Special Events
April 25 - May 3 | Excluding Sundays
9 AM-3 PM
Location: Ernst Tree Terrace
Shop from a variety of houseplants, native perennials, shrubs, and trees!
Shop Plants SoonWalks, Talks & Workshops
Invasive Species Management
Wednesday, April 2 | 10-11:30 AM | FREE
Location: Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center
Join Jacob Edel, Invasive Management Specialist at Blue Ridge PRISM, and the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum for this FREE field training where you’ll learn how to identify invasive plants in the spring. This session includes a short hike along trails, some with uneven surfaces.
Space is limited to 20 participants.
April Wildflower Walks
Wednesdays | 12-1 PM | FREE
Location: Meet at the Pavilion
Join us for an educational stroll with Keala Timko during this exciting and beautiful time of year. You will learn about various spring ephemerals and where to locate them in the Arboretum!
The first flush of color shown in the arboretum woods include: Bloodroot, Dutchman’s Breeches, Bluebells, Woodland Phlox, Spring Beauty, Trillium, and much more.
Upcycle Terrarium Workshop
Sunday, April 6 | 1-2 PM
$35/adult + $10/kid
Location: Ernst Tree Terrace
You'll be walked through the process of repurposing glass jars, old containers, and other upcycled items into beautiful, self-sustaining mini gardens.
You are encouraged to bring along any containers that you'd like to repurpose!
Discovery Day: Herpetology!
Sunday, April 12 | FREE
Location: Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center
Discover the magical world of herpetology!
- Salamander Song Book Launch (11:15 am-12 pm) for pre-school aged kids & their families
- Herp Walk for Kids & Families (12-1 pm) for kids & their families
- Herp Walk for Adults (1-2 pm) for adults, but curious kids are more than to join
Landscaping with Native Plants
Saturday, April 12 | 2-3 PM | FREE
Location: Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center
Set your garden up for success this year with helpful tips and resources from the Central Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners!
Next Talk: Plants + Medicine on Monday, May 12 at 11:30 AM
Poet-Tree-- Taste and Texture of Home
A Furious Flower Poetry Workshop for All People and All Ages
Presented by Dr. Gbenga Adesina
Saturday, April 19 | 12:30-2:30 PM, Poet-TREE sharing 2:30-3
FREE, All Ages and All People Welcome | Rain or Shine
Location: Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center
What is home to you? In what are you rooted? A patch of the earth, the silver and scent of rain, a song, prayer, the voice of your brother, the smell of ocean? Is home the smell of a plant or the taste of a fruit, the color of a scarf, a smile, a touch, or even a memory? Is home a place you are always running toward or running away from? In this two-hour poetry workshop, participants will be led through poems, plants, prompts, art works, photographs, and sensory cues to ponder and examine through memory and imagination what the idea of home invokes in them. We will end with the option to add our poems to our Poet-TREE in the Arboretum for others to enjoy during Poetry Month. Registration required.
You are encouraged but not required to bring along a pen/pencil and paper or something that reminds you of home (a scarf, a photograph, a fruit, etc.).
Reoccuring Programs
Evenings With Bats | Monitoring Program
1st & 3rd Fridays| Dusk | FREE
Next Meeting: April 18th
Location: Pond
Gather around the Pond and marvel at bats as they emerge for their evening hunt. The VA Master Naturalists return for their bat emergence monitoring program.
Plan to arrive 15 minutes before sunset.
Bonsai Club Meeting
1st Tuesdays | 6-8 PM | FREE
Next Meeting: April 1st
Location: Frances Plecker Education Center
Join presenters, Clark Driver and Simon Jilg for a short lecture, bonsai displays, and door prizes!
Wellness and Soundscape Programs
Martial Arts at the Arb!
Martial Arts | $15/session
Location: FPEC or Terrace
Tai Chi | Saturdays | 8-9 AM
Tai chi is a gentle, low-impact form of exercise that can improve muscle strength, flexibility, and balance.
Baguazhang | Tuesdays & Thursdays | 5:30-7 PM
Baguazhang is an 18th century Chinese martial art inspired by a form of Taoist meditative circle walking.
Sound Bathing Experience
Tuesday, April 15th | 5:30-7 PM
$25/session
Location: Frances Plecker Education Center
Embark on a sound journey that will relax and de-stress you and bring your whole being back into a state of harmony on all levels; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Connie Magee is a multi-modality massage therapist, medicine woman, Yoga Instructor, and meditation teacher.
Harrisonburg Songtuary
Saturday | April 19th | 2-3:30 PM
Location: Pavilion
Harrisonburg Songtuary is a community song circle that seeks to propagate co-enchanting cohorts of contemplayful singers, sponsored by the Arts Council of the Valley and the Office of Creative Propulsion.
On the Songtuary website, you may find more details and RSVP for upcoming gatherings; receive email updates, add to your calendar, or share on social media. We appreciate when you let us know you’re coming, and we hope the web RSVP is convenient for you as well!
ANNUAL EVENTS
|
February March April May |
June - August September October - December |
May - September | Private Greenhouse Shopping by Appointment
$50 Minimum purchase required, call (540)-568-3194 to schedule
Grounds: Free to the public
Dawn to dusk | 365 days a year
Frances Plecker Education Center:
M-F | 8 AM - 4 PM
