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Gain a deeper understanding of the relationships and ecological roles between plants and pollinators. This class provides an overview of how to design landscapes that support pollinator diversity through seasonal bloom planning and thoughtful plant selection strategies that provide food and habitat throughout the year.
Date: January 22, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
Join us on site at The Kampong, a National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) in Florida, for five immersive days of botanical art. Home to an extraordinary garden, where the warm, coastal climate supports an astonishing range of tropical species. Working from an open-air classroom, you’ll explore foundational drawing techniques using live plant material. Starting with simple field sketches in graphite you'll study form, structure, and growth stages. Many specimens may be flowering or fruiting—and some may display multiple stages of development at once. Using watercolor you'll bring your studies to life!
All art abilities are welcome
Length: 5 days
Dates: January 26-30, 2026
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Gardens that blooms continuously throughout the growing season, provide food and habitat resources from early spring through late fall. This class focuses on the importance of bloom succession, helping you understand how different pollinators rely on different plants at different times of year—and why some plants are far more valuable than others. Participants will explore plant selections, with an emphasis on high-performing native species.
Date: January 29, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
This class is our introduction series for botanical art beginners.
In this six-week class, Sarah Roche introduces you to the traditional art and science of botanical drawing and painting. Focus includes observational skills, drawing, composition, design, and watercolor techniques. Sarah provides plenty of demonstrations, individual attention, and detailed feedback to make this a perfect beginner class.
Winter Topic: Nuts. Use the forms and textures of nuts in their shells to explore the potential of a limited palette and dry brush detail.
Length: 6 Days
Dates: Varied, starting on February 2, 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm ET
In this six-week class, refine your drawing and watercolor techniques with Sarah Roche as you focus on achieving the accurate representation of botanical subjects.
Winter topic: Winter twigs with lichen and mosses..
Prerequisite: Artists enrolling in this class should have successfully completed at least two Foundations courses and have the permission of the instructor.
Length: 6 Days
Dates: Tuesdays, February 3, 10, 17, 24 & March 3, 10, 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm ET
Attracting birds to your landscape requires an ecological approach – different species have different requirements. Learn the best landscaping techniques and native plants that provide the food, shelter and nesting sites, which these birds depend upon. The bonus is a beautiful landscape with a vastly improved ecosystem that benefits many living creatures.
Date: February 5, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
Raise the bar for creating nonstop, color-rich gardens while dramatically reducing maintenance. Join Kerry Ann Mendez for an inspiring presentation focused on foliage-forward plant selections. Discover smart design strategies that deliver year-round interest in both sun and shade, and learn how to craft visually captivating—yet surprisingly low-effort—gardens. This lecture is ideal for gardeners in Hardiness Zones 3–8.
Length: 1 day
Dates: February 7, 2026
Time: 11 am - 12 pm ET
Explore how to attract and support beneficial insects—often referred to as natural enemies—by using native plants that sustain them. Learn how to incorporate these principles into garden and landscape designs to create healthier, more resilient ecosystems that rely on nature’s own pest control systems.
Date: February 12, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
This lecture focuses on how to select perennials and flowering shrubs that reliably perform in real-world gardens, including those with challenging growing conditions. Drawing on more than 30 years of personal plant trialing, along with results from reputable trial gardens around the country, Kerry highlights resilient and high-impact plants that have consistently shown strong results. This lecture is ideal for gardeners in Hardiness Zones 3–8 and includes exceptional natives and nativars.
Length: 1 day
Dates: February 21, 2026
Time: 11 am - 12 pm ET
This lecture explores the concept of cues to care—the design strategies that signal purpose, stewardship, and thoughtfulness in naturalistic gardens. The idea was popularized in the 1990s by landscape architect Joan Nassauer, who studied how people perceive ecological landscapes. We will examine how small interventions, such as defined edges, plant layering, and well-placed focal points, can transform a native garden from appearing “wild” to being read as intentional and artful.
Length: 1 day
Dates: February 25, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
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This five-part pruning workshop series is designed to build confidence and skill by teaching what to prune, when to prune, and why timing matters throughout the garden year. Participants will explore the seasonal growth cycles of trees and shrubs and learn how pruning decisions impact plant health, structure, flowering, fruiting, and long-term performance. Each workshop focuses on a distinct pruning window, from late winter through dormancy, and highlights the plants best suited for pruning during that season.
Length: 5 Days
Dates: February 28, April 11, May 30, July 19, and November 14, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
Late winter is a critical time for setting plants up for success. Using this season to plan ahead for summer and fall-flowering shrubs/trees, this session will cover pruning strategies that encourage strong growth, flowering, and fruiting. Topics include managing winter damage, renovating overgrown plants, and preparing evergreens for the growing season ahead. Participants will walk the garden with the instructor and use real plant examples to observe structure, identify pruning opportunities, and discuss appropriate techniques for this important seasonal window.
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
In this three-session class with Sarah Roche, learn the dry brush techniques used to paint on the archival surface of calfskin vellum. Plenty of demonstrations and tutorial time will make this class an ideal introduction to this archival art form. Aromatic spices – cinnamon, cloves and star anise – share a subtle palette as well as an evocative aroma and are perfect to capture in a watercolor study on vellum.
Length: 3 days
Dates: March 6, 11, & 13, 2026
Time: 9:30 am - 1:30 pm ET
Discover inspiration and insight at this early-season event for gardeners, designers, landscape professionals, and plant enthusiasts of all levels. The Spring Perennial Plant Symposium brings together voices in horticulture to explore perennial plant ecology, design, and plant-centric storytelling through a day of expert presentations, thoughtful conversation, and practical takeaways.
Date: March 6, 2026
Time: 9 am - 3 pm ET
Learn best practices and proper timing for essential early-season garden work that lays the foundation for a healthy, resilient landscape. This class looks at the what, when, and why behind key spring gardening tasks, helping participants make informed decisions as the growing season begins. Touching on topics like soil testing and amending, fertilization, pollinator and insect protection, transplanting and division, weed management, mulching, and irrigation.
Length: 1.5 hrs.
Date: March 14, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am ET
Get color confidence. Susan T. Fisher teaches you a system for combining colors consistently so you won't have to settle for the ones you end up with through trial and error. Lots of exercises, discussions, individual attention, and demonstrations will show you how to achieve the broadest possible spectrum. You'll get answers to many of your questions as we discuss the various properties of paint. Familiarize yourself with the codes to quality paint and choose pigments that will endure.
Length: 5 days
Dates: Daily, March 16 –20, 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm ET
This course is designed for individuals looking to deepen their understanding of the science and methods behind horticulture. Participants will explore fundamental plant knowledge and care practices specific to New England. The curriculum equips students with the skills to address common challenges in maintaining healthy plants. Topics include soils and soil amendments, plant physiology, planting and pruning techniques, propagation methods, pest and disease management, plant selection, and planning guidelines. This virtual format allows you to learn live—or on your own schedule
Length: 10 days
Dates: Tuesdays; March 17 - May 19, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 7:30 pm ET
Meadowscapes mimic natural grassland systems and provide a dynamic, low-maintenance alternative that supports biodiversity and ecosystem health. Explore the ecological functions of meadows, including their role in improving soil health, supporting pollinators and beneficial insects, and providing food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. You’ll gain an understanding of plant community dynamics, seasonal succession, and how different species interact to create a resilient, self-sustaining system.
Length: 1 day
Dates: April 13, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
Designed for students starting their journey , this course builds on foundational techniques while deepening your understanding of form, line, movement, and creative expression within the Sogetsu tradition.
Students will work with provided plant materials and explore increasingly complex arrangements under Joanne’s expert guidance. All school books, plant materials, containers, and pin frogs are provided during class. Participants are asked to bring garden scissors or ikebana scissors.
This class is our introduction series for Ikebana.
Length: 6 Days
Date: Tuesdays; April 14 - May 19, 2026
Time: 4 -6 pm ET
Focusing on early spring–flowering shrubs that have just bloomed on old wood. This brief but powerful pruning window is when plants respond most vigorously, making timing and restraint especially important. Participants will learn how to manage winter damage, renovate plants thoughtfully, and—just as importantly—identify what not to prune during this explosive growth period. Attendees will discuss pruning decisions that balance plant health, bloom preservation, and long-term structure.
Date: April 11, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
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Addressing the majority of spring-flowering shrubs and trees that have recently finished flowering. This session explores how timing affects both structural integrity and aesthetic form. Participants will learn how to shape plants after flowering, correct structural issues, and make pruning choices that support long-term health and visual balance. Instruction takes place in the garden, using seasonal plant examples to demonstrate pruning techniques and decision-making in context.
Date: May 30, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
By mid-summer, most spring growth has finished, making this an ideal time for certain types of maintenance pruning—especially for evergreens, which can be pruned now with minimal growth response. This session will cover how summer pruning differs from earlier seasonal approaches, what plants benefit most during this window, and how to maintain plant form and health without overstimulating growth. Participants will tour the garden and examine plants to better understand summer-appropriate pruning strategies.
Date: July 19, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
With leaves gone and plant structure fully visible, this is a critical time for addressing long-term structural issues, reducing risk of winter damage, and performing pruning tasks that should not be done during active growth.
Plants may include ornamental trees and late-flowering shrubs. Participants will learn why plants do not respond to pruning during dormancy—and why that lack of response is essential for certain types of corrective and preventative work.
Date: November 14, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
Explore how to attract and support beneficial insects—often referred to as natural enemies—by using native plants that sustain them. Learn how to incorporate these principles into garden and landscape designs to create healthier, more resilient ecosystems that rely on nature’s own pest control systems.
Date: February 12, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
This lecture focuses on how to select perennials and flowering shrubs that reliably perform in real-world gardens, including those with challenging growing conditions. Drawing on more than 30 years of personal plant trialing, along with results from reputable trial gardens around the country, Kerry highlights resilient and high-impact plants that have consistently shown strong results. This lecture is ideal for gardeners in Hardiness Zones 3–8 and includes exceptional natives and nativars.
Length: 1 day
Dates: February 21, 2026
Time: 11 am - 12 pm ET
This lecture explores the concept of cues to care—the design strategies that signal purpose, stewardship, and thoughtfulness in naturalistic gardens. The idea was popularized in the 1990s by landscape architect Joan Nassauer, who studied how people perceive ecological landscapes. We will examine how small interventions, such as defined edges, plant layering, and well-placed focal points, can transform a native garden from appearing “wild” to being read as intentional and artful.
Length: 1 day
Dates: February 25, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
This five-part pruning workshop series is designed to build confidence and skill by teaching what to prune, when to prune, and why timing matters throughout the garden year. Participants will explore the seasonal growth cycles of trees and shrubs and learn how pruning decisions impact plant health, structure, flowering, fruiting, and long-term performance. Each workshop focuses on a distinct pruning window, from late winter through dormancy, and highlights the plants best suited for pruning during that season.
Length: 5 Days
Dates: February 28, April 11, May 30, July 19, and November 14, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
Late winter is a critical time for setting plants up for success. Using this season to plan ahead for summer and fall-flowering shrubs/trees, this session will cover pruning strategies that encourage strong growth, flowering, and fruiting. Topics include managing winter damage, renovating overgrown plants, and preparing evergreens for the growing season ahead. Participants will walk the garden with the instructor and use real plant examples to observe structure, identify pruning opportunities, and discuss appropriate techniques for this important seasonal window.
Date: February 28, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
In this three-session class with Sarah Roche, learn the dry brush techniques used to paint on the archival surface of calfskin vellum. Plenty of demonstrations and tutorial time will make this class an ideal introduction to this archival art form. Aromatic spices – cinnamon, cloves and star anise – share a subtle palette as well as an evocative aroma and are perfect to capture in a watercolor study on vellum.
Length: 3 days
Dates: March 6, 11, & 13, 2026
Time: 9:30 am - 1:30 pm ET
Discover inspiration and insight at this early-season event for gardeners, designers, landscape professionals, and plant enthusiasts of all levels. The Spring Perennial Plant Symposium brings together voices in horticulture to explore perennial plant ecology, design, and plant-centric storytelling through a day of expert presentations, thoughtful conversation, and practical takeaways.
Date: March 6, 2026
Time: 9 am - 3 pm ET
Learn best practices and proper timing for essential early-season garden work that lays the foundation for a healthy, resilient landscape. This class looks at the what, when, and why behind key spring gardening tasks, helping participants make informed decisions as the growing season begins. Touching on topics like soil testing and amending, fertilization, pollinator and insect protection, transplanting and division, weed management, mulching, and irrigation.
Length: 1.5 hrs.
Date: March 14, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am ET
Get color confidence. Susan T. Fisher teaches you a system for combining colors consistently so you won't have to settle for the ones you end up with through trial and error. Lots of exercises, discussions, individual attention, and demonstrations will show you how to achieve the broadest possible spectrum. You'll get answers to many of your questions as we discuss the various properties of paint. Familiarize yourself with the codes to quality paint and choose pigments that will endure.
Length: 5 days
Dates: Daily, March 16 –20, 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm ET
This course is designed for individuals looking to deepen their understanding of the science and methods behind horticulture. Participants will explore fundamental plant knowledge and care practices specific to New England. The curriculum equips students with the skills to address common challenges in maintaining healthy plants. Topics include soils and soil amendments, plant physiology, planting and pruning techniques, propagation methods, pest and disease management, plant selection, and planning guidelines. This virtual format allows you to learn live—or on your own schedule
Length: 10 days
Dates: Tuesdays; March 17 - May 19, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 7:30 pm ET
Face vases—modern, sculptural ceramic or resin vessels featuring abstract human faces—are a playful and artistic way to approach floral design. In this creative workshop, you’ll explore both structure and expression. We’ll begin with instruction on round floral design using a center radial focus, where stems converge at a central binding point to create a balanced, symmetrical composition. From there, you can choose your direction: remain refined and elegant, or let your arrangement evolve into something bold and delightfully untamed, with flowers and foliage becoming expressive “hair.”
Date: March 14, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am ET
This three-day workshop with David Morrison emphasizes using colored pencils and watercolor to describe the surface and textures of botanical subject matter. We will focus on creating small drawings. The methodology we will use is a grisaille technique to define the surface and textures. Afterward, we will apply transparent layers of watercolor and colored pencils to develop the richness of the drawing.
Prerequisite: For our more advanced, Techniques-level artists
Dates: March 24 - 26, 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm ET
In this mixed-media botanical illustration class with Tara Connaughton, students will put their collections of watercolor, colored pencil, ink, and other favorite materials to work while exploring how different media can be combined to achieve a wide range of expressive effects. The course will focus on best practices for mixing media on the page, including how to thoughtfully select, layer, and sequence materials for a given subject, and how to render varied visual and textural effects using different tools.
Date(s): April 9, 14, & 16, 2026
Time: 10 am - 2 pm ET
Focusing on early spring–flowering shrubs that have just bloomed on old wood. This brief but powerful pruning window is when plants respond most vigorously, making timing and restraint especially important. Participants will learn how to manage winter damage, renovate plants thoughtfully, and—just as importantly—identify what not to prune during this explosive growth period. Attendees will discuss pruning decisions that balance plant health, bloom preservation, and long-term structure.
Date: April 11, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
Experience the art of the European-style hand-tied bouquet. There’s a special magic in crafting a bouquet in your hands and, with a graceful turn, placing it into a vase for a perfectly balanced arrangement, or tying off with satin ribbon for a nosegay. This timeless technique is used for relaxed, textural bridal bouquets, home arrangements, wedding centerpieces, garden bouquets, and thoughtful hostess gifts.
Date: April 11, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am ET
Meadowscapes mimic natural grassland systems and provide a dynamic, low-maintenance alternative that supports biodiversity and ecosystem health. Explore the ecological functions of meadows, including their role in improving soil health, supporting pollinators and beneficial insects, and providing food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. You’ll gain an understanding of plant community dynamics, seasonal succession, and how different species interact to create a resilient, self-sustaining system.
Length: 1 day
Dates: April 13, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET
Designed for students starting their journey , this course builds on foundational techniques while deepening your understanding of form, line, movement, and creative expression within the Sogetsu tradition.
Students will work with provided plant materials and explore increasingly complex arrangements under Joanne’s expert guidance. All school books, plant materials, containers, and pin frogs are provided during class. Participants are asked to bring garden scissors or ikebana scissors.
This class is our introduction series for Ikebana.
Length: 6 Days
Date: Tuesdays; April 14 - May 19, 2026
Time: 4 -6 pm ET
Through discussion, demonstration, and hands-on practice, learn to navigate the special characteristics of vellum with Carol Woodin. Artists will transfer their compositions, lay out a color roadmap, and apply controlled layers of color to build lifelike color, form, and value.
Carol will guide artists through effective watercolor layering by regulating the quantity of liquid in the brush and managing brush carriage. Artists will address and repair the most common glitches that arise when working on vellum.
Length: 3 Days
Dates: April 30, May 1 & 2, 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm ET
Purple pansies, primulas, pulsatillas, (pasqueflowers) and poppies. All of these will be flowering in Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden at Elm Bank in May. In this four week focus with Sarah Roche, we will be exploring the world of purple and all the spring flowers that display these vibrant hues. Expand your palette and its mixing potential and celebrate the season! This course may be taken at the Foundations (104) or Techniques (204) level.
Date(s): May 5, 12, 19, 26, 2026
Time: 10am - 1 pm ET
Explore the timeless elegance of the classic long-and-low floral design—a dynamic horizontal arrangement that evokes the feeling of flowers growing naturally across a garden bed.
Designed in a rectangular form, this style relies on intentional clustering, layered foliage, and thoughtful pops of color to create a lush, visually compelling composition. Ideal for dining tables, mantels, and event centerpieces, long-and-low arrangements are both practical and artful. In this class, you’ll examine balance, proportion, rhythm, and movement while learning how to create grounded horizontal designs as well as lighter variations with added lift and airy flow.
Date: May 19, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am ET
Botanist & landscape designer, Lauren Meier, introduces botanical artists to the diversity of New England plant life through a combination of lectures, plant identification, and field sketching. We will cover New England plant communities, distinguishing native/invasive/cultivated plants, tools for plant identification, and field documentation.
Date(s): May 11 & 18; June 1, 8 & 15, 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm ET
Join Tara Connaughton for a hands-on botanical art class inspired by Maria Sibylla Merian, the renowned botanical illustrator and naturalist, celebrated for depicting plants alongside their pollinators. Through demonstrations and guided practice, participants will strengthen observation, drawing, and painting skills while creating pollinator-focused illustrations.
Previous drawing and watercolor experience is helpful, but all levels are welcome.
Length: 2 Days
Date(s): Wednesdays, May 20 & 27, 2026
Time: 10 am - 2 pm ET
This beginner-friendly course is the perfect place to start for aspiring botanical artists! All experience levels are welcome—no prior art training required. Sarah Roche will guide students through structured exercises, demonstrations, and hands-on projects that introduce the foundational techniques of botanical drawing and watercolor painting. Participants will learn how to observe plants closely, translate those observations into accurate drawings, and build confidence working with watercolor.
Length: 4 days
Date(s): May 29, June 1, 3 & 4, 2026
Time: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm, Final Day 9:30 am - 12:30 pm ET
Addressing the majority of spring-flowering shrubs and trees that have recently finished flowering. This session explores how timing affects both structural integrity and aesthetic form. Participants will learn how to shape plants after flowering, correct structural issues, and make pruning choices that support long-term health and visual balance. Instruction takes place in the garden, using seasonal plant examples to demonstrate pruning techniques and decision-making in context.
Date: May 30, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
In this three-day workshop with award-winning botanical artist Alice Rosa, students will explore the art of botanical illustration through the rich, nuanced medium of colored pencil. Beginning with close observation and foundational drawing techniques, participants will learn how to carefully study plant structure and translate its form with accuracy and sensitivity onto paper. Designed as an accessible introduction to the medium, this workshop encourages experimentation and close looking.
Length: 3 days
Date(s): June 9, 11, & 12, 2026
Time: 10 am - 2 pm ET
By mid-summer, most spring growth has finished, making this an ideal time for certain types of maintenance pruning—especially for evergreens, which can be pruned now with minimal growth response. This session will cover how summer pruning differs from earlier seasonal approaches, what plants benefit most during this window, and how to maintain plant form and health without overstimulating growth. Participants will tour the garden and examine plants to better understand summer-appropriate pruning strategies.
Date: July 19, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
In this focused workshop, students will learn practical methods for measuring and drawing in accurate proportion, creating convincing depth, and understanding how space is constructed on the page. Topics include foreshortening, overlapping forms, linear and atmospheric perspective, establishing a consistent light source, and shading techniques using graphite. Participants will examine how foundational geometric forms—cube, cone, sphere, and cylinder—underlie organic subjects and serve as the structural basis for all drawing.
Beginner to experienced students welcome.
Length: 2 days
Date(s): August 24 - 25, 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm ET
Train your artist’s eye to look beyond the familiar surface of a flower and uncover the underlying structural forms that define its true anatomy. Through observation and guided practice, you’ll explore how foundational geometric shapes support complex plant forms, strengthening your ability to render convincing dimension in graphite. Students will study the diversity of plant structures both in the classroom and garden environment, translating their observations into carefully developed graphite drawings that capture depth, light, and form.
Length: 3 days
Date(s): August 27, 28, & 31, 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm ET
With leaves gone and plant structure fully visible, this is a critical time for addressing long-term structural issues, reducing risk of winter damage, and performing pruning tasks that should not be done during active growth.
Plants may include ornamental trees and late-flowering shrubs. Participants will learn why plants do not respond to pruning during dormancy—and why that lack of response is essential for certain types of corrective and preventative work.
Date: November 14, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET
