Spring Flower Pounding

Looking for a way to prolong your spring flowers and create art at the same time? Join Master Gardener Nancy Curl to create a lovely piece of fiber art on prepared fabric using natural pigments from flowers and leaves. Flower pounding is a wonderful way for gardeners to preserve the colors of the garden while relieving stress and creating beauty. This is an outdoor class and supplies are provided.

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 Japanese Garden, Butterflies in the Garden, and with adult education classes.

Saturday, April 17, 2021 (10 am - noon)

Registration Deadline: April 14

$35/$30 member

Location: BRIT*

Materials: All materials are provided. 

*This class will take place mainly outdoors with space for 6' between participants. Class size will be capped at 15. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available. Mask use is encouraged outdoors and required indoors (a small amount of time will be spent indoors). 

In the case of inclement weather, the rain date for this class is April 18 (10 am - 12 pm).

Join us in the Garden for an Earth Day themed family yoga class, hosted by Nanda Yoga! Yoga is a fun-filled way for children and their grown-ups (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) to spend quality time together outside while enjoying an exciting and healthy activity. Practicing yoga helps children build confidence and self-esteem, as well as strong and healthy bodies. This family style class is filled with partner poses, group poses, silly flowing sequences, and yoga games! We promise you and your family will have a yogatastic time!

The safety of our staff and guests is very important to us. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on group size, it is important we maintain an accurate headcount of participating individuals. All participants must register. Unregistered individuals are not permitted to join activities. Masks should be worn at all times during the program.

Date: Saturday, April 17
Time: 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
Location: FWBG
In partnership with: Nanda Yoga
Registration Closes: Thursday, April 15
Price: $15 /non-member $12 /member (Log in to shop.brit.org to receive Member benefits.)
If you do not know your member login information, please call our Membership office at 817-332-7518 for assistance.

Think you can't draw? Let nature drawing change your mind! This workshop is an introduction to the art of nature drawing as a way to develop an informal art practice that connects us with the ecology of the places we inhabit. We'll cover the basics of nature sketching, play some games to sharpen our observational drawing skills, and set out to explore the natural world to fill our sketchbooks with a record of what we see and learn. Students should come prepared to explore the outdoors and be able to carry their art materials with them for sketching on the go. All skill levels are welcome!

Instructor: Owen Curtsinger is an art teacher and illustrator living in Fort Worth. He has taught middle school and high school art classes both in-person and virtually, and teaches independent virtual art classes to students around the country. He specializes in making educational comics and zines about scientific and research-based topics, and also holds a certificate in Natural Science Illustration from the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a firm believer in the intersection of scientific learning and art as a way of better understanding and appreciating our world.

Saturday, April 17, 2021 (1 - 4 pm)

Registration Deadline: April 14

$65/$55 member

Location: FWBG*

Materials: A full list of necessary materials will be emailed upon registration. If you are interested in the class and would like more information on necessary materials, please email ewhite@brit.org. 

*This class will take place outdoors with space for 6' between participants. Class size will be capped at 15. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available. Mask use is encouraged. 

In the case of inclement weather, the rain date for this class is April 18 (1 - 4 pm).

Image courtesy Owen Curtsinger

Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens  

As development and habitat destruction accelerate, there are increasing pressures on wildlife populations. In Bringing Nature Home, Douglas W. Tallamy reveals the unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife—native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals.

But there is an important and simple step we can all take to help reverse this alarming trend: everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity by simply choosing native plants. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical and achievable recommendations, we can all make a difference.

Connect to nature with Little Sprout Book & Garden Club - back in person for Spring 2021! Join Carlos the Cactus in the Backyard Vegetable Garden each month to discover nature, read a story, sing and move, plus a family nature challenge! All activities take place outdoors. Spots are limited, register today!

April’s book is Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert! If you can’t join us in-person, tune in to BRIT’s Facebook page, where we will be sharing the story-time portion of this program LIVE!

The safety of our staff and guests is very important to us. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on group size, it is important we maintain an accurate headcount of participating individuals. Registration for this program is by family, please put only 1 registration per family in your cart. Once you have done so, a form will pop-up for you to report the number of adults and children participating. Masks should be worn at all times during the program. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, inviting environment!

Date: Tuesday, April 20
Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM
Location: BRIT
Registration Closes: April 18
Price: $10 /Non-Member family or $0 /Member family (Log in to receive Member benefits.)
If you do not know your member login information, please call our Membership office at 817-332-7518 for assistance.

Click Here to Register in our New Webstore!

In this class you will learn different techniques for drawing foliage, texture, and value, all while sketching the elegant beauty of the Japanese Garden. Artist Erika Duque Scully will demonstrate how to achieve these techniques and will share examples of other artists’ works for further inspiration. You will be encouraged to draw loosely, sketching balanced and interesting compositions of trees and other plants with confidence. 

Instructor: Erika Duque Scully is a landscape and nature-based painter who lives and works in Fort Worth, TX. Scully received her BFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MFA in painting at Texas Christian University. She has been featured in over thirty solo and group shows throughout the Metroplex. In 2017, Scully was nominated by Ro2 Gallery for Rising Star Fundraiser at the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts. She is currently represented by Fort Works Art Gallery in Fort Worth.

Thursday, April 22, 2021 (10 am – 1 pm)

Registration Deadline: April 19      

$65/$55 member

Location: FWBG, Japanese Garden*

*This class will take place outdoors with space for 6' between participants. Class size will be capped at 15. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available. Mask use is REQUIRED for this class. 

Supplies: Click here for the supply list. 

In the case of inclement weather, the rain date for this class is April 29 (10 am - 1 pm).

Love local beer and enjoying the edible plants in your garden? Then join Funky Picnic's Head Brewer, Michael Harper, for this spirited overview of one of our most beloved beverages, beer! Learn the basics, and how to tell different styles apart, all while sampling a very special springtime beer brewed with wild yeast, herbs, and fruit from the Garden. 

Instructor: Michael Harper is the Head Brewer at Fort Worth's Funky Picnic Brewery. Harper is a drum-playing, mariachi-loving head brewer who studied at the American Brewers Guild in 2013. He is passionate about classic techniques but also loves to experiment with new styles and terroir-based ingredients. When he's not knee-deep in spent grain, you can find him at home with his wife, cats, and pet tortoise.

Thursday, April 22 (5:30 –  7 pm)

Registration Deadline: April 19

$60/$50 members 

Location: Botanical Research Institute of Texas

Materials: None required. Class size will remain small to accommodate proper social distancing, and masks and hand sanitizer will be available. 

Join Head Gardener Zach Gomez for our inaugural Walking Class, a special experience of a specific garden with a Garden expert. You'll learn about the long history of the Tinsley/Rock Springs Garden and its beautiful and water-wise native Texas plants.

Instructor: Zach Gomez is the gardener of the Tinsley/Rock Springs Garden at FWBG. Rock Springs is designed as a North Central Texas Native Plant Garden using primarily plants native to the Western Cross Timbers. Zach has 20 years of experience working in virtually all aspects of landscape horticulture, from retail nursery, golf operations, organic vegetable production, and landscape design and installation. He was instrumental in the final design, installation, and maintenance of Rock Springs. His favorite hobby is to spend time with his two daughters hiking and hunting for plants around the area to propagate and introduce the Garden.

Saturday, April 24, 2021 (10 – 11 am)

Registration Deadline: April 21    

$25/$20 member

Location: Tinsley Garden*

*This class will take place outdoors with space for 6' between participants. Class size will be capped at 15. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available. Mask use is encouraged. 

In the case of inclement weather, the rain date for this class is April 25 (10 - 11 am).

Join artist and iPhone enthusiast Tuba Öztekin Köymen for a morning workshop during the bloom of spring color. Learn the best camera settings and dozens of tips for taking great outdoor photos with your smartphone amidst the colorful beauty of our Rose Garden. After class visit and photograph more of the Botanic Garden, including the Tinsley and Japanese Gardens.

Instructor: Tuba Öztekin Köymen is an artist, educator, and designer who lives and works in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. She was born in Turkey and graduated in 1995 from the Department of Graphic Design at Bilkent University. In 1999, she was awarded an MFA in Photography and Digital imaging by the Maryland Institute College of Art. Köymen’s art calls attention to human nature by offering candid scenes of everyday life through the media of photography, mixed media, and photo based installations. Working across the gamut of photographic processes — from alternative to digital — Köymen centers on issues arising from place, culture, and social interaction.

Saturday, April 24, 2021 (10 am – noon)

Registration Deadline: April 21  

$42/$37 member

Location: Rose Garden*

*This class will take place outdoors with space for 6' between participants. Class size will be capped at 15. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available. Mask use is encouraged. 

Materials: smartphone (iPhone or Android)

In the case of inclement weather, the rain date for this class is April 25 (10 am - noon).

Take a walk around the BRIT campus with Dr. Grace Bascopé, BRIT Resident Research Associate and Medical and Environmental Anthropologist. You will learn about which and how plants were used by the First Peoples of the North Central Texas area. Dr. Bascopé will also discuss archaeological research carried out right around BRIT and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Explore the First Peoples Demonstration Garden and discuss how Native Americans and others optimize water conservation in their gardens in this dry region.

Instructor: Dr. Bascope left the classroom after years of teaching Anthropology and conducting field schools in Yucatán, México with both Texas Christian University and University of North Texas. Though specializing in Medical Anthropology, her dissertation work (The Household Ecology of Disease Transmission: Childhood Illness in a Yucatán Maya Community) pulled her toward exploring the environment through the eyes of collaborating community members. This led to facilitating place-based learning programs and gathering ethno-environmental data. Current qualitative research focuses on how diminishing corn cultivation, craft production from local forest resources and worldwide economic realities articulate to impact construction of Yucatec Maya cultural identity. Commitment to local Sense of Place learning has also led her to explore how indigenous peoples of North Texas utilized the land prior to European contact.

Saturday, April 24, 2021 (1 – 2 pm)

Registration Deadline: April 21              

$25/$20 member

Location: BRIT Grounds*

*This class will take place outdoors with space for 6' between participants. Class size will be capped at 15. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available. The use of masks is encouraged. 

In the case of inclement weather, the rain date for this class is April 25 (1 - 2 pm).

Self-Guided Explorations provide the freedom to explore the Fort Worth Botanic Garden at your own pace. GROW Educators will not be present during this experience. 

Available: Year-Round,  Monday - Friday 9 am - 3 pm 

$6 /participant (students & registered adults)

Minimum of 20 participants to qualify. 

Any unregistered adult joining on the day of a Self-Guided Exploration will pay the regular garden admission of $12.

Self-Guided Exploration pricing is available for schools, homeschool groups, and after-school programs for children Pre-K-12th grade only. If you want to register a college class or an adult group to visit the garden, please contact Stephanie Sellers for group rates: ssellers@brit.org 

Fill out our quick inquiry form to request a date for your exploration!

Please contact Michelle Schmidlkofer at mschmidlkofer@brit.org with any questions or concerns about Self-Guided Explorations. 

Going back to school looks different this year and so do FWBG|BRIT Field Study Trips!

Registration is currently open for Virtual Field Study Trips for Kindergarten - 5th Grade. 

Registration for middle/high school Virtual Field Study Trips is available here. 

All Virtual Field Trips are priced for a single class with a maximum of 35 students. Payment must be completed before any materials can be shared.

Tree Level - $80 - Includes 1 Self-guided Activity with:

• Activity Pages with instructions, suggested vocabulary, driving questions, and more

• Pre-activity videos

• Post-activity videos

Grove Level - $120 - Includes 3 Self-guided Activities with:

• Activity Pages with instructions, suggested vocabulary, driving questions, and more

• Pre-activity videos

• Post-activity videos

• One 30-45 minute live video session with GROW Girl

Forest Level - $140 - Includes 6 Self-guided Activities with:

• Activity Pages with instructions, suggested vocabulary, driving questions, and more

• Pre-activity videos

• Post-activity videos

• Your choice of one or two 30-45 minute live video sessions with GROW Girl!

Click here to download the PDF guide to K-2 Virtual Field Study Trips.
Click here to download the PDF guide to 3-5 Virtual Field Study Trips.

Or click here to submit a request form now!

Schedule a day for your group of learners 18 months to 6 years old to join Bella the Begonia or Carlos the Cactus to discover nature, read a story, sing and move, plus take home a family nature challenge! All activities take place outdoors.

Ideal for groups of 10-20 individuals.

Email mschmidlkofer@brit.org to request a date. 

Inspired by our popular Homeschool Day events, Private Homeschool Days invite you to schedule a date for your group of 15 - 40 learners to make science and literacy connections through the guidance of our trained education staff and outdoor classrooms.

• All Private Homeschool Day experiences take place Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
• $10 /each: students and adults (siblings under 5 years free)
• Minimum 15 participants, maximum 40 participants.
• Payment in full is due 2 weeks prior to visit date.

Each experience is available for one month - the date of your scheduled visit will determine which experience you receive. The Spring 2021 experience schedule is:

March: Stickwork

Learners will design and create 3D art using natural fibers and STEM processes. Come join the challenge!

April: Topiary Terrain

Topiary Terrain plays with the imagination and will give learners and their families the chance to rethink the possibilities of forging shapes from plants.

May: Pollinator Pathway

Ready, Set, GO! It is time for Homeschool learners to do citizen science in the garden and learn about what makes insects so essential.

Please select one adult who will be responsible for organizing the group and being the primary point of contact with BRIT staff and have them submit an inquiry here. This individual will also be responsible for collecting money from the group in order to pay the complete total by the due date.

Submit your inquiry today!

This is a unique experience including an in-depth virtual guided tour of BRIT's LEED Platinum campus with over 20 videos and 360° views.

Students will explore inside and outside of our BRIT campus to make connections between the impact of a LEED Platinum building and the environment, then apply their knowledge to design their own sustainable buildings of the future.

$140 LEEDing the Way Virtual Package Includes:

• Pre-activity video

• Kuula virtual tour of BRIT

• Activity Pages with suggested vocabulary, driving questions, and instructions for the Engineering-Design Challenge

• 45 minute live video session with Education staff for students to share and discuss their designs.

All Virtual Field Trips are priced for a single class with a maximum of 35 students.

Payment or PO must be completed before any materials can be shared.

Live video sessions available Monday - Friday at 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, or 2 PM.

Click here to submit a request form now!

Click here to download the PDF Guide.

In this workshop you will learn to create botanical cyanotype prints. You will learn how artists made the first photographs of plants and flowers using this camera-less technique. Enjoy experimenting to make unique compositions using local flora from the Garden or bring your own plant specimens. You will make several prints using this process in natural daylight, learning how to fix your images on a range of different papers.

Instructor: Edgar Miller is a commercial and fine art photographer and educator, having earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He has taught photography and art for the last 20 years and is always looking for new ways to help his clients learn. His work has been shown and awarded in several Texas and national exhibitions, and he is a member of the Texas Photographic Society and the Texas Artists Coalition. Influenced by his late father and his college photography professor, Edgar continues to find interesting light on interesting subjects. His work can be found at Edgar Miller Images. 

Saturday, May 1 (10 am – 12 pm)

Registration Deadline: April 28  

$50/$40 member

Location: BRIT Grounds and indoor classroom

*This workshop will take place mainly outdoors with space for 6' between participants. Class size will be capped at 15. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available. Mask use is encouraged outdoors and required indoors (some time will be spent indoors). 

Supplies: Provided

In the case of inclement weather, the rain date for this class is May 8 (10 am - noon).

Image courtesy Edgar Miller

Join us in the Garden for a family fun phone photography class! Using any type of smartphone as your artistic tool, follow the instructor as she guides you on a journey to learn more about nature photography and capturing the beauty of spring in the Garden. *Smartphone will not be provided, please provide your own.

The safety of our staff and guests is very important to us. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on group size, it is important we maintain an accurate headcount of participating individuals. All participants must register. Unregistered individuals are not permitted to join activities. Masks should be worn at all times during the program.

Date: Saturday, May 1
Time: 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Location: Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
Materials: Smartphone
Registration Closes: Thursday, April 29
$22 /Non-Member or $20 /Member (Log in to receive Member benefits.)
If you do not know your member login information, please call our Membership office at 817-332-7518 for assistance.

Click here to register in our online shop!

Continue your watercolor learning journey with this intermediate class, building on the skills learned in Introduction to Botanical Watercolor. Students will learn tips for composition and watercolor techniques emphasizing realism of botanical subjects, and will learn "insurance policies" to fix many common watercolor mistakes.

Instructor: Instructor Samantha Peters is a science illustrator based in Dallas. 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 and a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and the American Society of Botanical Artists.

Saturday, May 1, 2021 (1 - 4 pm)

Registration Deadline: April 28

$65/$55 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Can’t attend the live class? If you pre-register, you will be sent a link to the class recording (available for a limited time only) which you can view when convenient.

Materials: A full list of necessary materials will be emailed upon registration. If you are interested in the class but would like more information on necessary materials, please email ewhite@brit.org. 

Image courtesy Samantha Peters

Interested in growing your own blooms for flower arrangements and gifts? Then join us for an afternoon with farmers Kim Martin and Laurie Bostic of Barking Cat Farms. You will learn the basics of creating and tending a home cutting garden, including where to locate your garden, preparing the planting site, what flowers to grow, and how to harvest your blooms. 

Instructors: Instructors Kim Martin and Laurie Bostic, owners of Barking Cat Farm, teach others to grow high quality crops in an organic and sustainable manner, just as they do. 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.

Saturday, May 1, 2021 (1 – 2:30 pm)

Registration Deadline: April 28

$30/$25 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Can’t attend the live class? If you pre-register, you will be sent a link to the class recording (available for a limited time only) which you can view when convenient.

Join us in the Garden for a family fun photography class for you and your teenager! Using DSLR cameras that are provided for use during the program, follow the instructor as you're guided on a creative journey to learn more about nature photography. Capture the beauty of spring in the Garden and spend some quality time with your teen.

The safety of our staff and guests is very important to us. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on group size, it is important we maintain an accurate headcount of participating individuals. All participants must register. Unregistered individuals are not permitted to join activities. Masks should be worn at all times during the program.

Date: Saturday, May 1
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
Registration Closes: Thursday, April 29
Price: $22 /Non-Member or $20 /Member (Log in to receive Member benefits.)
If you do not know your member login information, please call our Membership office at 817-332-7518 for assistance.

Click here to register through our online shop!

During May's Home School Day program, discover the various symbiotic relationships within the garden and how these systems are vital to our existence. Examine the characteristics and needs of organisms and why biodiversity impacts an environment.

*The safety of our staff and guests is very important to us. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on group size, it is important we maintain an accurate headcount of participating individuals. All participants must register. Unregistered individuals are not permitted to join activities. Masks should be worn at all times during the program.

Price: $10 / students and parents
Date: Tuesday, May 4
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: FW Botanic Garden
Registration Closes: Thursday, April 29

Click Here to Register Through Our Online Shop!

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact volunteers@brit.org.

Permian Texas: Exploring an ancient tropical landscape

A (Virtual) Lunchtime Lecture by Dr. Rebecca Koll

Join Dr. Rebecca Koll as she discusses her research on the structure of deep time landscapes using mostly plants and sometimes insects, fire, and climate.

Dr. Koll is a Paleozoic paleobiologist and a National Science Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellow at Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. Follow Dr. Koll on Twitter at @RebeccaAKoll and the PBot project at https://paleobot.github.io/PBot/ and @PbotPortal.

This virtual lecture will broadcast live on YouTube at [coming soon] (new link as of 09-APR-2021).

Watchers can use the YouTube chat feature for Q&A with the speaker. A link to the recorded lecture will be posted here a few days after the event, pending permission.

Connect to nature with Bella's Book & Nature Club - back in person for Spring 2021!  Join Bella at BRIT each month to discuss nature, read a story, sing and move, plus a family nature challenge! All activities take place outdoors. Spots are limited, register today!

May’s book is Shapes All Around by Kate Riggs, illustrated by Laetitia Devernay! If you can’t join us in-person, tune in to BRIT’s Facebook page, where we will be sharing the story-time portion of this program LIVE!

The safety of our staff and guests is very important to us. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on group size, it is important we maintain an accurate headcount of participating individuals. Registration for this program is by family, please put only 1 registration per family in your cart. Once you have done so, a form will pop-up for you to report the number of adults and children participating. Masks should be worn at all times during the program. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, inviting environment!

Date: Wednesday, May 5
Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM
Location: BRIT
Registration Closes: May 3
Price: $10 /Non-Member family or $0 /Member family (Log in to receive Member benefits.)
If you do not know your member login information, please call our Membership office at 817-332-7518 for assistance.

Click Here to Register in our New Webstore!

Experience the beauty of late-spring in the Japanese Garden in this four-session yoga class. As the days grow longer and the sun grows brighter, our focus will be a slow, but strong, practice greeting the sun. Each class will begin with exercises invigorating the spine and opening the shoulders, culminating in Sun Salutations. We will close with a series of gentle and accessible inversions, backbends, and spinal twists.

Instructor: Brynn Byrne has taught Yoga for 15 years. Her focus is on Classical Ashtanga Yoga and Therapeutic Yoga. In 2010, she founded Elemental Yoga and the Mind Arts with the mission of providing therapeutic and accessible Yoga to the Fort Worth community. At Elemental Yoga, she leads yoga, meditation, philosophy, and teacher training. She resides in Fort Worth with her husband Michael and her dog Aurora.

Thursdays, May 6, 13, 20 & 27, 2021 (9:30 – 10:30 am)

Registration Deadline: May 3

$55/$45 member 

Location: Japanese Garden

*Due to ongoing social distancing measures, this class will maintain 6' distance between participants and is held outdoors. Hand sanitizer and masks will be available for use while indoors, though masks are not required during the class. In the case of inclement weather, the class will be rescheduled.  

Materials: A yoga mat and any props you wish to use

Enjoy a live demonstration building an herbal topiary using a small armature, then try one for yourself! You’ll have fragrant culinary herbs and and green and variegated ivy to use, and can take your topiary home and continue enjoying its fragrance and beauty. The workshop ends with a brief tour through The Garden's topiary exhibit, installed throughout the grounds. 

Instructor: Joyce Block is Conservatory Collections Specialist, caring for our Conservatory and its myriad plants. She is a native Minnesotan, who is still adapting to gardening in Texas. She has been with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden since 2014. Joyce started her Horticulture career by earning her Associate Degree at the University of Minnesota; becoming a Minnesota Master Gardener in 2000; transferring her Master Gardener to Texas in 2007; and finishing her Bachelor's degree in Horticulture at Texas Tech. She is also a Texas Master Certified Nursery Professional with the Texas Nursery and Landscapers Association. Joyce's work experience includes being a florist and having her own wedding floral design business, working as a retail garden center manager, and community college instruction. She lives in Alvarado, TX with her husband and a herd of cats who help her garden. 

Friday, May 7 ( 1 - 3 pm) 

Registration Deadline: May 4

$42/$37 member

Location: Conservation Greenhouse porch

Materials: Provided

Spring has come and brought with it new and beautiful reminders of growth and beauty, as well as the Texas sun! To celebrate this bright time of year, we’ll create cyanotype prints. By capturing the sun and the effect it has on elements gathered in nature we record a moment in time. As we connect cyanotype-making to self-care, we will explore a series of therapeutic techniques focused on grounding through the natural world. You will leave with tools you can use while on a walk, gardening, or simply enjoying the sunshine. 

Instructors: Lesli Robertson is an interdisciplinary textile artist and project developer who partners with local and international organizations to develop impactful engagement through interactive programs. She has developed numerous educationally-based trainings and outreach events with the goal of encouraging others to find new perspectives and value on a range of cultural and social topics. These have taken place in countries as diverse at Ghana, Kuwait, Scotland, Uganda, and Armenia. 

Tiffany Reves, MA, LPC-S, NCC is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor and the proprietor and clinical director of R&AC. She has worked in the mental health field since 2006, in her own private practice as well as a group practice, a mental health hospital, and non-profit social services. Tiffany is trained in EMDR and has specialty training in evidenced based practices for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She specializes in working with veterans and individuals who have experienced trauma. In addition, she served 6 years as the Clinical Consultant for the Denton County Veteran's Treatment Court and continues to provide counseling services to individuals in the program. 

Saturday, May 15, 2021 (10  – 11:30 am)

Registration Deadline: May 7

$55/$45 member 

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. 

Materials: A self-care kit is included in the price of registration and are available for pickup at BRIT. If you need your kit mailed, we are happy to do so for a $10 postal fee. 

Everyone loves a terrarium, and now you can create your own using begonias from the internationally recognized Begonia Species Collection at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Enjoy a virtual tour of the Species Bank and learn all about these beautiful plants. You'll then learn how to create and care for your miniature tropical habitat for rare and exotic species and hybrids, building your beautiful glass terrarium at home. A kit for building your terrarium will be available for pickup at The Garden.

Instructor: Deborah Garrett, Fort Worth Botanic Garden and Taddie Hamilton, Volunteer

Saturday, May 15, 2021 (1 – 2:30 pm)

Registration Deadline: May 12  

$35/$30 member

Location: This is an online class; you will receive an email the day prior to class with the Zoom class code and password. Your terrarium materials will be available for pickup May 13 & 14. You will receive an email with pickup instructions. 

The Incredible Journey of Plants 

Generation after generation, using spores, seeds, or any other means available, plants move in the world to conquer new spaces. They release huge quantities of spores that can be transported thousands of miles. The number and variety of tools through which seeds spread is astonishing: we have seeds dispersed by wind, by rolling on the ground, by animals, by water, or by a simple fall from the plant, which can happen thanks to propulsive mechanisms, the swaying of the mother plant, the drying of the fruit, and much more.In this accessible, absorbing overview, Mancuso considers how plants convince animals to transport them around the world, and how some plants need particular animals to spread; how they have been able to grow in places so inaccessible and inhospitable as to remain isolated; how they resisted the atomic bomb and the Chernobyl disaster; how they are able to bring life to sterile islands; how they can travel through the ages, as they sail around the world.

Connect to nature with Little Sprout Book & Garden Club - back in person for Spring 2021! Join Carlos the Cactus in the Backyard Vegetable Garden each month to discover nature, read a story, sing and move, plus a family nature challenge! All activities take place outdoors. Spots are limited, register today!

May’s book is A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni! If you can’t join us in-person, tune in to BRIT’s Facebook page, where we will be sharing the story-time portion of this program LIVE!

The safety of our staff and guests is very important to us. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on group size, it is important we maintain an accurate headcount of participating individuals. Registration for this program is by family, please put only 1 registration per family in your cart. Once you have done so, a form will pop-up for you to report the number of adults and children participating. Masks should be worn at all times during the program. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, inviting environment!

Date: Tuesday, May 18
Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM
Location: BRIT
Registration Closes: May 16
Price: $10 /Non-Member family or $0 /Member family (Log in to receive Member benefits.)
If you do not know your member login information, please call our Membership office at 817-332-7518 for assistance.

Click Here to Register in our New Webstore!

Dallas-based artist Jen Rose crafts tiny sculpture that is not only beautiful, it helps equally tiny pollinators as they go about their work of supporting plants and our ecosystems. These sculptures, called bee cups, are eco-friendly watering stations made from tiny hollow porcelain cones that resemble colorful flowers. Each one collects a few drops of water from the sprinkler or rain and provides a bee-friendly resting station for active pollinators. Placing the bee cups together in groupings, called an “Oasis,” the installations range from a colorful whimsical arrangement of a dozen or so, to a stunning ombre gradiant of over 500.

Rose began experimenting with the bee cup concept in 2019, curious about questions like “do bees have toes?” and “how long is a bee tongue?” “Pollinating insects are so vital to our ecosystem that I wanted to design something truly helpful, and not cause unintentional harm,” Rose said, explaining the motivation for her research and creative process. The final design holds a maximum of 1 cc of liquid, allowing for evaporation by the evening hours, eliminating the risk of mosquito breeding. The interior of each cup is embossed with ridges. “This gives the bees something to grip onto as they are drinking, much like a shower mat, to prevents falls,” Rose explains.

The Garden's original installation, Texas Bee Oasis, is made of over 2,000 bee cups. Its location in the Fuller Garden gives respite and water to our Garden pollinators, as well as beauty and joy to our visitors. 

Bee cups will be sold in the Trellis Shop and BRIT gift shops – they make beautiful additions to your own garden while supporting ecological health and diversity.