SOLD OUT - Vine to Table

This eight-week course teaches a beginner form of t'ai chi as created by Master Sun Lu Tang nearly a century ago. It's designed to give the busy office worker, student or senior a practical means of acquiring greater balance, strength and peace of mind. The emphasis is on stress reduction and relaxation. You'll practice at the most beautiful spot in the Japanese Garden in the Botanic Garden in Fort Worth.

Please note: This class is coordinated by TCU. For more information, or to register, please click the registration button to the left.

Monarchs return to our area in March to begin the next generation of butterflies. Get the basics on creating (and certifying) a monarch waystation, find out what plants are best for our area, and learn about citizen science efforts you can participate in from your backyard.

Instructor Gail Manning is an entomologist and has been at the Botanic Garden for 13 years. Her focus is conservation and citizen science, primarily on the monarch butterfly.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$20 members/ $25 non-members

Join Trip Smith in this introduction to bee keeping including history of bee keeping, why we need bees, challenges to bees in general.  You will also learn about bee colonies, bee hives, and other associated issues. In this introductory class you will learn how to set up your own hives.

Instructor Trip Smith is a Horticulturist with a BS 1971 and MA 1977 degree in horticulture from Texas A@M University. He has been a bee keeper since the early 80s. He is working to establish an apiary at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and has been with the Garden as the Conservation Curator since 2008.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$30 members/$35 non-members

Join BRIT and Galerie Kornye West for FWADA’s 2019 Spring Gallery Night on Saturday, March 30th from 4pm – 9pm and enjoy The Collectors’ Show, a gorgeous array of high-caliber, representational artworks not typically seen in the Fort Worth market. The Collectors’ Show features paintings by more than twenty-five award-winning artists who hail from across the United States and have consistently proven desirable among new and established collectors. The show and sale runs through April 26, and is slated to become an annual Fort Worth tradition. 

BRIT opens at 4pm and the opening night reception begins at 6pm. For more information about Gallery Night at BRIT, please contact Laura Venhaus. For more information about The Collectors' Show or Galerie Kornye West, please click here: http://kornyewest.com/gallery-list.php?type=ART

Image: El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak  by Dennis Farris  Oil  24 inches by 30 inches

Come join in on the fun!

Spring is a beautiful time at BRIT and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Students have the opportunity to investigate our native prairie, become scientists in our herbarium of over 1.5 million plant species, explore the many areas of the gardens, and learn about plants in TEKS based, nature-inspired field study trips! 

Click here to view our Field Study Trip Guide with details and pricing. 

To book, contact Rachel at rlincoln@brit.org. Please provide number and grade level of students as well as preferred date, time and experience(s) for your trip. 

Lip ferns (Myriopteris) are xeric-adapted, rupestral components of the New World desert flora. Distributed primarily throughout the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Andean South America, the clade comprises roughly 50 species and is notable for exhibiting widespread hybridization, polyploidy, and apomixis. In recent years, improved phylogenetic inferences have helped to elucidate an array of reticulate relationships across the genus. Here, I present these phylogenetic insights, along with new data exploring genome and life history evolution in Myriopteris. I provide a detailed discussion of how museum collections, cytogenetics, and deep sequencing have been used to expose the evolutionary history of this clade, beginning in deep time—when Myriopteris first radiated within the Pteridaceae—through to present day species complexes.

As your landscapes mature, trees get larger and cast more shade on the garden, so you must change your landscape to include shade-tolerant plants. We'll introduce you to the best annuals, perennials, shrubs and ground covers for shade. Come learn how you can create a beautiful shade garden!

Please note: This class is coordinated by TCU. For more information, or to register, please click the registration button to the left.

Join the Master Gardener Bulb team as they share their extensive experience growing all types of bulbs.  You will learn the different types of bulbs including tunicate, imbricate, corms, tubers and rhizomes. You will also engage in hands-on activities on how to plant bulbs in pots and in the ground, how to force bulbs to bloom and how to propagate bulbs from seeds and from chipping to expand your collection.  You will leave with bulbs in pots and cut bulbs to plant in the fall.  

The Master Gardener Bulb Propagation team of Claire Alford, Jeanie Browning, Rocky Duetscher and Mary Reagor specialize in growing and propagating bulbs in their own landscapes, they continually search for bulbs that grow in this region and they teach bulb care to garden clubs in the area.  Together they have over 36 years in Master Gardening experience.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$30 members/$35 non-members

Come stitch with us!

GROW adult education is thrilled to welcome Colleen Duarte of And Other Adventures Embroidery who will walk you through step-by-step instructions for the 5 basic stitches used in her Wildflower Hoop.  In addition to step by step instructions, Colleen will share with you the tips and tricks she has picked up over the years and she'll get you started on your own Wildflower Hoop.

This workshop is perfect for all levels so whether you already know your way around a hoop or you have never picked up a needle before, there is a little something for everyone. Please keep in mind, hand embroidery is a slow craft that is meant to be done at a leisurely pace.  While we will have time to walk-through and practice each stitch during the class, it is expected that additional stitching time will be required at home in order to complete the project.

A full Wildflower Hoop embroidery kit  in your choice of color palette is included with your tuition. Additional kits will be available for purchase.

This class is SOLD OUT.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$60 member/$65 non-member

Lichens were long thought to be symbiotic associations of two (or rarely three) organisms, the fungal partner (mycobiont) and the photosynthesizing partner (photobiont), a green algae and/or cyanobacteria. Recent research has shown, however, that lichens harbor diverse communities beyond the main partners. This presentation will provide an introduction to these complex associations, modern views and techniques in lichenology, how diverse they are and how to translate these concepts into research projects. From the field to the laboratory, I will give examples of my own studies in lichen systematics, microbiome and genomics to illustrate the importance of integrative approaches in understanding these symbioses.

Join GROW Adult Education and the Fort Worth Garden Club for this unique opportunity to work with well known quilter, gardener, and photographer Carol Morrissey. With Carol's guidance, students will create postcard sized works of fabric art featuring her beautiful Texas Wildflower designs. Tuition includes one pattern with ten different designs and enough materials to create two wildflower postcards.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT and is presented in conjunction with the FW Garden Club's 2019 Horticulture/Art Quilt Show. 

$60 members/$65 non-members

Additional required materials:

• pencil
• scissors
• note paper
• iron
• ironing surface.

From Amazon.com: "In this natural history classic, the author takes the reader on field trips to landscapes across America, both domesticated and wild. She shows how to read the stories written in the land, interpreting the clues laid down by history, culture, and natural forces. A renowned teacher, writer and conservationist in her native Midwest, Watts studied with Henry Cowles, the pioneering American ecologist. She was the first to explain his theories of plant succesion to the general public. Her graceful, witty essays, with charming illustrations by the author, are still relevant and engaging today, as she invites us to see the world around us with fresh eyes."

SOLD OUT

BRIT’s Vine to Table, Wine Dinner & Auction & Special Presentation of the 2019 International Sustainable Winegrowing Award Winner to be Announced in January

Event Chairs, Gina & Bob Ravnaas

Alfresco at Botanical Research Institute of Texas
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 6:00 P.M.

It will feature a fabulous silent auction; a dinner prepared by celebrity chefs including

• Jon Bonnell - Bonnell’s Restaurant Group
• Jason Harper - Trio New American Cuisine
• Michael Thomson - Michael’s Cuisine 
• Bernard Tronche - Paris 7th
• John Piccolino -  B&B Butchers & Restaurant 
• Lanny Lancarte - Righteous Foods
• Denise Shavandy - Cafe Modern
• Blaine Staniford - Grace

What makes this year’s Vine to Table award dinner and auction unique is that it not only celebrates the sustainable accomplishments of our current year’s winner, but it also celebrates of our past winners.

GROW is excited to offer this multi-week course that will serve as an introduction to transparent watercolor techniques appropriate to both beginner and intermediate artists, with a focus on learning how to control the water. Techniques include washes, glazing, dry brushing, and color theory. This course lays the foundation for creating beautiful botanical watercolor portraits. Students can expect some homework each week. 

Instructor Samantha Peters is a science illustrator based in Dallas, Texas. She received her B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology from the University of Texas at Austin and attended the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, leaving once she realized illustrating her study guides was more fun than actually studying them. Afterwards, while living in New York City, she discovered a love of botanical art through classes at the New York Botanical Garden, and decided to pursue science illustration full time, attending the graduate program in Science Illustration at California State University, Monterey Bay. Samantha currently works in the graphics department at the Dallas Zoo and is the President of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Texas Group. Member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and the American Society of Botanical Artists. 

Materials list to follow.

This class will meet:
April 23, 2019
April 30, 2019
May 7, 2019

This class is SOLD OUT.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$110 members/$135 non-members

Required Materials:

• Paints: Look for professional grade watercolors. Winsor Newton and Daniel Smith are good brands. I prefer tubes, but half pan kits are very good.
  • Basic/Primary Palette: Winsor lemon, Winsor yellow, scarlet lake, quinacridone rose, french ultramarine, Prussian blue. Daniel Smith makes a kit of the six primaries (https:// www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WT5VRF6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2? smid=A2CK5NG72UVSTT&psc=1) which would work well for this class.
  • Also useful: sap green, quinacridone gold, quinacridone magenta, burnt sienna, neutral tint
• Brushes: Round watercolor brushes with good points. Size 0 and 6 are good sizes, but this depends on your preference. Windsor Newton, Daniel Smith, Sceptre Gold, and Princeton are good brands. Look for a sable or synthetic/sable blend with a good point.
• Watercolor paper: HOT PRESS 140 lb or higher — look for Fabriano or Arches brand. • DO NOT BUY COLD PRESS PAPER.
• Mixing palette: white porcelain plates are available for a few dollars at Target. Can also use plastic palettes with multiple wells – look for one with a lid.
• Plastic tubs for water - empty cream cheese or butter tubs work well!
• Viva brand paper towels — look for paper towels without a printed pattern or design (no “quilting”)

The following supplies will be helpful, but are optional. If you’ve taken a drawing class before, you probably have all of these:

• Saral graphite transfer paper
• Tracing paper
• Pencils: 2H, H, and HB graphite pencils, mechanical pencils, or lead with holder.
• handheld sharpener as needed
• kneaded eraser, white vinyl eraser (Magic Rub or similar)
• 6” or 12” ruler (clear ones are great!)
• drafting tape

Enjoy a sparkling wine during an evening in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's beautiful Japanese Garden. Learn how sparkling wines are produced and sample five from different areas of the world, including Champagne, France. Please refrain from wearing perfume or cologne. You must be 21 or older to register for this course.

Please note: This class is coordinated by TCU. For more information, or to register, please click the registration button to the left.

Hypertufa was developed in the 1930’s to replicate the stone troughs used by English gardeners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Using basic molds and 4 ingredients you can create a rustic, textured pot as easy as making mud pies! This fun process results in containers that are lighter than cement, yet porous and practical in the garden.

Instructor Nancy Curl has been a Tarrant County Master Gardener since 2007. She has served on the board of the TCMGA for 4 years and as president for 2 years. She was named Tarrant County Master Gardener of the Year and State Master Gardener of the Year, large counties in 2012.

As a Greenhouse, Oak Wilt, Propagation, and Rain Water Harvesting Advanced Trainer, she teaches gardening and garden- related topics at the Botanic Garden, TCC, Home & Garden shows, the Union Gospel Mission and garden clubs. She is the Education Coordinator for the TCMGA and the Water Works Learning Center at the Resource Connection of Tarrant County and she volunteers as a docent at the Botanic Garden Japanese Garden, Butterflies in the Garden, and with the BG/BRIT GROW Education Series.

Please note: This class will be held at the FWBG.

$40 members/$45 non-members

Photo from https://www.mein-schoener-garten.de/.

Save money and enjoy the process of growing your own cut flowers. Learn which varieties to start with, how to grow them, proper harvesting techniques and holding techniques to get the most out of your flowers. 

Instructors Kim Martin and Laurie Bostic, owners of Barking Cat Farm, focus on growing high quality crops in an organic and sustainable manner. Brix testing is done regularly to monitor the nutritional quality of the produce and compost and compost teas are applied to the soil to ensure that soil biology is constantly improving. Both Laurie & Kim have their Permaculture Design Certificate from Geoff Lawton’s Permaculture Design Course. Both have studied under Dr. Elaine Ingham and are working towards becoming Certified Soil Life Consultants. They offer permaculture design and soil biology consulting services to other growers and gardeners.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$20 members/$25 non-members

Join the team from Barking Cat Farm and learn about growing herbs for your home usage. You’ll learn what to plant when, best care practices, harvesting tips and storage ideas.

Instructors Kim Martin and Laurie Bostic, owners of Barking Cat Farm, focus on growing high quality crops in an organic and sustainable manner. Brix testing is done regularly to monitor the nutritional quality of the produce and compost and compost teas are applied to the soil to ensure that soil biology is constantly improving. Both Laurie & Kim have their Permaculture Design Certificate from Geoff Lawton’s Permaculture Design Course. Both have studied under Dr. Elaine Ingham and are working towards becoming Certified Soil Life Consultants. They offer permaculture design and soil biology consulting services to other growers and gardeners.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$20 members/$25 non-members

This class will use hands-on activities and lecture to investigate foundational concepts in botany including morphology, naming and classification, and basic identification skills to be practiced with both plants collected in the field and preserved scientific specimens from the BRIT Herbarium.

Instructor Tiana Franklin Rehman, Herbarium Collections Manager at BRIT, facilitates the care, usage and growth of the plant collection housed at BRIT as provides interpretation for the public. Tiana’s interests in collections management include the task of keeping the myriad physical and virtual data elements that contribute to project-based research both current and accessible. Tiana’s M.S. in Environmental Science from Texas Christian University was earned while working at BRIT, and her thesis addressed the diversity and small-scale distribution of members of the Myristicaceae (nutmeg family of plants) at the Los Amigos Biological Station in Madre de Dios, Peru. She continues to be an active field botanist and has contributed specimens to local (Texas) and international (Peru, Costa Rica, Jamaica) floristics projects. 

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$20 members/$25 non-members

Join Agnes Knasiak for this delightful class and learn the joy and care of beautiful plants for the home.  Dr. Knasiak will discuss the types of plants suitable for inside your home, their light and water needs, and how to propagate plants in order to expand your collection or to grow for gifts.  She will also share solutions for problems like pests and diseases. Students will take home a suitable plant for their home.

Instructor Agnieszka Slociak Knasiak, has degrees from two universities in Europe including a PhD in Horticulture. During her doctoral study in Wroclaw, Poland she took special classes for “The Art of Floral Design.” She creates the flower designs each year for the Japanese Garden Festivals. She also designs arrangements for special events in Botanic Garden such as birthday parties, anniversaries, funerals, holidays tables, etc. She is currently a Greenhouse Attendant at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

Please note: This class will be held at the FWBG.

$20 members/$25 non-members

Think outside the herbal box! Join Rita Hottel to discusses some of the best local herbs in oils, vinegars, and salad dressings and how they can be used on more than just salads. Come to see how to expand your culinary skills and go beyond the repetition of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Don’t miss out on this chance to taste and take home some new ideas and easy recipes that provide a big range of flavors for everyday cooking. 

After becoming a Master Gardener in 2000, instructor Rita Hottel quickly found her niche in herbs. She is currently the Lead Gardener of the Herb Garden at the Tarrant County Master Gardener Community/Education Garden. Even though she was trained in all aspects of gardening, herb gardening was the perfect compliment to her other hobby of cooking. 

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$30 members/$35 non-members

From Amazon.com: "Bringing to life the science and adventure of eighteenth-century plant collecting, The Brother Gardenersis the story of how six men created the modern garden and changed the horticultural world in the process. It is a story of a garden revolution that began in America."

Join us for this special hands-on workshop that will cover the basics of hand-lettering and introduce a variety of delightful botanical borders, flourishes, and embellishments. We’ll use both medieval sources, such as the Book of Kells and some Books of Hours, as well as modern sources for inspiration. Tuition includes one hand lettering pen and pre-cut hot-press water color paper to complete in-class projects.

Instructor Mary DeChellis is a professional calligrapher and hand letterer in the D/FW area. A creative writer at heart, she received a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Tennessee and post-graduate Teaching Certificate from the State of Texas. In 2008 she discovered a different kind of writing, calligraphy, and since then has studied under some of today’s best calligraphers as a part of the vibrant Fort Worth Calligraphers Guild. In 2018, she was named a winner in the Graceful Envelope Contest for which her entry is currently on display in the National Association of Letter Carriers headquarters building in Washington, D.C. Mary combines her experience in teaching with her knowledge of calligraphy and her enthusiasm for creative expression through artistic hand lettering to create a one-of-a-kind classroom experience.. 

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$40 members/$45 non-members

Create a lovely piece of art on prepared fabric using the natural pigments from flowers and leaves that you'll harvest from the BRIT campus.  Gardeners can preserve the colors of summer or a special flower while reliving some stress!

Instructor Nancy Curl has been a Tarrant County Master Gardener since 2007. She has served on the board of the TCMGA for 4 years and as president for 2 years. She was named Tarrant County Master Gardener of the Year and State Master Gardener of the Year, large counties in 2012.

As a Greenhouse, Oak Wilt, Propagation, and Rain Water Harvesting Advanced Trainer, she teaches gardening and garden- related topics at the Botanic Garden, TCC, Home & Garden shows, the Union Gospel Mission and garden clubs. She is the Education Coordinator for the TCMGA and the Water Works Learning Center at the Resource Connection of Tarrant County and she volunteers as a docent at the Botanic Garden Japanese Garden, Butterflies in the Garden, and with the BG/BRIT GROW Education Series.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$30 members/$35 non-members

Join us for this day long workshop and you’ll learn how to identify common garden pests, diseases and nutrient deficiencies. Learn how to identify the root causes of common problems and the best steps to take to fix these problems. With the help of a microscope, students will examine their own garden soil under a microscope. They'll learn how to test plant material with a refractometer and how to use different sprayers. 

Instructors Kim Martin and Laurie Bostic, owners of Barking Cat Farm, focus on growing high quality crops in an organic and sustainable manner. Brix testing is done regularly to monitor the nutritional quality of the produce and compost and compost teas are applied to the soil to ensure that soil biology is constantly improving. Both Laurie & Kim have their Permaculture Design Certificate from Geoff Lawton’s Permaculture Design Course. Both have studied under Dr. Elaine Ingham and are working towards becoming Certified Soil Life Consultants. They offer permaculture design and soil biology consulting services to other growers and gardeners.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$75 members/$85 non-members

What makes the BRIT Researchers tick? How did they develop an interest in botany, and how did they end up here? Find out at this very special presentation! Members of the BRIT Research staff will give a series of five-minute "lightning talks" about how they got started in science and what their current job entails. There will be time for questions and answers after.

Join us in strengthening your environmental awareness while flexing your Project-Based-Learning (PBL) muscle. Gain a greater understanding of natural systems and the human connections associated with them by considering all aspects of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social).

Click here to register. 

This Boot Camp experience will provide participants with the opportunity to:

• Work with BRIT researchers and staff to gain a greater understanding of biological systems and how they are affected by ever-changing conditions.

• Connect with local partners and educators who focus on critical environmental issues to grow your professional learning network.

• Scaffold E- STEM lessons to promote PBL with rigor, innovation, and curiosity.

• Explore real-world applications while connecting learners with their community in order to create future leaders and pathways to STEM careers.

Date:   June 10-13, 2019

Time:   8:30 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

Cost:    $300 for individuals OR $250 per person for teams of three (3) or more from the same school

Includes: Breakfast, lunch, resources, AND CPE credits plus 6 updated G/T hours

Camp BRIT offers a variety of experiences for children in preschool through fifth grade. Each week long camp session encourages children to connect with the wonders of nature and their local environment through science explorations, artistic activities, and special opportunities available only at BRIT and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden campus.

Click here to register!

Sessions: 

Bella Goes to Camp

Campers will explore the role of plants as a food source - both their role in the food chain and how people use plants for food.

Age: Pre-K or K children; ages 4-5

Dates: June 10-13 or June 17-20

Times: Monday - Thursday from 9:00AM - 11:30AM

Cost: $90 per child/members, $110 per child/non-members

Little B.I.T.s - Little Botanists in Training

Campers will explore native plants on the BRIT Prairie - tall grasses & wildflowers, and their unique properties and

importance in nature.

Age: Students entering 1st or 2nd grades; ages 6-7

Dates: June 24-27 or July 8-11

Time: Monday-Thursday from 9:00AM - 3:30PM

Cost: $200 per child/members. $250 per child/non-members

My Plants, My Place

Campers will explore the native prairie ecosystem, its history, and the impact a prairie still has on our day to day lives.

Age: Students entering 3rd - 5th; ages 8-10

Dates: June 24-27 or July 8-11

Time: Monday-Thursday 9:00AM - 3:30PM

Cost: $200 per child/members, $250 per child/non-members

Join Agnes Slociak Knasiak for a hands-on class which will explore the unusual way in which ferns propagate, as they bear no flowers or seed pods. You will probe into this very primitive process of plant sexual reproduction.  You will take home pots ready to bring the mystery of spore reproduction into its full glory and will have several new ferns to add to your plant collection.

Instructor Agnieszka Slociak Knasiak, has degrees from two universities in Europe including a PhD in Horticulture. During her doctoral study in Wroclaw, Poland she took special classes for “The Art of Floral Design.” She creates the flower designs each year for the Japanese Garden Festivals. She also designs arrangements for special events in Botanic Garden such as birthday parties, anniversaries, funerals, holidays tables, etc. She is currently a Greenhouse Attendant at the Botanic Garden.

Please note: This class will be held at the FWBG.

$20 members/$25 non-members