Wednesdays, September 28, October 5, 12 & 19

This 4-week beginners photography class is the perfect opportunity to learn how to use your camera to create incredible images that you will love showing off! Join professional photographer and teacher, Don Orkoskey, as he covers technical aspects of photography including exposure, camera settings and focus, as well as how to compose more interesting photos of your favorite subjects by understanding framing, composition, and design. You will spend time in the classroom as well as practical time taking photos in the beautiful gardens and stunning woodlands of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden.  

Program Fee:

Members $150  |  Nonmembers $200

Members, please sign in to receive registration discount.

Ecology-Based Design for Western Pennsylvania Gardens and Restoration: An Intensive Course Developed & Instructed by Larry Weaner

Experiencing wild nature needn’t be limited to the remotest regions of the world. It can occur in even the smallest backyard garden. Learn how noted landscape designer Larry Weaner interacts with and responds to ecological processes to create an ever-evolving wild yet still ornamental garden in his small property outside Philadelphia. Learn how this brains-over-brawn approach goes beyond simple editing of what occurs naturally and incorporates natural processes and plants’ reproductive abilities to achieve common aesthetic and functional goals. And perhaps most importantly, discover how loosening the reins can bring a newfound mystery and discovery to even the smallest garden.

Presented by: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

Location: Phipps Special Events Hall

Program Fee

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden or Phipps Members: $20

Non-members: $23

Please register for each day separately, registration for Day 2 is available here.

Designing with Natives: Advanced Ecological Design Workshop with Larry Weaner

Thursday, September 29 | 9:00am – 4:30pm

Location: Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

Click here for more Day 2 details >

Ecology-Based Design for Western Pennsylvania Gardens and Restoration: An Intensive Course Developed & Instructed by Larry Weaner

Demand for high performing, ecology-based landscapes is increasing faster than the availability of the specialized knowledge needed for practitioners to achieve them. This intensive course will be comprised of a full day-long workshop and meadow walk. It will provide concrete, real-world guidance for selecting and arranging native plants in the landscape (gardens and restoration projects), as well as provide attendees with the opportunity to observe and interpret these techniques through a field visit of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s meadows and landscape.

Participants will receive login-protected access to an extensive digital manual that documents all aspects of the program, including plant selection criteria, plant recommendations, ecological process- based management specifications, and guidance for maximizing the aesthetic and experiential appeal these landscapes can provide.

This program is geared towards avid home gardeners and landscape professionals, including but not limited to master gardeners, landscape designers, landscape architects, and horticulturists.

Presented by: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

COURSE GOALS: By the end of the course, participants should be able to:

1. Observe and interpret ecological patterns of native plant communities by visiting a designed meadow.
2. Understand the ecological processes that are relevant to native landscape design including but not limited to ecological processes such as disturbance, succession, and competition, and plant proliferation strategies.
3. Understand how to arrange and select native plants to foster ecology-based landscapes that are aesthetically embraced by clients in a variety of landscape settings (gardens, restoration projects).

Program Fee

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden or Phipps Members: $195 before August 25; $225 after August 25

Non-members: $215 before August 25; $245 after August 25

Course Schedule

Session 1 | 9:00 – 12:30pm (plus 2 15-minute breaks)

• Foundations of Ecology-Based Design

Lunch | 12:30 – 1:00pm

Session 2 | 1:00 – 2:00pm

• Field Visit: Observation and Exploration

Session 3 | 2:15 – 3:15pm

• Communicating the Vision and the Reality

Session 4 | 3:30 – 4:30pm

• The Artistic Overlay: Making “Wild” Legible

Please register for each day of this workshop separately, registration for Day 1 is available here.

Designing with Natives: A Visit to Larry Weaner’s Suburban Property

Wednesday, September 28 | 6:00 – 8:00pm

Location: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Click here for more Day 1 details >

Join Scott Goldsmith for an in-depth discussion of his approach to nature photography and his career as a photographer up to this point. Scott has been the Garden’s photographer for several years and has a decades-long career as a renowned photographer focusing on nature, events, portraits, and photojournalism. Learn more about Scott on his website, scottgoldsmith.com.

This is a FREE, members-only program.

Not a member? Click here to join today and enjoy members-only programs, discounted registrations, free admission, member newsletters, discounts, and more!

This 5-week series is for new beginners or for those interested in a yoga refresher. The classes will teach you the basics of breathing and postures, sequentially building skills each week. If you have ever wanted to give yoga a try, this is the class for you! Please bring your own yoga mat for the session. Yoga at the Garden is suitable for adults, teens (14+ if accompanied by adult) and is open to individuals of all levels of yoga experience.

Series Dates / Times:

Saturdays, October 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29

10:00 – 11:00am

Program Fee:

$65 Member | $80 Nonmember

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

The Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) is a slow, sensory-based walk in the woods, during which we focus on the sights, sounds, smells, feels, and tastes of nature. This is not a naturalist exploration nor a fitness trek; this walk is about soaking in the health benefits of spending relaxed time in nature. It’s also about tending and mending our relationships with nature, ourselves, and others. Join us and experience nature’s power to soothe, refresh, and open your heart. Who knows what surprises nature may have in store?

There are no requirements or experience necessary – just come as you are. Your guide, Douglas Jones, Ph.D., is an experienced guide, trained by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs.

Program fee:

$35 Member | $45 Nonmember

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden and the Japan-America Society are partnering to kick off Autumn in the Garden 2022 with a celebration of the Japanese Garden! Join us to learn about Otsukimi or Tsukimi (月見), meaning “Moon Viewing,” learn about the Japanese folktale “The Story of the Moon Rabbit” (aka Tsuki no Usagi), create origami, do calligraphy and more. Autumn in the Garden is free with regular daily admission, every Sunday in October from 11am – 2pm.

Location

Japanese Garden and Lotus Pond (turn left when entering the Garden from the Welcome Center)

Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania

The Japan-America Society provides informative and innovative programming in order to encourage a better understanding of the business, cultural, social, educational, and political practices and customs of Japan and the United States. Find more information on japansocietypa.org > 

Thank you to EQT for sponsoring Autumn in the Garden.

Enjoy a relaxing nature-inspired guided imagery and sound healing meditation with Dorit Brauer. She is the founder and owner of the Brauer Institute for Holistic Medicine, Award-Winning Artist and Author.

Meditation will help you to:

• Learn to relax and deal in a better way with stressful situations of everyday life
• Learn how your thinking influences the quality of your life
• Learn how to achieve positive changes in your body through the power of your mind
• Strengthen your immune health
• Build your resilience
• Experience inner peace and clarity

The guided meditation is accompanied by the relaxing sound of Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls, which induce alpha wave level activity of the brain, balance the hemispheres of the brain and resonate within every cell of your body, creating health, balance and harmony.

Please bring a mat, blanket, and pillow or a folding chair and wear comfortable clothing.

Program fee:

$20 Member | $25 Nonmember

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden requires masks in all indoor spaces until further notice.

It may seem counterintuitive but you need to plant your spring-blooming bulbs in the fall for the spectacular display you want in spring. Join us as Education Director, Dr. Mark Miller, takes a deeper look at geophytes (bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes) that delight the eyes after a hard winter spell. Interesting characters that you may not be familiar with will be detailed, as well as the ones that are more resistant to deer and other marauding critters. Many of the bulbs covered in the lecture will be available for sale in the Forage & Finds gift shop.

Program Fee

Member $20 | Nonmember $25

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Learn about the unique and awe-inspiring phenomenon of North America’s annual monarch butterfly migration! Activities will include a tour of the Margaret Lawrence Simon Dogwood Meadow and Hillside Pollinator Garden to identify monarchs and their habitats. Visitors will also learn about the monarchs’ recent addition to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as an endangered species. Autumn in the Garden is free with regular daily admission, every Sunday in October from 11am – 2pm.

Location

There will be informational films in Peirce Education Rooms and activity stations in Margaret Lawrence Simon Dogwood Meadow and Hillside Pollinator Garden.

Learn About the IUCN Red List

Read more about monarchs’ addition to the IUCN Red List here: https://www.iucn.org/press-release/202207/migratory-monarch-butterfly-now-endangered-iucn-red-list

Thank you to EQT for sponsoring Autumn in the Garden.

Wednesdays – October 12, 19, 26 & November 2

Connecting with nature is essential to child development, sparking creativity and imagination – and autumn is the season to explore the changes in nature as the temperature begins to drop. Join a Pittsburgh Botanic Garden educator to head outdoors in search of adventure, examining a different theme each week. Groups will learn about leaves turning their glorious colors to birds heading south for the winter. Each visit will include time in the Garden’s different habitats, a story reading, and time for free play.

This program takes place outdoors, please provide appropriate outdoor gear for each child. Program suitable for children ages 3-6, each child (including siblings) must be registered and one adult caregiver must be present per 3 children.

Program Fee

Expand on the work in POV: Approaches to Nature Photography! Join Scott Goldsmith, Doris Dumrauf, Don Orkoskey, and Tim Anderson for individual demonstrations of their unique photographic processes and try your hand at creating images of your own. Autumn in the Garden is free with regular daily admission, every Sunday in October from 11am – 2pm.

Location

Zappala Woodland Room and Peirce Education Rooms in the Welcome Center.

POV: Approaches to Nature Photography

The current exhibition in the Garden’s Welcome Center is POV: Approaches to Nature Photography. This exhibition showcases 5 unique approaches to capturing the magic of nature through photography by 5 experienced photographers. Learn more here >

Thank you to EQT for sponsoring Autumn in the Garden.

Join Doug Oster from Gardening with Doug, and Keith S. Kaiser, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Executive Director, for a walk through our gardens and woodlands to view and learn all about the Ornamental Woody Plants of Fall. Featured edible plants include garlic and rosemary.

Program Fee

$35 Members | $45 Nonmembers

Program fee includes lunch and all-day Admission to the Garden.

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Members: To receive your discount, make sure that you have registered for our website. Then Sign In (located in the upper right-hand corner) so that you receive your Membership discount when you check out.

Fall is one of the most vibrant and colorful times at the Garden, experience the changing of the leaves in a unique way this year! As we experience the changing of the seasons, enjoy fall foliage at its best with a walk through the Garden. During your visit, stop by Weisbrod Learning Pavilion to create one-of-a-kind creations using natural materials gathered from the Garden. Autumn in the Garden is free with regular daily admission, every Sunday in October from 11am – 2pm.

Location

Activity stations will be set up in Weisbrod Learning Pavilion in the Garden of the Five Senses.

Thank you to EQT for sponsoring Autumn in the Garden.

Heritage Homestead at Pittsburgh Botanic Garden reflects Western Pennsylvania’s history and has a unique connection to the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790’s. Join us to hear from local author and historian Brady Crytzer as he describes the factors leading up to this tax protest, the characters involved, and the significance to our region. A tour of the Walker-Ewing-Glass Log House and a whiskey/moonshine tasting from local McLaughlin Distillery will set the stage for the lecture.

Program Fee:

Members $25 | Nonmembers $35

Spirits tasting and tour included with ticket price

Wednesdays – November 9, 16, 23 & 30

Connecting with nature is essential to child development, sparking creativity and imagination – and autumn is the season to explore the changes in nature as the temperature begins to drop. Join a Pittsburgh Botanic Garden educator to head outdoors in search of adventure, examining a different theme each week. Groups will learn about leaves turning their glorious colors to birds heading south for the winter. Each visit will include time in the Garden’s different habitats, a story reading, and time for free play.

This program takes place outdoors, please provide appropriate outdoor gear for each child. Program suitable for children ages 3-6, each child (including siblings) must be registered and one adult caregiver must be present per 3 children.

Program Fee

Calling all adult Pittsburgh Botanic Garden members and volunteers! Join us at the Garden for a book club to discuss works on the wondrous and sometimes wacky world of plants, nature and the environment. Read the book ahead of time and come ready to share your point of view. Selections will vary and discussions are sure to be lively! Mingle with fellow members, discuss interesting ideas and form new friendships. Free to members and volunteers, but pre-registration is required.

Become A Member

Friday, November 18  |  1:00 – 2:00pm

November Selection:

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimerer

Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert)

Get a taste of what it is like to be a botanical illustrator through this introductory workshop! During careful observation and working with live plant specimens found at Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, workshop attendees will render their chosen specimen in watercolor as accurately as possible. Master illustrator, Lisa Rasmussen, will share tips and tricks along the way. Class discussion will include color mixing and color theory. All participants are responsible for bringing their own [familiar] watercolor supplies and materials. Your registration confirmation will contain a materials list.

Members $95; Nonmembers $115

About Lisa Rasmussen:

Lisa Rasmussen has been an artist all her life. Her start came from intently observing and drawing the tiny wildflowers in a wooded area behind the house where she grew up. Strongly influenced by her mom who was also an artist, she is a versatile artist, illustrator & graphic designer. She is proficient in graphite, watercolor, acrylic, pen & ink, mixed media, printmaking, colored pencil and digital. She lets the medium dictate the style. Much of her work is realistic in terms of rendering, but the subject matter is sometimes more fantastical. For the last 15 years, she has taught on the college level at various regional institutions of higher learning including: Art Institute of Pittsburgh, CCAC, Carlow, Slippery Rock, Waynesburg and CMU. She holds a BFA from CMU and an MFA in Graphic Design from Vermont College of Fine Arts and an MS in Education from Russell Sage College. Find more on rasmussenillustrationanddesign.com >

Immerse yourself in the wonder of the winter season during Dazzling Nights! This immersive winter light experience is bringing holiday joy to life throughout different garden areas. Dazzling Nights opens November 27 and continues every night through January 1. First entry will be at 5:30pm, last entry is at 9:00pm each night.

Details & Tickets:

dazzlingpittsburgh.com

Members

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden members receive a one-time, 20% off discount code. Please use the primary email address listed on your membership account to activate discount for up to 8 tickets during the same transaction.

Winter Bundle Nights

Members may also register for Winter Bundle Nights! Enjoy all of the excitement of Dazzling Nights after a 3-course meal and wine pairing in Canopy Café. Winter Bundle Nights will be held December 1, 8 & 15 beginning at 5:30pm, with entry to Dazzling Nights at 7pm.

Register here:

December 1  |  December 8  |  December 15

Immerse yourself in the wonder of the winter season during Dazzling Nights! This immersive winter light experience is bringing holiday joy to life throughout different garden areas. Dazzling Nights opens November 27 and continues every night through January 1. First entry will be at 5:30pm, last entry is at 9:00pm each night.

Details & Tickets:

dazzlingpittsburgh.com

Members

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden members receive a one-time, 20% off discount code. Please use the primary email address listed on your membership account to activate discount for up to 8 tickets during the same transaction.

Winter Bundle Nights

Members may also register for Winter Bundle Nights! Enjoy all of the excitement of Dazzling Nights after a 3-course meal and wine pairing in Canopy Café. Winter Bundle Nights will be held December 1, 8 & 15 beginning at 5:30pm, with entry to Dazzling Nights at 7pm.

Register here:

December 1  |  December 8  |  December 15

Warm-up at the Garden at this Member-Only Winter Bundle night and experience this year’s festivities! Enjoy a 3-course dinner paired with a delicious wine in Canopy Café, followed by a visit to Dazzling Nights. Dazzling Nights is an immersive experience throughout the gardens and woodlands.

This is a 21+ event, beginning at 5:30pm in the Café with admission to Dazzling Nights at 7:00pm.

Tickets: $110 per Member

Ticket Info: Each all-inclusive ticket includes: 3-course meal, ticket to Dazzling Nights, and one (1) on-site parking pass per transaction. Each item cannot be individually sold or exchanged.

Notes

This is a members-only, 21+ event. Member ticket quantities for Winter Bundle nights are subject to membership level. Garden Members will also receive an additional one-time, 20% off discount code to use for Dazzling Nights any time throughout the show (Nov. 27-Jan 1).

Warm-up at the Garden at this Member-Only Winter Bundle night and experience this year’s festivities! Enjoy a 3-course dinner paired with a delicious wine in Canopy Café, followed by a visit to Dazzling Nights. Dazzling Nights is an immersive experience throughout the gardens and woodlands.

This is a 21+ event, beginning at 5:30pm in the Café with admission to Dazzling Nights at 7:00pm.

Tickets: $110 per Member

Ticket Info: Each all-inclusive ticket includes: 3-course meal, ticket to Dazzling Nights, and one (1) on-site parking pass per transaction. Each item cannot be individually sold or exchanged.

Notes

This is a members-only, 21+ event. Member ticket quantities for Winter Bundle nights are subject to membership level. Garden Members will also receive an additional one-time, 20% off discount code to use for Dazzling Nights any time throughout the show (Nov. 27-Jan 1).

Warm-up at the Garden at this Member-Only Winter Bundle night and experience this year’s festivities! Enjoy a 3-course dinner paired with a delicious wine in Canopy Café, followed by a visit to Dazzling Nights. Dazzling Nights is an immersive experience throughout the gardens and woodlands.

This is a 21+ event, beginning at 5:30pm in the Café with admission to Dazzling Nights at 7:00pm.

Tickets: $110 per Member

Ticket Info: Each all-inclusive ticket includes: 3-course meal, ticket to Dazzling Nights, and one (1) on-site parking pass per transaction. Each item cannot be individually sold or exchanged.

Notes

This is a members-only, 21+ event. Member ticket quantities for Winter Bundle nights are subject to membership level. Garden Members will also receive an additional one-time, 20% off discount code to use for Dazzling Nights any time throughout the show (Nov. 27-Jan 1).

Immerse yourself in the wonder of the winter season during Dazzling Nights! This immersive winter light experience is bringing holiday joy to life throughout different garden areas. Dazzling Nights opens November 27 and continues every night through January 1. First entry will be at 5:30pm, last entry is at 9:00pm each night.

Details & Tickets:

dazzlingpittsburgh.com

Members

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden members receive a one-time, 20% off discount code. Please use the primary email address listed on your membership account to activate discount for up to 8 tickets during the same transaction.

Winter Bundle Nights

Members may also register for Winter Bundle Nights! Enjoy all of the excitement of Dazzling Nights after a 3-course meal and wine pairing in Canopy Café. Winter Bundle Nights will be held December 1, 8 & 15 beginning at 5:30pm, with entry to Dazzling Nights at 7pm.

Register here:

December 1  |  December 8  |  December 15