Free Virtual tours & talks from gardens nationwide!

Got the travel itch? Looking for some inspiration and motivation to visit some amazing gardens across the nation? Look no further! Join us from the comfort of your home for FREE virtual profiles from the gardens listed below, where they showcase ongoing research, amazing history and collections, and other incredible features, via easy and convenient Zoom webinars.

Participants can register for as many programs as they choose, and tune in and out as they like – though many of our presenters are doing Q&As after their live program! Since all presentations will be recorded, a Youtube video will be posted on this page afterwards for those who are unable to attend the live program, and videos will be available the duration of GO public Gardens Days, as well as some time after.

We’re incredibly excited to share our gardens with you, where ever you may be watching from, and encourage you to share through all social platforms!

Previous Program Recordings

Friday, May 7th

Norfolk Botanical Garden Logo

Alexandra Cantwell

Adult Education Manager

Norfolk, VA

Norfolk Botanical Garden 

Join us in this look across almost 85 years of history and horticulture! From our collections of plants to collections of art, participants will see what makes this piece of paradise so special across generations

Erin Smaldone

Education Director

Morgantown, WV

Wild and Wonderful West Virginia Botanic Garden at Tibbs Run Preserve

Join us to learn about the unique history of our site and organization as well as how we fulfill our mission through beauty, inspiration, education, wellness, and culturally enriching experiences

Mark A. Miller, PhD

Education Director

Oakdale, PA

From Black to Green: The Story of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

Becky Mallison

Education Manager

Lake Wales, FL

Bok Tower Gardens

Monday, May 10th 

Molly Davis – Director

Dawn Bailey – Education Coordinator

Lexington, KY

The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of KY

Learn about our three main features, the Walk Across Kentucky, the Horticultural Gardens, and the Kentucky Children’s Garden. The Arboretum is a 100-acre public garden located in the heart of Lexington on the campus of the University of Kentucky.

Tim Gould

Public Programs Manager

Centre County, PA

The Arboretum at Penn State

Join us for a virtual tour of The Arboretum at Penn State, featuring the managed gardens and natural landscapes that comprise this jewel of Penn State’s University Park campus. From the stately old-growth white oaks in historic Hartley Wood to the carefully-selected plantings in the brand new Pollinator and Bird Garden, there is something at the Arboretum to capture the eye and imagination of every visitor.

Seth Hamby

Head Gardener

Fort Davis, TX

Know Your Natives

Join Head Gardener, Seth, on a tour of the Botanical Gardens. The first stop will be at the Pollinator Garden, followed by the 1/2 mi loop on the Trans-Pecos Natives Path.  This path is designed as if you are starting at lower elevation (2,500 ft) with a Desert Specialty Garden and progressing to higher elevation to woody shrubs and trees, and finally to the the Alpine section (6,000 ft) These plants are representative of the Davis Mountains sky island region in which CDRI is located. Explore our most recent landscaping project in front of the Cactus Greenhouse Museum, then top things off with an inside for a look around the cactus greenhouse which houses ~200 species and subspecies of Chihuahuan Desert cacti.

Michelle Bertelsen

Ecologist

Austin, TX

20 Years of Land Restoration Research

The Wildflower Center has been studying the effects of prescribed fire and mowing on plant communities since 2000. This work provides nuanced information for restoration professionals and land owners looking to improve the ecological health of their land.

Tuesday, May 11th

James ‘Jamie’ Burghardt

Director of Horticulture and Education

Louisville, KY

Louisville Landfill to Louisville Landmark

Once a historic neighborhood that was wiped out by flooding, then turned into a mid-20th century city dump, the Waterfront Botanical Gardens today is rising high atop a capped landfill that was once an eyesore and environmental mess. Our non-profit opened Phase I of the Gardens in October 2019 and already experienced great horticultural success, community excitement and seasonal event buzz. Phase II of the Master Plan is in our view, right after completion of the Japanese Garden.

Jessica Farmer

Adult Education Supervisor

Seattle, WA

University of Washington Botanic Gardens, Seattle WA

Scott LaFleur

Executive Director 

Corona Del Mar, CA

A Walk Through the Sherman Library & Gardens and Q&A with Executive Director, Scott LaFleur

Scott Aker

Head of Horticulture and Education

Washington, DC

The U.S. National Arboretum – Where Science Meets Beauty

 

*This portion of the program will NOT be recorded

Wednesday, May 12th

Cindy Brown

Manager, Collection, Education, and Access

Washington, DC

Smithsonian Gardens: Gardens, Collections and Greenhouse

Smithsonian Gardens extends the Smithsonian’s museum experience in a public garden setting with over 180 acres of outdoor gardens including 13 public exhibition gardens often called the Smithsonian institution’s “museum without walls.” Staff also produces interior exhibits and horticultural displays around the Smithsonian, develops educational programing, and manages artifact, archival, and living collections. Accompany Joy Columbus, Director of Smithsonian Gardens, on a virtual tour of the gardens, greenhouse and collections

Garden Staff & Volunteers

Ventura, CA

Rebirth of Ventura Botanical Gardens

Sharing the return of 3 Mediterranean biomes after a fire burned the 107 acres of the property.

Brian Kemble

Curator

Walnut Creek, CA

Iconic Plants of the Ruth Bancroft Garden

The Ruth Bancroft Garden contains thousands of dry garden plants, large and small, and some of these are prominent enough that they help to define the garden’s look. In this presentation, Brian Kemble, long-time Curator who just celebrated his 41st year at the Garden, will be taking a look at these iconic plants, going through them according to the plant families. The photos shown have been taken by Brian over the course of several decades.

Thursday, May 13th 

Tim Boland

Executive Director

West Tisbury, MA

Plants are Powerful!

In 2006 the Polly Hill Arboretum added plant conservation to their mission statement and embarked on several projects to address local and global plant extinctions. Following the horticultural experimentation of our founder, Polly Hill, the Arboretum is engaged in several projects that help protect plants from extinction and allow us to share our methods and practices with others to engage them in a more hopeful future. In the process, we also train the plant conservationists of the future.

Jennie Ciborowski

Arboretum Program Coordinator

Ardmore, PA

The History of Haverford College Arboretum

Designed by English gardener William Carvill in 1834, Haverford College Arboretum is the oldest planned college landscape in America. Join us to learn all about the transformation our 216-acre campus has undergone over the years!

Steve Huddleston -Public Relations Manager

Bob Byers – Vice President

Fort Worth, TX

FWBG I BRIT: Together and Growing!

Friday, May 14th 

Allyson Whalley – Director of Buildings, Gardens, and Grounds

Katie McCarthy – Education Coordinator

Washington, DC

Tudor Place Garden: Over 200 Years of Growth

Built by the granddaughter of Martha Washington and the son of Georgetown’s first mayor, Tudor Place was home to six generations of the Peter family. A mix of formal and natural landscape design, the 5 ½ acres of urban grounds reflect many generations of thoughtful land stewardship. Through this guided tour and Q&A, learn about the garden’s long history and how we’re working today to enact the family’s vision.

Jim Salyards – Director of Horticulture

Erika Frank – Director of Education and Interpretation

Woodside, CA

Inspiration from a Garden: Culture and Community at Filoli

Located 30 miles south of San Francisco, Filoli is nestled on a slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains and surrounded by more than 23,000 acres of the protected Peninsula watershed. To the two families who lived here, Filoli represented a desire to create a magnificent and enduring country estate. As we strive to connect our rich history with a vibrant future we’ve taken our inspiration from the diversity and interconnectedness of a garden. After all, it’s right in front of us!

Head Gardener

Philidelphia, PA

Elements of Japanese Gardens: guided virtual walkthrough of Shofuso 

How do Japanese gardens differ from Western gardens? Through this guided tour of Shofuso, a 17th century-style Japanese house and garden in Philadelphia’s West Fairmount Park, learn what makes Japanese gardens unique. Shofuso Head Gardener Sandi Polyakov will guide you through the historical site and traditional elements, such as the koi pond, the tea garden, the island and more.

Saturday, May 15th

Kathryn Masuda

Youth Programs Manager

Atlanta. GA

Atlanta Botanical Garden

An urban oasis in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, the Atlanta Botanical Garden features 30 acres of stunning outdoor gardens, including a canopy walk through the tree tops, edible garden, southeastern bog garden, and many stunning perennial and annual plants. The Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory displays unique tropical and desert plants from around the world and the Fuqua Orchid Center showcases a diverse collection of tropical orchids. Learn more about our beautiful garden and our summer exhibition SUPERnatural: Aerial Art in Motion by Poetic Kinetics and Glass Art in Bloom featuring dozens of large-scale contemporary glass sculptures by Jason Gamrath.

Sue Watts

Educational Program Manager

Clemson, SC

The Magic of Place and Plants: The Natural Heritage Trail at the South Carolina Botanical Garden

The South Carolina Botanical Garden, located on the campus of Clemson University, is almost 300 acres of assorted habitats and attractions. In this talk, educator Sue Watts will take you on a walk down the Garden’s centerpiece, the Natural Heritage Garden Trail, a walk that captures the beauty and diversity of South Carolina’s rich botanical history. We’ll walk from the coast of South Carolina, through palmetto, Spanish oaks, and muhly grass, past a recreated 5,000-year-old shell ring, into a longleaf pine savannah studded with pitcher plants and meadow beauty. As we traverse the state, experience time travel to a remnant of a tall grass prairie, a habitat where wolves and bison once roamed and then on to the cool ravines of the Blue Ridge Escarpment. As we walk, you’ll see how we have transformed the landscape with native plants to create a Garden for Life.

Ashley Krueger

Education Coordinator

Fort Collins, CO

The Gardens at Spring Creek

Be sure to explore all the other amazing offerings during GO Public Gardens Days! 

https://www.publicgardens.org/programs/go-public-gardens

We would like to extend a huge thank you to the American Public Gardens Association for hosting GO Public Gardens Days, and helping coordinate this educational series!