at...

Read more about A Rose is a Rose: The Art of Botanical Prose

“Eastern Asia – eastern North America temperate woody disjuncts” is a mouthful. But, once you get the hang of it, you will discover the fascinating evolutionary stories of botanical emigrants that have journeyed from Asia to North America and evolved into much of what now makes up forest ecosystems in the eastern United States. You will also discover that the Arnold Arboretum holds one of the most important collections of such disjuncts, and that for nearly a century and a half, has been facilitating family reunions between such long-separated evolutionary cousins. This biogeographic...

Read more about Directors Lecture Series: Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, and the Discovery of Intercontinental Disjuncts

Most of us have an intuitive sense of what counts as "biodiversity" and why it is important to live in a biodiverse world, but these questions have also powered decades of revelatory and complex ecological research. Join Putnam Postdoctoral Fellow Jake Grossman for an exploration of the world of biodiversity research. Our focus will be on how scientists define and quantify biodiversity and how biodiversity loss affects the way that ecosystems work. Jake will share highlights from his dissertation research, which entailed the use of experimentally planted "forests" to study the role of... Read more about Botany Blast: What is Biodiversity and Why Does It Matter?

Without their leaves, trees can be challenging to identify in the winter. However, if you consider a tree’s branching structure and buds, you can often determine its species. Former Arboretum horticulturist and now a high school teacher, Sue Pfeiffer will speak about the clues to look for and the keys available to help you definitively identify specific trees. Dress in layers for indoor and outdoor learning.
Fee $40 member; $52 nonmember

Register at... Read more about Winter Tree Identification

You may have the desire to make a garden, but then grapple with how to start designing your home garden spaces. Why not get some help in designing a layout for an area of your yard in this beginner-level class? Learn the organizational components of a coherent garden and practice the process of design with award-winning designer Christie Dustman. You will leave class with a plan in progress from which to continue your design explorations. This class is primarily about garden spaces rather than specific plant selection. In the final class, Christie will present various ways to work with... Read more about Garden Design Workshop for Home Gardeners

This intensive introductory course will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and understanding to create a great-looking garden that is healthier for people and the environment. This class is based on the principles of the Sustainable Sites Initiative (sustainablesites.org), the nation’s first rating system for sustainable landscapes. The comprehensive curriculum covers a range of topics, including soils, water, plants, and landscape materials. (Note: This is not a garden design class, but a practical class on how to garden and care for sites that is most beneficial for the...

Read more about Landscape for Life

Families can enjoy nature any time of year! Take a walk and use a handlens to see the intricacies of evergreen needles and cones. You will be surprised at something you’ve never noticed before! Using microscopes indoors we will use the same tools that scientists use to learn about our world.

Free, no registration required.
In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209.

Cure the winter doldrums! Students will learn the basics of bulb forcing and will plant a layered bulb container containing daffodils, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, and tulips. Bulb arrangements will be taken home to nurture and enjoy. Fee for all materials, including bulbs, soil, and container, is included in the cost of the class. Limited to 10; register early. Register no later than Monday morning, January 13 as we must prepare materials for this class.
Fee $40 member, $48 nonmember

Register at... Read more about Jumpstart Spring: Forcing Bulbs

Arboretum for Educators monthly explorations are a professional development opportunity for elementary and middle school teachers to introduce the Arboretum landscape as an outdoor classroom. Participants learn about specific hands-on life science topics that may be used or adapted by teachers for their own classrooms and outdoor spaces. Meet and network with other like-minded educators, and engage in life science learning.

Free, but ...

Read more about Arboretum for Educators