Vine to Table

Join Culinary Dietitian Dixya Bhattarai in learning about Plant-Based Eating - a lifestyle centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. She will guide you in starting your plant-based eating journey, share practical tips and resources, and will demonstrate her favorite hummus recipe. 

Instructor Dixya Bhattarai graduated with a major in dietetics and a minor in Biology from Idaho State University in 2010 before she received a Master of Science in Nutrition in 2016. She has 6+ years of experience in acute care clinical dietetics and food service management. She also collaborates with corporate wellness companies through nutrition education, cooking demonstration, and workshops. To learn more about Dixya, please visit: https://www.foodpleasureandhealth.com/

Please note: Online registration for this class has closed. Limited on-site registration will be available starting at 9:15am on Saturday morning.

Please note: this class will be held at BRIT.

$30 members/$35 non-members

Before you delve into spring landscaping, learn the principles and elements of design that will make your landscape stand out, how to sketch a design for your landscape and which plant materials to use. In this course, you'll also view examples of landscape transformations that have taken place right here in Fort Worth.

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

Join the Advanced Master Gardener Plant Propagation team in this hands-on class where you will learn how seeds develop in flowers, then sow seeds into pots, and how to “bump-up” the seedlings for your garden.  You will leave with pots of potential plants and seedlings which can be planted in your garden.

Instructors Bobbye Hitzfeld, Sue Sappington and Betty Starnes love gardening and sharing their knowledge and tricks.  They love seeing seeds sprout and grow into beautiful vegetables, herbs or landscape plants.  They have received advanced training in all types of propagation. Among them they have over 19 years in the Master Gardener program and 80 years in growing and loving plants! 

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

$20 members/$25 non-members

Join us and discover how your garden can become not only a haven for you and your plants but also a habitat for birds, insects and butterflies. Learn how to incorporate feeders and birdhouses into your garden plan and learn which plants will attract beneficial insects and butterflies. Start planning now and enjoy the wildlife in your garden all year long!

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 the FWBG.

$20 members/$25 non-members

Join us for this one day introduction to the medium appropriate for both beginning and intermediate artists. Students will learn techniques for colored pencil success including layering, color theory, and special considerations for various colored subjects.

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.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

This class is SOLD OUT.

$85 members/$95 non-members.

Materials List:

• Paper pad: 9”x12” or 11”x14” of ONE of the following:

• Strathmore 500 Bristol Vellum surface
• Stonehenge 250 GSM Vellum surface
• Fabriano Studio Watercolor 140 lb HOT PRESS (Orange/red cover) (DO NOT BUY COLD PRESS PAPER) If you’re planning to take a bunch of classes or aren’t sure whether you want to focus on a specific medium, I’d recommend this paper. It works well for pencil, colored pencil, and watercolor.

• Portable, battery operated pencil sharpener

• Tracing paper: Strathmore 300 series tracing or similar

• Pencils: 2H, H, and/or HB graphite pencils, mechanical pencils, or lead with holder. Derwent, Staedtler-Mars Lumograph, and Tombow are all good brands.

• Kneaded eraser (new and unused)

• White vinyl eraser (Magic Rub or similar)

• 6” or 12” ruler (clear ones are great!)

• Drafting tape

• Large fluffy clean brush or feather; new makeup brushes work great

• Colored pencils: Please choose artist-grade pencils; I recommend purchasing the largest set you can afford. Prismacolor Premier and Faber-Castell Polychromos are excellent brands. If purchasing open-stock, please bring at least the following (Prismacolor codes and names are listed, or the FC equivalent):

• Lemon Yellow: PC 915
• Canary Yellow: PC 916
• Sunburst Yellow: PC 917
• True Blue: PC 903
• Denim Blue: PC 1101
• Tuscan Red: PC 937
• Crimson Red: PC 924
• Poppy Red: PC 922
• Process Red: PC 994
• Apple Green: PC 912
• Grass Green: PC 909
• Dark Purple: PC 931
• Greyed Lavender: PC 1026
• Black Cherry: PC 1078
• Black Grape: PC 996
• Sienna Brown: PC 945
• Dark Brown: PC 946
• Terra Cotta: PC 944
• White: PC 938
• Black: PC 935
• Cream: PC 914
• A selection of French, warm, or cool greys: I like 10% and 50% French grey (1068 and 1072), and 10% cool grey (1059), but choose however many you like
• colorless blender: PC 1077
• Please have your pencils sharpened prior to the first class!

GROW Adult Education is pleased to partner with Barking Cat Farm to provide this brief introduction to the fascinating subject of permaculture, a sustainable, permanent growing system. In this class you’ll learn how to begin to apply basic concepts to your own property such as optimal placement of buildings, gardens and pathways. You’ll learn about creating self sustaining eco-systems, water saving techniques and creating abundance on your property.

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

In this hands-on class students will learn all about using raised beds to jump start their home gardens. Students will learn about different raised bed designs, soil considerations that accompany the use of raised beds and how to assemble a basic drip irrigation system for a raised bed. Students will have the opportunity to explore commonly available raised bed kits, will get hands on experience in assembling beds from items obtained from the big box stores, and can work with drip irrigation parts.

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

For many, Japanese Gardens and the techniques they employ are a mystery. Join John Powell, Japanese garden designer, and Nick Esthus, lead gardener for the FWBG Japanese Garden, as they lead us through a brief history of Japanese garden styles, techniques, aesthetics, and elements of design featuring examples of these applications in Texas gardens and others throughout the United States and Japan. 

Instructor John Powell, owner of Zoen, LLC, designs Japanese-style gardens and serves as lead garden consultant for several public gardens throughout the United States, specializing in garden restorations and sustainable maintenance programs.  John received his training from various Japanese garden masters both in Japan and the United States including internship at the prestigious Adachi Museum of Art gardens in Yasugi, Japan.  A regular contributor to Sukiya Living magazine (The Journal of Japanese gardening), John also presents frequently for the North American Japanese Garden Association and is a member of its board of directors.

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

$30 members/$35 non-members

Join Begonia experts in creating your own terrarium using begonias from the nationally recognized Begonia Species Collection at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.  Students will learn how to create and care for their own miniature tropical habitat populated with rare and exotic species and hybrids.  All materials are provided and students will take home their glass terrarium for instant color.

Instructor Bobbie Price is a 20-plus year volunteer in the nationally recognized Begonia Species Bank along with Don Miller who has spent his life searching for new species and conserving rare begonias. Debbie Garrett, the staff curator for the collection, studied horticulture at the University of North Texas.  Her love for begonias centers on the conservation of the species.

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

$30 members/$35 non-members

The Japanese Garden at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, which will soon celebrate its 50th birthday, serves as the classroom for this unique series of hands-on workshops. Join FWJG Senior Gardener Nick Esthus and Japanese garden expert John Powell for a series of workshops on the art of tsubo-niwa (small garden) inside the Japanese Garden.  Participants will gain hands on experience in a variety of crucial tsubo-niwa elements including setting boulders, stone paving, tree and shrub pruning and placement, and working with bamboo, all while assisting with permanent changes to the garden. Attendees will gain insight into the art of Japanese gardens, their connection to architecture and will take away valuable ideas for their own gardens.  

Instructor John Powell, owner of Zoen, LLC, designs Japanese-style gardens and serves as lead garden consultant for several public gardens throughout the United States, specializing in garden restorations and sustainable maintenance programs.  John received his training from various Japanese garden masters both in Japan and the United States including internship at the prestigious Adachi Museum of Art gardens in Yasugi, Japan.  A regular contributor to Sukiya Living magazine (The Journal of Japanese gardening), John also presents frequently for the North American Japanese Garden Association and is a member of its board of directors.

Instructor Nick Esthus is the Senior Gardener for the Fort Worth Japanese Garden located at Fort Worth Botanic Garden.  His previous work experience includes garden curator at Memphis Botanic Garden’s Japanese garden, Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Garden at Ohio State University, and nursery intern at Longwood Gardens.  He holds an Associate’s degree from Columbus State Community College in Landscape Design and a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Horticulture from Ohio State University.  Nick specializes in Japanese garden design, maintenance and installation both FWJG and private clients.  

This class will meet on three Saturdays: 
2/9/2019
3/9/2019
3.23/2019

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

$110 members/$135 non-members

Join us for this hands on class and learn the history of the Rose Garden at the FW Botanic Garden, the tricks to pruning your roses, and the secrets to having the most beautiful roses on your block! The Rose Garden will be our living classroom where Jeff Myers, rose gardener for the FWBG, will share the joy and care of various types of roses. Students will have the rare opportunity to use the Rose Garden plants to practice the techniques they learn in class. Students will leave with handouts that illustrate the pruning techniques they learned and practiced. 

Instructor Jeffrey Myers has been the rose gardener at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden since December of 2008. A graduate of Penn State University, he received degrees in Agricultural Education and Horticulture.  After college, he taught high school agricultural science before joining the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society where he served as a community garden coordinator, senior education specialist, and Country administrator for the society’s neighborhood greening program, Philadelphia Green.  Jeff spoke to area garden clubs, presented workshops at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and appeared on HGTV’s Philadelphia Flower Show specials.  Jeff created a horticultural job skills training program and community kitchen garden for residents of a homeless shelter in Southwest Philadelphia. In Phoenix, Jeff worked for the Arizona Department of Agriculture as an inspector and the state’s Noxious Weed Coordinator, traveling throughout the state locating invasive plant species and working with area groups and agencies to control ad remove the pest. Jeff also acted as the Department’s liaison to the Governor’s Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council.

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

$20 members/$25 non-members

My research of the Holy Writings is based on extensive residential research in Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq; as well as field work in Egypt, Greece, Oman, Turkey, Brunei Darussalam, and United Arab Emirates. Historically, there have been numerous errors from improper identification and/or naming of plants. For example, the aloe mentioned in the Psalms and Song of Solomon is not the well-known aloe popular in lotions and shampoos. Mustard is likely not mentioned in the Bible. The popular image of apple as the fruit in the Garden of Eden is erroneous.Other plants widely cultivated in Bible days are no longer grown in the Middle East. One example is flax. Still other crops had varieties used in ancient times that are virtually unknown today. Notable is the kind of wheat called emmer which has been replaced by the widely grown durum and bread wheat. Emmer requires different preparation involving a threshing sledge, mentioned in several verses, and a mortar and pestle.

Lytton John Musselman

A graduate of Beloit College, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Lytton John Musselman is the Mary Payne Hogan Professor of Botany at Old Dominion University where he also served as Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.  His main teaching interest and one of his chief research interests is ethnobotany, broadly defined as the human use of plants past, present, and future.

He has taught courses during the past four decades in the use of local plants at his home institution as well as the State University of New York School of Environmental Biology and Forestry at the Cranberry Lake Biological Station in the Adirondacks, Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies in Michigan, and the University of Virginia Mountain Lake Biological Station.

Ethnobotanical research has centered on two broad geographical regions. The first is the Middle East where he has lived in five countries studying the uses of plants in ancient times resulting in three published volumes:  Jordan in Bloom Flowers of the Holy Land commissioned by Queen Rania of Jordan and published by the Jordan River Foundation in 2000; Figs, Dates, Laurel and Myrrh Plants of the Bible and Quran with a foreword by Garrison Keillor published by Timber Press in 2007; and A Dictionary of Bible Plants published by Cambridge University Press in 2011. 

Closer to home, his book on Chesapeake Bay plants (2012) with David Knepper and A Quick Guide to Edible Plants (2013) with Harold Wiggins were published by Johns Hopkins University Press.  Wildflowers of the Adirondacks with Donald Leopold will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Trees frame our houses and provide shade, but they take the longest of any plant in the landscape to mature. Winter is an excellent time to plant trees so they can establish somewhat before the heat of summer. Come learn about the best trees—small, large, ornamental and shade—for North Central Texas just in time to plant this winter!

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

From Amazon.com: "Are trees social beings? In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland."

Join Culinary Dietitian Dixya Bhattarai as she discusses the importance of incorporating fermented foods in your diet for better digestion. Sample some fermented foods and learn how to brew your own "Kombucha" - fizzy fermented tea at home.

Instructor Dixya Bhattarai graduated with a major in dietetics and a minor in Biology from Idaho State University in 2010 before she received a Master of Science in Nutrition in 2016. She has 6+ years of experience in acute care clinical dietetics and food service management. She also collaborates with corporate wellness companies through nutrition education, cooking demonstration, and workshops. To learn more about Dixya, please visit: https://www.foodpleasureandhealth.com/.

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$30 members/$35 non-members

Feeling inspired by a grassland or forest but can't quite capture your experience into one succinct image or painting? By shifting our lens and adapting a looser style, we can illustrate our inspiration through sketching and storytelling. Our nature sketching workshop will combine a visual method of storytelling with a keen eye for the natural world to give our artwork context for our interest and inspiration to share. We will use pencils and watercolors to do some on-site sketching of botanical specimens around BRIT and do a little research about our chosen specimens to more fully illustrate their story.

Instructor Owen Curtsinger is a comic artist and scientific illustrator based in Fort Worth, Texas. For years he created and self-published comics and zines in Seattle's thriving independent comics scene, usually focusing on scientific research topics such as narwhal evolutionary biology, the science of neon signs, and solar magnetism. In 2016 he received a Certificate in Natural Science Illustration from the University of Washington, which introduced him to more technical methods of observation and illustration of plants and animals. Since moving to Texas in 2017 he has become fascinated with the botany and ecology of Texas' many ecoregions, and he is now focused on botanical illustration while striving to connect botany to the narrative storytelling thread found in comics and sequential art.

Required materials:

Your favorite pencil and/or pen.
A sketchbook with quality paper or a block of watercolor paper.
A small travel watercolor set with appropriate brushes (waterbrushes are great for mobility but not required) or a set of quality colored pencils if that is your preferred medium.
A digital camera or a mobile phone with a camera.
Clothing appropriate for the weather (we'll be outside for part of the time!).

Please note: This class will be held at BRIT.

$85 members/$95 non-members

Registration opens soon!

Flummoxed by vegetable gardening? You’ll learn how to be successful this season in your garden with this mix of presentation and hands on seminar. A wide range of topics will be covered including site selection, irrigation, soil biology, specialty gardens like herb, salad and salsa gardens, and much more. 

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

Registration opens soon!

From Amazon.com: ""I am leaving you all my journals, but you must promise me you won't look at them until after I'm gone." This is what Terry Tempest Williams's mother, the matriarch of a large Mormon clan in northern Utah, told her a week before she died. It was a shock to Williams to discover that her mother had kept journals. But not as much of a shock as it was to discover that the three shelves of journals were all blank. In fifty-four short chapters, Williams recounts memories of her mother, ponders her own faith, and contemplates the notion of absence and presence art and in our world. When Women Were Birds is a carefully crafted kaleidoscope that keeps turning around the question: What does it mean to have a voice?"

Learn how to combine annuals, perennials, shrubs and tropical plants in beds and containers to achieve stunning results in your landscape. We'll work with both cool and warm season plants to create year-round color combinations. After the class, we will view some of the plant combinations in beds and containers around the Botanic Garden. Please wear comfortable walking shoes.

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

Join the Advanced Master Gardener Plant Propagation team as they teach you to expand your landscape plants without buying them!  Learn to propagate by using cuttings to clone your favorite landscape plants.  You will choose cuttings and leave with pots full of cuttings that you will be able to plant in your landscape.

The Advanced Master Gardener Plant Propagation Team of Loretta Bailey, Bobbye Hitzfeld and Betty Starnes and Sue Sappington love gardening of all kinds but especially the propagation of plants by cuttings.  They have received advanced training in all types of propagation. Among them they have over 10 years in the Master Gardener program and 60 years in growing and loving plants!  

Please note: This class will take place at the FWBG.

$20 members/$25 non-members

Registration opens soon!

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.

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 the FWBG.

$20 members/ $25 non-members

Registration opens soon!

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 the FWBG.

$30 members/$35 non-members

Registration opens soon!

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 the FWBG.

$30 members/$35 non-members

Registration opens soon!

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.

BRIT’s Vine to Table, Wine Dinner & Auction & Special Presentation of the 2019 International Sustainable Wine growing 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 - Saint-Emilion Restaurant
• 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.