Chicago Botanic Garden Classes, Chicago

Observing the transformation of a tiny caterpillar into a beautiful adult butterfly is miraculous. Learn methods of sheltering larvae and pupae in a safe, protective environment to ensure they escape predation and disease, maturing into adulthood. You will build a pupae/larvae rearing box to raise butterflies at home.

Join Jeff Epping in an exploration of some of the finest public gardens in the United States, from the High Line and Battery Park in New York City to the Lurie Garden in Millennium Park. Gorgeous gardens in the Netherlands, France, and England are also on the docket. Epping will illustrate how innovative designers and gardeners have showcased great...

Green or sustainable gardens make sense for many reasons—they’re good for the environment and they’re good for us. Jeff Epping has been researching and implementing a number of new gardens at Olbrich that are more environmentally sound and can be easily incorporated into home landscapes.  Epping will show you how they have replaced lawns...

Light levels, roses of various shapes and colors, and horizontal and vertical patterns of garden design combine to create a photographic palette of variegated reds, whites, and yellows.  Learn techniques in the classroom, then head to the Krasberg Rose Garden to practice camera skills and make the most of this lush carpet of color. Class is limited...

Kick up your heels with SALSArobics®. Get fit moving through the Garden and learning footwork to traditional sounds from Latin America. Practice indoors and outdoors with varying activities designed to strengthen and condition your whole body at your own pace. Suitable for all fitness levels. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Dress for the weather....

Exercising in “green space” stimulates your mind and body, providing benefits a gym could never surpass. Build endurance, work on postural alignment, gain core strength, increase cardiovascular capacity, and improve balance. Suitable for all fitness levels.  This class may be taken multiple times. Wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes....

The end of summer doesn’t mean the end of home-grown vegetables. Discuss and practice how to get the most out of the growing season by adding cool season vegetables to your fall garden. Learn about variety selection, mulching, and extending the season. 

Today’s pruning of your trees and shrubs will define how they grow for years to come. Learn which cuts to avoid, which cuts are essential, and which cuts area matter of your personal style. Class size is limited.

Versatile honey, with its flavors, smells, and sweetness, enhances summer picnic recipes. In this cooking class, taste honey samples and learn to use different varietals to create caponata, curried chicken salad, kale, clementine, and hazelnut salad; Tuscan farro; and honey whole wheat pretzel bites with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Discover the joy and beauty of mosaic art in the pique assiette tradition. Pique assiette, or “broken plates,” incorporates a wonderful blending of color, form, and texture. This mosaic folk art can be found in many cultures and is popular today as a way to recycle a favorite piece of china or broken heirloom. Work under the guidance of Bonnie...

Exuberant gardens overflowing with old-fashioned flowers come to mind when we think of cottage gardens. Shrub roses, foxgloves, poppies, forget-me-nots, hollyhocks, vegetables, and herbs all have a place. Discover bed and border designs and plant combinations that can help you get the look of an English-style cottage garden.

Do you admire those fabulous hanging baskets you see at the Chicago Botanic Garden? Learn some tricks of the trade during a discussion of different styles, materials, and plant ideas. Maintenance tips will also be discussed. Each student will plant their own wire and moss hanging basket to enjoy at home. Please bring gloves.

Most of us notice how gorgeous gardens are when the sun is shining, but how often do we see what they look like at night? Take an evening Garden walk to view and discuss night blooming plants and how to add them in your own garden. You might even catch some night pollinators in action.

New! Successfully illustrating proper positioning of objects in space is an essential component of drawing. Through sketching structural elements in the Garden and in the classroom setting, you will gain an understanding of linear perspective, shadows, and reflections. Explore how you think about the visual representation of a landscape to improve...

See, touch, smell, and taste common ways to use herbal preparations including dried, capsules, teas, decoctions, infusions, salves, tinctures, syrups, poultices, essential oils, and flower remedies/essences. Learn how “dis-ease” gradually builds and how to reverse it. Make four items for an herbal first-aid kit to take home and receive reference...