Garden ProgramsAlways check the
Garden Calendar for event details and updates.
Reservations are accepted daily, including weekends, 9 am - 4:30 pm.
Call 510-643-2755 x03 for event registration or to purchase/renew a membership.
Sick Plant Clinic
Saturday | March 3 | 9 am - noon
Join Dr. Raabe for his monthly Sick Plant Clinic and find out which diseases ail your plants. Entomologists are also available to identify the pests that are living in your plants. Please cover plants and disease samples in containers or bags before entering the Garden.
No reservation required: free
Newts Explained at the Japanese Pool
Come visit the Japanese Pool at the Garden where the newts are having all kinds of fun. A docent will be available to explain the newt activity and maybe even net a newt or two for a close-up look, while explaining the newt's life-cycle and habitat.
Free with Garden admission. Registration not required.
Animals of the Garden Breakfast & Walk for Families
Sunday March 11 10 am - noon
Children, with their family, are invited to join the Garden on this special journey to discover the many wonderful creatures living in the Garden. On our animal hunt, we will learn about newts, birds, butterflies, frogs, lizards, foxes, snakes and more! Hone your skills of observation and learn how plants and animals live together. Fee includes a light breakfast and a copy of the
Illustrated |
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) by Catherine Watters
|
Guide to the Common Animals of the East Bay Hills. Registration required; $12, $10 members
Botanical Illustration:
Introduction to Botanical Art with Catherine Watters Friday & Saturday || March 16 & 17 10 am - 4 pm
This two-day class will introduce you to the fascinating world of Botanical Art.
Catherine Watters will teach you to observe, measure and draw plants in great detail and with botanical accuracy. Students will work with graphite, colored pencils and watercolor. All levels are welcome. $160/$150 members; registration required
Blue Chair Fruit: Jam 101 Sunday | March 18 | 10 am - noon
Located in Oakland, CA,
Blue Chair Fruit Company is the premier artisanal jam and marmalade company in the United States. Join Rachel Saunders, founder of Blue Chair Fruit as she brings her expertise on fruit and fruit preserving techniques to the Garden. In this demo-style class Rachel will demonstrate how to cook lemon marmalade with cardamom & lavender and instruct students on technique and flavor pairings. Participants will receive a small take-home jar of marmalade and a set of class notes. Rachel will also be signing copies of her book,
The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook. Book will be available for purchase. Registration required; $85, $80 members.
Horticultural Walk: Southern Africa
Tuesday | March 20 | 1 - 2:30 pm
Spring is always an exciting time in the UC Botanical Garden and one that ends much too soon. After the winter rains, early annuals and spring flowering bulbs fill the Southern African Area with color. Come and see the floral display in full bloom before it is gone for another year with horticulturist for Southern Africa, Cycads and Palms Meghan Ray. Registration required: members only; free.
Fiber & Dye Exhibition
March 24 - April 3 | 10 am - 4 pm
The biodiversity of plant-based fibers and dyes is vast. The University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley invites you to learn more about the world of natural fibers and dyes. From traditional uses to inspired future innovation in eco-fashion and textiles, a walk through our exhibit illuminates the connection of culture with nature.
Traditional Dye Plants From Around the World Saturday | March 24 | 11 am - noon.
Join the Garden as we kick off our Fiber and Dye Exhibition! Join Deepa Natarajan from the
Permacouture Institute as she takes you through a colorful slideshow of plants used historically and presently for natural dyes around the world. Free with Garden admission.
Creating a Garden Garment
Saturday | March 31 | 1- 4 pm
Come learn how to create a beautiful scarf that you'll make and take home with you. You'll leave with an understanding of mordanting your textile, preparing a natural dye vat using local materials, making patterns on cloth using traditional resist techniques, and caring for your garment. Registration required; $40, $35 members.
California Tortoiseshell Butterflies
Thursday | March 22 & 29 | 9 - 9:30 am
On sunny mornings in late March California Tortoiseshell butterflies gather at an odd and secret place in the Garden before they fly off to lay their eggs in bountiful blue blooms. Gather at the Entrance Kiosk and we'll venture to the Redwood Grove side of Centennial to look for these butterflies and learn more about their wandering ways. Free; weather postpones tour.
Butterfly Walks
Tuesday | March | 27 | 3 - 4 pm
Join Sally Levinson, Garden volunteer propagator, docent and caterpillar lady, as she guides you through the collection in search of butterflies. Space is limited. Children welcome. Free with Garden admission.
The California Collection
Wednesday | April 4 | 1 - 2:30 pm
Join Horticulturists Ken Bates and Ben Anderson for a tour through the California Area, the Garden's largest collection. See native flora from diverse regions of the state. Representing close to one-quarter of the state's native species, the UC Botanical Garden showcases one of the largest species collections of native California plants anywhere. Free; members only; registration required.