Families need nature at all times of the year! Meet inside the main gate at the Visitor Center. We’ll make paper chickadees and go on a StoryWalk to learn how a little bird can bring back the Sun! Free and open to all, most suitable for children ages four through ten.

Learn more about Family Hike: Short Days, Long Nights.

Great scenery and exercise, who could want more? Take a brisk walk this winter and stay healthy and connected to the Arboretum at a time when the landscape is pared down to its beautiful bones. This walk emphasizes fitness, with a healthy dose of information on seasonal highlights. Winter tours are geared to adults and led by trained Arboretum docents.

After your tour, stay on for a warm drink and more conversation with your guide and staff in the Visitor Center.

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Put down the hedge shears! Through both classroom instruction and hands-on field training, this class will include what’s, why's, and how’s of proper pruning approaches and techniques. Andrew Gapinski will focus on small ornamental trees, young shade trees, and shrubs with general approaches towards maintaining a plant’s natural form and encouraging health and vigor.

Note: Pruning for fruit production will not be covered in this offering. Dress for indoor and outdoor learning.

Cost: $30 member, $38 nonmember.

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Winter is the barest of times in the Arboretum; however, there is much to see and much happening in the landscape. Join a docent for a walk on the bare side—notice shapes, textures, even the personalities of plants that are often missed when the land is heavy with green. You will see buds already forming and the dried seeds that are more visible when leaves are gone.

Learn...

Families need nature at all times of the year! Meet inside the main gate at the Visitor Center. We’ll learn how Arboretum animals get ready for winter. Go on a StoryWalk, get a tattoo, and make a winter home for your favorite animal!

Free and open to all, this event is most suitable for children ages four through ten.

Learn more about Family Hike: Get Ready for...

Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year to visit the Arboretum. Explore the less-traveled paths of the Arboretum on informative walks designed for enjoyment, health, and learning about this special landscape. Pause to hear about interesting plants and unique collections. Please dress appropriately and bring water.

Learn more about and register for Fall Into...

Enhance your garden! Join Manager of Plant Production Tiffany Enzenbacher to learn how to propagate woody plants from fall cuttings. Students will collect and stick cuttings of several taxa (Ilex and Rhododendron to name a few), and will take their propagules home. After rooting, small plants may be ready to transplant as early as next year. Post-class nurturing will be required.

Fee for all materials is included in the cost of the class. Students should bring their own pruners to class.

Cost: $42 for members; $52 for nonmembers...

Chris Morgan is fascinated by the patterns and textures in nature, the shapes of trees, and the movements of birds. He captures these beautifully in his photographs, which were on display at the Arnold Arboretum in the winter of 2019.

In this program, Chris will discuss his photographic interests and methods in the classroom and then move outdoors to demonstrate his techniques. Class participants will be able to learn alongside Chris, evaluating views, debating camera angles, and considering focal points in order to shoot better images. Participants should bring their...

Horticulturist Conor Guidarelli manages the Arnold Arboretum’s organic materials recycling area and has recently improved the production and quality of the resulting compost. Conor will discuss the components of compost and the nutrients that can be returned to a site when compost is applied. He will explain the mix of brown to green materials, moisture, and aeration. Class participants will start in the classroom and then travel to the Arboretum’s materials yard to see compost in various stages of development.

Cost: $20 for members; $30 for nonmembers

Join the Harvard Museum of Natural History for a public lecture with Susan Alberts, Robert F. Durden Professor of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University. 

The social environment—both in early life and adulthood—has major effects on human health and survival. But how and why does the social environment get “under the skin” to also affect our physical health? Susan Alberts pursues this question by studying wild baboons in Kenya. Baboons, like humans, evolved as savannah dwellers. They rely on social relationships to solve problems and—like humans...

This "Stroll" takes you for a simple and easy route through the Arboretum's collections. At pre-determined stops, pause and hear about some of very special plants with one of our wonderful docents. They will impart interesting stories about historic, horticultural, and cultural aspects of the plant's life. Maps with the Plant Stops will be provided. You can "stroll" at your own pace.

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Note: The October 5 class will take place from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. 

Join Harvard’s Master Yon Lee and learn about the practice of tai chi, an ancient Chinese tradition, often described as meditation in motion. Tai chi has the potential to prevent and remedy many health conditions that are associated with aging. Move through a series of gentle, fluid movements with Master Yon Lee during an hour-long session outdoors in the peaceful surroundings of the Arnold Arboretum. Beginners welcome.

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Opening Reception with the Artist: Saturday, October 26, 1:00pm–3:00pm

Betsey Henkels uses the camera to explore the world in two ways—first by noticing and appreciating objects that she might otherwise overlook, and second, by transforming ordinary scenes into prints that are compelling and unexpected. Henkels spent many hours in the Arboretum, photographing tree canopies, bark, and above ground roots in infrared. Infrared is magical and mysterious. The photographer shoots images without knowing exactly what will show up in the print. Looking through the viewfinder of an...

Explore the vast variety of native trees, shrubs, and woody vines. Learn which species grow well in shade, which support local wildlife, and how to stagger plantings for continuous bloom, fruit production, and fall color. The class discusses growth characteristics, cultural requirements, and best horticultural uses. It begins with lectures and walks at Garden in the Woods in Framingham and includes a field trip to the Arnold Arboretum in...

Capture the drama of fall, when landscapes present a vivid array of colors and the palette is most striking. Professional photographer Nancy Katz will introduce fundamental concepts of landscape photography and then teach techniques for getting the best photographs from your smartphone camera. You will capture images in dynamic color and muted shades, then learn to enhance them using a host of editing tools provided in the Snapseed App. For best results, bring your smartphone and a commitment to completing the weekly homework assignments. Class will take place indoors and out.