North Carolina Botanical Garden
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Month
Date
Upcoming Event
July
7/9/2022
9:30 AM - 7/23/2022 12:30 PM
Drawing and Painting a Hummingbird and Columbine: Virtual
In North Carolina, there are many species that pollinate plants, ranging from the checkered beetle which pollinates the Venus flytrap located in NC's eastern wet pine savannas to the ruby-throated hummingbird who visits a wide variety of plants. This class will address the morphology of the hummingbird and the flower of the eastern Columbine. Students will have two weeks between each class to produce a black and white value drawing and a watercolor.
7/9/2022
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.
7/16/2022
9:30 AM - 8/6/2022 12:30 PM
Botany
This course is introductory in nature and designed for a broad audience. It covers basic principles of botany including taxonomy, anatomy, morphology and physiology. Class time is divided between lectures and examining/dissecting samples. There are also opportunities for making observations in the gardens.
7/16/2022
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Coker Arboretum Tour
Take a tour of this gem on the UNC campus with Coker Arboretum curator Margo MacIntyre. This walking tour will explore the 5-acres that make up the Arboretum, allowing time for observation and discussion. Each tour differs as the gardens change through the seasons.
7/21/2022
1:00 PM - 8/11/2022 5:00 PM
Beginning Drawing: Virtual
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
An introductory level course of drawing for beginners and those wishing to refresh their skills. Includes using a sketchbook for line drawing exercises on seeing to draw, quick sketching, mapping for accuracy, and other basic principles of drawing. This is a live two hour Zoom format class divided into a group session for lecture, demonstrations, and group critique with the instructor followed by one on one individual appointments for consultation and problem solving. Prerequisite for Intermediate Drawing, Beginning Watercolor, and Beginning Colored Pencil. 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.
7/23/2022
1:15 PM - 8/11/2022 4:15 PM
Beginning Drawing: Hybrid
An introductory level course of drawing for beginners and those wishing to refresh their skills. Includes using a sketchbook for line drawing exercises on seeing to draw, quick sketching, mapping for accuracy, and other basic principles of drawing. In this hybrid class, students will receive videos of demonstrations to review at home and will receive further instruction in person at the Garden. Prerequisite for Intermediate Drawing, Beginning Watercolor, and Beginning Colored Pencil. 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.
7/28/2022
9:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Moth Night
Moths are among our most diverse, colorful, and ecologically important groups of organisms. Approximately 2,700 species occur in North Carolina, but most people only ever see just a few and are startled when they first see a Luna Moth or a Polyphemus Moth, never having suspected that there were such species flying around in the night. We may even come across a Sphinx Moth pollinating a night-blooming wildflower. Moth Night shines a light on this amazing group of organisms. We'll use two common techniques to sample moth populations – blacklights and baiting – to take a look at the local fauna. Bring your cameras, with best results obtained using a flash.
August
8/11/2022
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Obelisks, Wagon Wheels, and Other Amazing Dragonfly Behaviors
Dragonflies are a welcome sight on warm days, but they are also an important part of their environment. Learn about the many fascinating behaviors of dragonflies that help make them a valuable part of many ecosystems, including many that you can see right in your own backyard!
8/13/2022
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.
8/20/2022
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Coker Arboretum Tour
Take a tour of this gem on the UNC campus with Coker Arboretum curator Margo MacIntyre. This walking tour will explore the 5-acres that make up the Arboretum, allowing time for observation and discussion. Each tour differs as the gardens change through the seasons.
8/20/2022
12:00 PM - 4/15/2023 12:00 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 eight-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.
8/23/2022
1:00 PM - 9/13/2022 3:00 PM
Intermediate Drawing: Virtual
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
In this class, students continue their journey to learn the skills needed to produce accurate tonal graphite botanical drawings from life. Covered topics include: more methods to increase accuracy, transitioning to tonal drawing, light on form fundamentals, realistic textures, and rendering fine plant details. Prerequisite: Beginning Drawing.
8/25/2022
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Natural Communities of Agape Center for Environmental Education
Greg will describe the natural communities found within the portion of Camp Agape (approximately 300 acres in Harnett County, NC) where trails are located and a total of seven different natural communities were identified. These natural communities include Piedmont Levee Forest, Piedmont Alluvial Forest, Piedmont/Mountain Semipermanent Impoundment, Low Elevation Seep, Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest, Dry-Mesic Oak-Hickory Forest, and Dry Oak-Hickory Forest. This is a report on Greg’s Independent Study Project for the Advanced Certificate in Native Plants.
8/29/2022
12:00 PM - 10/16/2022 12:00 PM
Introduction to Therapeutic Horticulture
This six-week course is a great way to learn and build foundational knowledge about this growing therapeutic practice. It is intended for a wide audience, including allied health professionals who may want to incorporate plant-based activities into their existing practices, master gardeners or volunteers who work with community members with diverse needs and abilities, educators and other interested people. Students explore how Therapeutic Horticulture supports human health & wellness, including physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and social needs. The course structure promotes vibrant engagement via discussion threads and assignment feedback. This introductory course provides a unique opportunity to research, discuss, and reflect on people/plant relationships.
September
9/10/2022
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.
9/11/2022
1:15 PM - 10/9/2022 4:45 PM
Composition: Virtual
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.
9/15/2022
1:30 PM - 9/29/2022 4:30 PM
Plant Communities of North Carolina
This course is intended for a broad audience and introduces students to North Carolina’s rich diversity of plant communities. Variations in geology, climate, soils, fire regimes, landscape positions, and other factors have resulted in the creation of distinctive ecosystems: subtropical maritime forests, salt marshes, longleaf pine savannas and sandhills, pocosins, oak-hickory forests, bottomland hardwoods, swamps, spruce-fir forests, rock outcrops and glades, fens, and grasslands. This course explores the causes and history of North Carolina’s plant community diversity.
9/17/2022
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Coker Arboretum Tour
Take a tour of this gem on the UNC campus with Coker Arboretum curator Margo MacIntyre. This walking tour will explore the 5-acres that make up the Arboretum, allowing time for observation and discussion. Each tour differs as the gardens change through the seasons.
October
10/8/2022
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.
10/15/2022
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Coker Arboretum Tour
Take a tour of this gem on the UNC campus with Coker Arboretum curator Margo MacIntyre. This walking tour will explore the 5-acres that make up the Arboretum, allowing time for observation and discussion. Each tour differs as the gardens change through the seasons.
10/15/2022
1:15 PM - 11/5/2022 4:45 PM
Field Sketching
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 at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. 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.
10/17/2022
12:00 PM - 12/11/2022 12:00 PM
Therapeutic Horticulture: Program Development
This course will equip students with the ability to design therapeutic horticulture treatment interventions for a wide variety of sites and participant populations. Students will learn how to perform foundational participant and site assessments that inform the subsequent stages of a therapeutic horticulture program’s development and management. We will explore the concept of “form follows function” and discover how to use client-centered assessment data to let the program ‘write itself.’ Students will practice developing overarching program and client treatment goals that target specific outcomes. Using dynamic interactive forums with real-world examples, students will research, discuss, and reflect on the multiple facets of TH program development, and will be provided with references and resources for further study.
10/20/2022
1:00 PM - 11/10/2022 3:00 PM
Beginning Watercolor: Virtual
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
In this class, students are introduced to watercolor and learn basics techniques such as flat and graded washes. Students learn to paint various simple shapes (spheres and cylinders) and a small botanical subject. Prerequisite: Beginning Drawing.
10/23/2022
1:30 PM - 11/13/2022 4:30 PM
Scratchboard: The Knife and the Quill - Virtual
Scratchboard is the process of removing ink with a knife blade to create a black and white illustration. Using different angles of a blade can produce the look of fine lace or a traditional woodcut with strong, bold lines. Using both an angled knife blade and a flexible ink quill, students will explore the wonderful variety of textures achievable using two very simple instruments.
10/26/2022
9:30 AM - 11/16/2022 11:30 AM
Botany: Virtual
This class is designed with a broad audience in mind. It is a fundamental core course for students enrolled in any of the NCBG public certificate programs. It covers basic principles of botany from taxonomy to morphology, anatomy, and physiology. In this virtual class, pre-recorded lectures will be shared ahead of live Zoom discussions.
10/29/2022
9:30 AM - 11/5/2022 12:30 PM
Soil Ecology
This 6-hour course is intended for a broad audience. Students are introduced to the complex world of soils, including how they are formed, characterized, and populated by a wide array of organisms. An overview of soil types is presented, followed by the study of typical Piedmont soils and their properties. The various roles that soils play in both human society and ecological systems are discussed. No prerequisites.
November
11/4/2022
9:30 AM - 11/18/2022 11:30 AM
Flowering Plant Families: Virtual
This course builds on the information covered in Plant Taxonomy and focuses on the study of plant diversity by targeting twenty major and fairly stable plant families of flowering plants found in North Carolina. Classroom discussions of evolutionary adaptations and relationships are combined with close-up examination of representative examples. In this virtual class, pre-recorded lectures will be shared ahead of live Zoom discussions.
11/12/2022
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Second Saturday 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.
11/19/2022
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Coker Arboretum Tour
Take a tour of this gem on the UNC campus with Coker Arboretum curator Margo MacIntyre. This walking tour will explore the 5-acres that make up the Arboretum, allowing time for observation and discussion. Each tour differs as the gardens change through the seasons.
11/29/2022
1:15 PM - 12/20/2022 4:45 PM
Intermediate Traditional Watercolor
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This course builds upon the knowledge and skills of Beginning Watercolor. Using live botanical specimens, students apply basic drawing and watercolor skills to create detailed, realistic watercolor studies of individual plant structures such as stems, twigs, leaves, petals, flowers, pods, and fruit. Classes cover such topics as creating the illusion of depth and volume and portraying shape, color, and textural details accurately. Prerequisites: Beginning Watercolor, Intermediate Drawing
December
12/9/2022
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Graduation Preparation for the Certificate in Botanical Art & Illustration
Students will receive guidance on Independent Projects, graduation procedures and requirements, as well as organizing the exhibit, photographing and framing their paintings, and an introduction to marketing their work. Non-credit course.