Tour guide: Keely Shaughnessy, Brookside Gardens staff

Join us for a walking tour of Brookside Gardens’ late spring blooming shrubs and deciduous plants. Explore our colorful collection of azaleas and rhododendrons while learning how to incorporate them into your own home garden.

NOTE: Address and parking logistics will be sent after registration.

Nate Roehrich, Brookside Gardens greenhouse manager

Opened in 2018, the O’Rourke Greenhouse consists of four growing areas totaling 10,000 square feet under glass. Participants will take a closer look at the state-of-the-art technology that enables the greenhouse staff to grow a variety of beautiful plants year-round while getting a sneak peek at the thousands of plants being grown for the garden displays.

Instructor: Ann English, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection staff

Session II: Explore strategies to properly size a garden project, estimate plant quantities, and create an effective planting plan. Study the range of native plants for managing water runoff and supporting pollinators and wildlife. Learn the steps to develop and submit a plan that qualifies for the RainScapes Rewards Rebate. Registrants will receive a selection of free native plants to take home.

A RainScape is a landscape or design technique that helps reduce stormwater runoff from individual properties. RainScape projects can include rain gardens, conservation landscapes, green roofs, and permeable pavements. The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection offers a rebate program for approved RainScape projects for homeowners. To be eligible for a rebate, participants must apply and be approved for installation based on a submitted plan before projects are installed. These two sessions are intended to help homeowners create a RainScape design plan. Classes are open to anyone regardless if applying for a RainScape rebate.

Note: Address and parking logistics will be sent after registration.

Instructor: Nate Roehrich, Greenhouse Manager, Brookside Gardens

Learn about plant propagation in our state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities. You’ll discover how to produce your own houseplants inexpensively and easily from start to finish. We’ll review the best techniques and plants to propagate from cuttings. Participants will take a few potted cuttings from the greenhouse to grow at home.

Instructor: Joan O’Rourke, Brookside Gardens volunteer

Our staff have found miniature perennial plants that are just like the grown-up ones, including tiny hosta and the smallest heuchera. Your container will have a combination of plants including grasses, creeping groundcover, and flowering selections to create a lush mix of textures and colors. The plants will reward you with beauty year after year!

Instructor: Sam Hoadley, Manager of Horticultural Research, Mt. Cuba Center

Learn the latest updates from Mt. Cuba's research and trials on native plants. We'll review top performers among Monarda, Phlox, Echinacea, Hydrangea arborescens, Carex, and Amsonia and preview ongoing trials of Solidago and Vernonia. Make informed selections by understanding the horticultural performance and ecological value of each plant.

Meet at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Brookside Nature Center (1400 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902)

Brookside Nature Center & Brookside Gardens staff

Celebrate National Pollinator Week as we wander through an open meadow of beautiful perennials swarming with pollinators. Learn about mid-Atlantic native plants you can plant to help support beneficial insects while adding beauty.

Join us for an interactive story time followed by an outdoor exploration or activity for children ages 3-7. We will meet in the outdoor classroom area located in the Children’s Garden, weather permitting. Adults must accompany children. Meet in the Outdoor Classroom located in the Children’s Garden area.

Take a garden walk with one of our instructors and explore botany, nature, and all the outdoors has to offer. Curiosity, seasonal changes, and botanical variety will guide the content of the day and the route we take through the gardens. Meet in the Visitor Center at the start of class and dress for the weather.

As the summer winds down, monarchs, swallowtails, and other butterflies are busy in the gardens. Stop at the “hot spots” along the trail to identify different butterfly species, snap a few photos, and record observations in the nature journal provided. Meet in the Visitor Center at the start of class and dress for the weather.

Instructor: Kristin Davey, Brookside Gardens staff

Looking for ways to grow healthy food year-round? Explore scalable design strategies that add edible plants to your existing home garden, patio, or balcony! You’ll learn which perennials, shrubs, and trees will grow best in your unique landscape conditions. We’ll cover practical gardening tips ranging from planting, pruning, and harvesting to soil health and dealing with pests.

Instructor: Christopher Elenstar, Brookside Gardens staff

Whether you’re looking to create a new garden or blend in plants with your existing one, this lecture will help you develop a habitat that attracts and supports a range of wildlife year-round. Learn how to make informed plant selections based on their characteristics and how they uniquely sustain birds, butterflies, and pollinators. A deeper understanding of local ecosystems will inform design strategies for layering plant combinations and placement to create a functional and beautiful landscape. Plant lists provided.

If you're a first-time homeowner looking to tackle your new garden or just interested in brushing up on your skills, you’ll benefit from this introductory gardening series. Lessons are applicable to a range of garden spaces from big to small, including typical suburban yards and postage-stamp-sized urban lots.

Instructor: Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine

Session I: Learn key terminology and concepts to navigate your existing garden and identify which plants to keep, replace or add to. Understand how annuals, perennials, evergreens, shrubs, and trees can be best utilized in the landscape. Benefit from tips on useful gardening tools, where to purchase seeds and plants, and how to navigate garden centers.

*You can also email [email protected] to register for this event. Please include the number of guests in your party.

Join filmmaker Cintia Cabib for a screening of her new documentary Bird Walk. Discover how a former golf course in Rockville, Maryland has become an oasis for birds and birders and explore the grassroots campaign that helped preserve the 131-acre site as a public park. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A. Learn about the Bird Community Index and the role that it plays in Montgomery Parks’ conservation efforts. Find out how you can support local bird populations through community science and gardening for wildlife in your own backyard! Link to trailer: https://birdwalkfilm.com/trailer/.

Moderator: Cintia Cabib, Documentary filmmaker

Panelists:
• Vickie Baily, Nature photographer
• Emily Huang, Vice President, Montgomery Bird Club
• Dianna Loescher, Senior Natural Resources Specialist, Montgomery Parks
• Emily Williams, Avian Ecologist

Meet at Visitor Center Entrance

Tour guide: Emily Williams, avian ecologist

Did you know that 168 bird species have been sighted at Brookside Gardens? Marvel at the spring migration and bring your binoculars to look for warblers, Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and many more! After the walk, join us for a free screening of local filmmaker Cintia Cabib’s documentary Bird Walk.

*The registration for this program is full. Thank you for your interest.

Brookside Gardens is partnering with the DC Environmental Film Festival to present two films: “Troubled Tributary: Maryland's Patuxent River” and “Upstream, Downriver.” These documentaries shine a light on how pollution and climate change are disproportionally affecting communities of color in the DC region. Join us for an evening of storytelling and discussion about how you can help make our community more environmentally sustainable and equitable.

Moderator: Maggie Stogner, Executive Director, Center for Environmental Filmmaking, American University

Panelists:
• Brian Coyle, Ph.D., Executive Officer, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
• Sadie Drescher, Vice President of Programs for Restoration, Chesapeake Bay Trust
• Ruby Stemmle, Founder and CEO, EcoLatinos
• Fred Tutman, CEO, Patuxent Riverkeeper

NOTE: Address and parking logistics will be sent after registration.

Tour Guide: Rochelle Bartolomei, native plant program manager, Pope Farm

Enjoy this behind-the-scenes tour of the Montgomery Parks’ production facility that grows over 60,000 native plants annually. See how staff responsibly collect seed from over 200 native ecotype plants and then clean, prepare and store for future growing. Learn how these plants benefit important initiatives ranging from habitat restoration projects to local plant sales.

Speaker: Toni Gattone, author and adaptive gardening expert

Gardeners of all ages and abilities will benefit from learning new strategies to garden with comfort, safety, and ease. This lecture will review dozens of tips, tools, and techniques for adaptive gardening. Toni will help you modify the accessibility of your garden and re-think your space to include containers, raised beds and vertical gardens. Discover new ergonomic tools that are easier on your hands, back, hips, and entire body.

Instructor: Amy Davidson, cut flower farmer

Enjoy learning about natural dye techniques as you create a botanical landscape on fabric using fresh flowers and greenery grown on a local farm. Students can choose either an apron, tea towel, or canvas tote bag to craft. All supplies provided and students can supplement them with flowers from home.

Meet at Visitor Center Entrance | Reúnase en la entrada del Centro de visitantes

* Tour given in English and Spanish. | Visita guiada en inglés y español.

Tour guide: Alonso Abugattas, Natural Resources Manager, Arlington County and Founder, Capital Naturalist

Discover the hidden flora and fauna of Brookside Gardens and the neighboring forest with award winning naturalist, storyteller, and environmental educator Alonso Abugattas. Learn more about the fascinating relationships between plants and wildlife as you discover the local ecosystems that can exist in your own backyard. This guided tour will help you see the natural world of Brookside Gardens in a whole new light!

Guía: Alonso Abugattas, gerente de Recursos Naturales, Condado de Arlington y fundador, Capital Naturalist

Descubra la flora y fauna ocultas de Brookside Gardens y el bosque vecino con el galardonado naturalista, narrador y educador ambiental Alonso Abugattas. Obtenga más información sobre las fascinantes relaciones entre las plantas y la vida silvestre mientras descubre los ecosistemas locales que pueden existir en su propio patio trasero. ¡Esta visita guiada le ayudará a ver el mundo natural de Brookside Gardens desde otra perspectiva!

NOTE: This is an in-person program, meeting in the Adult Classroom, with an optional garden tour after.

Instructor: Thomas Crawley and Angelus Bullock, Brookside Gardens staff

Expand your gardening and cooking palette with unique vegetables from West Africa. We’ll explore traditional agricultural practices and the cultural history of each crop. Learn where to source the seeds and plants locally, as well as cultivation techniques and even a few recipes to liven up your cuisine. Class includes a garden tour where you can see plant specimens up close.

Speaker: William Cullina, author and the F. Otto Haas Executive Director, Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania

Not all woody plants mix well with perennials for several reasons, including differing soil and fertilization needs, incompatible growth habits, or aggressive root systems. This talk explores how to seamlessly blend native shrubs and small trees with existing perennials in your landscape. Discover 30 combinations that bring texture, color, and wildlife to your garden year-round.

Discover ways to garden more sustainably while getting to know our staff horticulturists. From native plants and organic practices to stormwater management, see firsthand how we are beautifying Brookside Gardens while protecting the environment.

Instructor: Marilyn B. Spenadel, LCPC, ACS

This self-care workshop will blend meditative practices in nature with art therapy and group discussion to build holistic wellness. Explore mindfulness skills to create your heart-felt resiliency routine for handling stress and providing peace of mind and body. Learn nurturing techniques that help build internal resources for spiritual and emotional health.

Get a head start on spring gardening! You’ll appreciate the high-quality perennials, shrubs, and small trees grown at Montgomery Parks’ Pope Farm and local nurseries. Enjoy a wide selection of plants, including native ecotypes, and get expert advice from staff horticulturists. Proceeds support ongoing efforts to beautify Brookside Gardens.

Check out the latest in eco-friendly landscaping tools including electric mowers, trimmers, and blowers. Learn about Montgomery Parks’ efforts to replace all gas-powered landscaping equipment with electric and get inspired to “green up” your own garden care. You’ll have the chance to engage with Brookside Gardens’ horticulturalists during hands-on demonstrations.

School is out and it’s time to play some games - join us for a full morning of boardgame fun for youth ages 11-16. Board games about the natural world have taken the hobby world by storm and are a wonderful way to explore a variety of science topics. Practice cooperation, strategy, and critical thinking skills as we learn about the real-world inspirations for these popular table-top games. Each session will feature a different game and topic, and no prior boardgame experience is required! Bring a snack for a mid-morning break and meet in the Visitor Center.