Certificate and Advanced Certificate in Native Plants
The Certificate in Native Plant Studies provides a well-balanced botany, ecology, and taxonomy curriculum that enables students to develop a greater appreciation of native flora of the southeastern United States. The program provides basic scientific background and hands-on investigative opportunities. Studies leading to the Certificate will enhance the experience of professionals as well as dedicated amateur botanists and provide strong credentials for those involved in botanical, ecological, and conservation endeavors. Classes are taught by Garden staff, UNC professors, and other area experts.

Botanical Art Fundamentals: An Online Program
The Botanical Art Fundamentals Program is designed to give students a foundational level curriculum combining basic scientific background, visual arts theory, and a basic level of experience using various media. Classes are taught by North Carolina art professionals and botany professionals. The program can be completed 100% in the virtual format, although individuals may also choose to take courses in-person as well. Course offerings and scheduling are designed for completion within a one and one half to two-year period.

2/3/2023
1:15 PM - 2/24/2023 4:45 PM

Composition: The Bones of a Painting
This course is a broad study in the elements that formulate a good artistic composition. Students learn how to make visual choices and determine how parts of a plant are arranged on the page to balance botanical accuracy and artistic sensitivity. Composition serves as a prerequisite for Integrating Composition and Color Theory. Note: This class involves homework assignments. The amount of time students need to spend on homework varies and usually ranges from five to 15 hours per week.

2/4/2023
1:15 PM - 2/25/2023 4:45 PM

Intermediate Expressive Colored Pencil - Virtual
This course makes use of the techniques and information covered in the Beginning Colored Pencil class. Students will continue developing skills in drawing in colored pencils with attention to form, texture and detail. Using live botanical specimens, students will apply their drawing skills to create botanical portraits of seasonal plants such as twigs, leaves, petals, flowers, pods, and fruit. We will develop personal and expressive aesthetic while maintaining scientific accuracy.

2/7/2023 1:15 PM

Pen and Ink - Virtual
In this class, students learn to draw with pen and ink using standard techniques and conventions. Students work with both “old-fashioned” dip pens and modern technical pens to create accurate botanical drawings. Prerequisite: Intermediate Drawing.

2/9/2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Increasing Seeds for Conservation Needs
There’s a problem in natural resource conservation: a lack of plant material (seed and vegetative plugs). But not just any type of plant material; there is a lack of genetically diverse, locally sourced plant material. In this talk we’ll learn about the importance of using local material, what is involved in plant materials development (wild collections, propagation, seed increase, seed storage) and what the North Carolina Botanical Garden is currently doing to address the demand.

2/13/2023
9:30 AM - 4/24/2023 12:00 PM

Garden Guide Training - Youth Programs
Do you have an enthusiasm for the natural world that you’d like to share with others? Are you looking for a fun and exciting learning opportunity? Become a Youth Garden Guide! Youth Garden Guides are specially trained adult volunteers who help us to educate thousands of people each year through school field trips, discovery stations, and family special events. Our enthusiastic and committed volunteers create memorable learning experiences and serve as ambassadors of the Garden's mission.

2/23/2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Green Space as Cultural Space: Centering Native Leaders' Voices in Conservation Conversations
The UNC American Indian Center (AIC) and the North Carolina Botanical Garden (NCBG) each demonstrate unique leadership in conservation programming, and both aspire to deepen the focus on Indigenous-led conservation and climate strategies. The cultural and community strengths of the AIC paired with the technical and botanical strengths of NCBG have led to a partnership grounded in strong relationships and trust. We will share the many ways we are uplifting the voices and perspectives of Native conservation and climate resilience leaders and the outcomes of this work, both expected and unexpected, with our reflections on what characteristics and methods have supported, strengthened, and sustained this educational partnership.

3/8/2023
9:30 AM - 3/29/2023 12:30 PM

Botany for the Artist - Virtual
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Traditional botanical illustration was relied on to record and share the identification of plants through accurate representation. Botany for the Artist is a practical course which hopes to encourage the inquisitive artist to understand, interpret and improve their botanical knowledge by reinforcing terminology, observing and notating plant structure and practicing identification with the taxonomic keys. The four lessons—Habitat, Flower Parts, Leaf Comparison, and Fruit Structure—will culminate with the students drawing a graphite work representing a specimen identified at the NCBG.

3/10/2023
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Hike: Dutchman's Breeches at Willie Duke's Bluff
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Milo Pyne and Scott Ward will lead you to the natural area known as Willie Duke’s Bluff. You will have the opportunity to observe an outstanding display of Dutchman’s breeches and other rare and unusual spring native wildflowers including some of our local ephemeral favorites, including bloodroot and dimpled trout lily. This hike is somewhat difficult, depending on your abilities, and includes one steep climb. During the hike you will be off trail during times, and if there have been recent rains, parts of the trail might be muddy, so please wear sturdy shoes/boots and long pants. This traverse usually requires approximately three hours. Meeting spot provided upon registration.

3/11/2023
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Second Saturday NCBG Tour
From March to November, join our skilled volunteer Garden Guides on the second Saturday of the month for a guided tour of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Each month offers a glimpse into what’s happening in our unique native plant gardens – from spring wildflowers to fall color – and what makes the NCBG one of the premier conservation gardens in the US. Tours are one (1) hour and space is limited! Please register each member of your party separately.

3/12/2023
1:30 PM - 3/26/2023 4:30 PM

Plant Ecology
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Plant Ecology is a conceptual course designed for a broad audience interested in the interactions of plants within their environments. Ecological relationships at the organism, population, community, and ecosystem levels are examined, using examples from the rich and diverse North Carolina flora. Students will learn about nutrient and energy cycling within ecosystems, as well as about current threats and trends for the conservation of ecosystems. No prerequisites.

3/18/2023
1:15 PM - 4/15/2023 4:45 PM

Mixed Media: Botanicals in Watercolor, Colored Pencil, and Pen & Ink
This class is designed to increase your skills and confidence in the use of the various art media taught at the Garden. The instructor demonstrates techniques to combine watercolor, ink and colored pencils to create vibrant botanical paintings. Students receive one-on-one instruction to evolve their own unique drawing and painting. Prerequisites: Pen & Ink, Beginning Colored Pencil, Intermediate Watercolor

3/24/2023
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Among Trees: A Mindfulness Workshop
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Although much of the North Carolina Piedmont’s forest habitat has been altered, or eliminated, for housing, commerce, and highways, we remain, in a sense, forest dwellers. This workshop is an opportunity to deepen our awareness of trees and forest ecosystems at a time when the Piedmont forest is waking up from winter. This workshop will take place in a North Carolina Botanical Garden natural area (place TBA). After an introduction to the forest ecosystem, we’ll use techniques derived from forest bathing, mindfulness practice, and prompt writing to explore and share our kinship with the forest.

4/1/2023
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Penny's Bend: A Half Day Field Trip
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve is an 84-acre site that protects numerous rare plant species. It is surrounded on three sides by the Eno River in eastern Durham County, North Carolina. This half day field trip will include a visit to distinct plant communities including a remnant Piedmont prairie, rich mesic and alluvial forests, and dry shortleaf pine-dominated bluffs. Rare species found on the Preserve include the smooth purple coneflower (Echinacea laevigata), eastern prairie blue wild indigo (Baptisia minor var. aberrans), hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens), and Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria). Much of this hike is on primitive trails over uneven terrain, with one short, steep climb up from the river. Wear sturdy hiking footwear and bring insect repellent, water, and a walking stick, if you ever use one.

4/6/2023
10:00 AM - 4/27/2023 12:30 PM

Sketching Landscapes in the Garden
Have you ever wanted to loosely capture what you see in a sketch while out on a hike or sitting in your own backyard? In this class, the North Carolina Botanical Garden will become our classroom as we experience the healing benefits of sketching while out in nature. You can lower your stress levels and promote mental calmness as we sketch the landscape before us. This class is about loosely capturing the essence of the natural world, so don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of drawing experience as we won’t be focusing on all the little details. This class is for all skill levels.

4/15/2023
1:15 PM - 5/13/2023 4:45 PM

Botanical Sketchbook: Virtual
Take your sketchbook outdoors and reconnect with plants in their natural environment. In this course, students are encouraged to shed old habits and try new techniques as they travel through the variety of gardens and habitats in their home areas. Through a combination of guided exercises and free experimentation, students discover new ways of seeing plants, new problem-solving skills, and a refreshing way of thinking about layout and color. Several media are used, from ballpoint pen to watercolor to pencil. No prerequisite.

4/22/2023
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Native Southeastern Medicinal Plants
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Explore the beauty of native southeastern medicinal plants through field identification. Using the expansive resources of the NCBG display gardens and the Piedmont Nature Trails behind the Garden, students take in the abundant medicine that our local flora has to offer. Topics include field identification, ethical gathering and harvesting, history and lore of each plant, therapeutic and medicinal uses as well as preparations. No prerequisites.

5/10/2023
1:15 PM - 5/31/2023 4:45 PM

Intermediate Expressive Watercolor: Virtual
This class introduces students to fluid watercolor techniques such as wet-on-wet. Students will learn to work with more water in the beginning and middle of the painting process and then rely on the skills learned in Beginning Watercolor to refine and add detail towards the end of the process. Students will create textures for backgrounds, work on color mixing using a limited palette, and learn to use glazing and masking fluid. Techniques for correcting mistakes in watercolor will also be covered. Upon completion of this course, students will have knowledge/skill of the following: • Working with various amounts of water and watercolor paint; • Working wet-on-wet; • Working with masking fluid; • Making a variety of watercolor textures such as salt, plastic wrap, etc.; • Glazing; • Working with a limited palette; and • Color mixing

6/3/2023
1:30 PM - 6/24/2023 4:00 PM

Advanced Drawing: Botanical Plates - Hybrid
In this course, students work towards refining drawing skills in creating a plant portrait. Specifics to this class include rendering a tonal botanical plate, working with live plants, studying plant anatomy, as well as mapping and cross-contour drawing for accuracy. Prerequisites: Intermediate Drawing, Composition.

8/7/2023
8:00 AM - 5/13/2023 5:00 PM

Hybrid Certificate in Therapeutic Horticulture
The Hybrid Certificate in Therapeutic Horticulture (HCTH) provides comprehensive online and in-person instruction to professionals and students in allied health, education, and design fields who wish to incorporate therapeutic horticulture into their practice. This nine-month program allows maximum flexibility for those who need convenient, self-paced, evening, and weekend learning opportunities. Students will build foundational knowledge and explore how Therapeutic Horticulture supports human health & wellness, including physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, vocational, and social needs.