Families need nature at all times of the year! Meet inside the main gate at 125 Arborway. We’ll search for signs of spring along Meadow Road, looking for flowers, insects, birdsong, and more! Free and open to all. For more information call 617-384-5209.

In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209.

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 $62 member, $75... Read more about Grafting Woody Plants

Become a backyard orchardist and grow your own fruit! Even with a small yard, you can enjoy fruit from your own trees with minimal effort and cost. This step-by-step workshop will teach you all you need to know to plan and create a compact orchard for years of enjoyment. Participants will spend part of the workshop outside in the orchard for a pruning demonstration, so dress accordingly. Space is limited; pre-registration required.
Fee $20 member, $30 nonmember

Offered with the Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust

Register at my.arboretum.... Read more about Planning and Creating a Compact Orchard

To understand how a tree develops, it is helpful to understand what leads to change. In this Botany Blast, Jake Grossman, a plant ecophysiologist and community ecologist, will explain what’s happening inside a tree that makes leaf buds break, initiates flowering or the dropping of leaves. Bring your questions and delve into the signals and processes that trigger events in trees. Botany Blasts are created for the Arboretum’s Tree Spotter Volunteers to help them better understand the phenological events they are recording in the landscape, but all are welcome to participate. 

... Read more about Botany Blast: Triggers in Trees

Women are often overlooked when we discuss individuals who had great impact on botany and landscape design of the 20th century. The Arnold Arboretum was one of the few institutions in America that encouraged women to study with and be mentored by established botanical and landscape design professionals.

Mary (Polly) Wakefield Eleanor Cabot Bradley, Martha Brookes Hutcheson, Marian Roby Case and Marjorie Russell Sedgwick developed exceptional personal garden spaces and designed outstanding professional landscapes, and were also very active in the conservation and...

Read more about Cultivating Legacies: New England Women in Horticulture and Landscape Design

Perhaps surprisingly, urban environments support a high diversity of native bee species. But where are they living and what are they eating? In this workshop, you will first learn about the biology and diversity of native bees and why they are important pollinators. We’ll dive into the city lifestyles of bees and the strategies they employ to be successful in these anthropogenic landscapes. In the second part of the workshop, we’ll focus on native bee decline and conservation, and learn answers to common questions such as: Why are bees dying? Do all bees need saving? What can I do to...

Read more about Native Bees in the Hood

Catherine Chamberlain, MSc, Biodiversity and Conservation, Trinity College Dublin and PhD student, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University; Wayne Daly, MSc, Biodiversity and Conservation, Trinity College Dublin, Assistant Property Manager, Habitat SanctuaryCat and Wayne will introduce basic gardening concepts and satisfy your desire to get growing. The class will include:

... Read more about Get Rooted in Urban Gardening

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

Museums assign value to their collections by understanding each piece’s backstory – for instance, where did it come from, who created/collected it, what does it represent, what feeling does it elicit from a visitor? The plants in our own gardens can and should do the same, but too often have become generic and mundane because we have forgotten their backstories. Perhaps even worse, we may be losing our own personal connections to what we grow. Michael Dosmann will provide his own perspective on how to re-engage with our garden plants in ways that make it personal.

Fee Free... Read more about Do Your Garden Plants Have a Backstory?

Join Arnold Arboretum's Brendan Keegan for an easy walk looking for winter birds. In January, Brendan will discuss how species alter their behaviors, diets, and/or bodies to survive the colder temperatures. For his February walk, that meets at the Bussey Street Gate, you will listen for, and discuss bird calls, and talk about owl mating season. The March walk on St. Patrick's Day will be a talk about how birds migrate and the impressive migrations of common Arboretum species, with a look for early migrants around the grounds.

All skill levels, especially beginners, are encouraged to... Read more about Monthly Bird Walks Through the Winter

Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arboretum, only one, the lilac, is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Mainly located on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America. Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum since 1908.

Tours of the lilacs and...

Read more about Lilac Sunday 2019

Learn how to build safe homes for native birds. This class covers best practices for general bird house design using the Arboretum's own nest boxes (for tree swallows, eastern bluebirds, black capped chickadees, and screech owls) as examples. You will learn tips for deterring predators and non-native competitors, as well as how to safely monitor young nestlings. Finally, you will build and take home your own "Chickadee Tube," a design suitable for many Boston yards. 

Fee $28 member, $35 nonmember

Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-... Read more about Build a Better Bird House

Join Arnold Arboretum's Brendan Keegan for an easy walk looking for winter birds. In January, Brendan will discuss how species alter their behaviors, diets, and/or bodies to survive the colder temperatures. For his February walk, that meets at the Bussey Street Gate, you will listen for, and discuss bird calls, and talk about owl mating season. The March walk on St. Patrick's Day will be a talk about how birds migrate and the impressive migrations of common Arboretum species, with a look for early migrants around the grounds.

All skill levels, especially beginners, are encouraged to... Read more about Monthly Bird Walks Through the Winter

The Crimson Toastmasters Club invites you to attend our Open House on March 5 from 12:30 to 1:30p at the Smith Campus Center, 1350 Mass Ave, Isaacson Room, 2^nd Floor. The event will be a full-functioning Toastmasters meeting with speeches and opportunities to practice your public speaking skills. Guest are welcome to come and are encouraged to participate. Lunch will be served. More info can be found at...

Read more about Crimson Toastmasters Club Open House