Past Events
The Botanic Garden is now recruiting volunteers to train to lead tours for groups of school children and adults. Volunteers are also trained to staff our reception area and provide hospitality for our special events.
One Day Bulb Sale for Members of the Friends of the Botanic Garden
9:00 am to 3:00 pm Saturday, March 23
Please bring your membership card and trays or flats for your purchases.
Parking on the pond side of College Lane will be allowed for the duration of the sale.
Not a member? Join now!
Advancing Racial Equity through Regenerative Place-Making
By Duron Chavis
7:30 pm Campus Center Carroll Room - Free and open to the public
Followed by a reception and a preview of the Bulb Show at the Lyman Plant House
The built environment of urban cities across the country bear the scars of racial inequality inherent in slavery, Jim Crow discrimination and economic marginalization. Place-making capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and wellbeing.
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Smithies: Join us for our second Late Night at Lyman to create your own original blend of herbal tea using botanical elements. Sip on it as you enjoy the sweet serenades of the Smith Ukuleles while they play in the greenhouses. Please bring your own mug to reduce waste.
Event runs 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Smith Students! Join us for our inaugural Late Nights at Lyman event. Come for a private viewing of the Mum Show and build your very own aerarium to take home. Wander through the illuminated Conservatory and enjoy some light snacks. Please note that aerarium supplies are limited to the first 200 students, so come early!
AMERICAN EDEN: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic
Presented by Victoria Johnson, Phd.
7:30 pm Campus Center Carroll Room - free and open to the public
Followed by a reception, book signing and view of the Chrysanthemum Show at the Lyman Plant House.
In this lecture featuring her book, American Eden, Johnson rescues Hosack, (family doctor and friend to both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, and attending doctor at the famous duel) from obscurity and highlights his significant contributions to botany and medicine.
Music in the Noon Hour
12:30 PM, Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall
Mary Hubbell, soprano; Monica Jakuc Leverett, piano.
Songs and piano pieces by Schumann, Liszt, Brown, Joplin and more. Featuring the premiere performance of a new song by Gregory W. Brown, dedicated to the College Hall American elm, with text by Naila Moreira.
Co-sponsored by the Smith College Music Department.
Nature's Temples: Understanding and Honoring Old-growth Forests
by Joan Maloof
7:00 pm in the Smith Conference Center Oak Room
What do you know about the forest cover of the planet, and of Massachusetts specifically? Are we gaining forest land or losing forest land? Are there any untouched forests left? If so, where could you experience one? Why are ancient forests so important and how can we preserve the ones that are left? In this Arbor Day talk we will turn our attention to the silent plants and animals who cannot speak for themselves. We will take some time to connect with our forest heritage and imagine a greener future.
Thursday April 26 at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm on the Smith College campus.
1:00 pm, west side of Sage Hall - Franchet's Maple, Acer sterculiaceum ssp. franchetii
3:00 pm, at the bottom of the new Crew House ramp - Pawpaw
Join John Berryhill, Landscape Curator and a Certified Arborist, for a tree planting demonstration. Learn about the stresses and challenges facing transplanted trees. John will discuss selection of a good nursery specimen, proper timing and techniques, aftercare, pruning, and offer tips from his years of experience. Bring your questions and join the conversation.
Stories About Seeds
Presented by Tim Johnson, Director of the Botanic Garden of Smith College, and former Head of Preservation at Seed Savers Exchange.
7:30 pm, Campus Center Carroll Room - Free and open to the public
Join us for a journey through time as we explore the evolution of seeds and the emergence of the angiosperm (“vessel seeded”) plant lineage. These flowering plants arose some 125 million years ago. Learn about how the humble skill of seed saving changed the course of human history and about the current work being done to preserve both biodiversity and cultural identities in seed banks.
