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Adult Programs

Pre-registration is required for all programs. Call 410-634-2847 ext. 0 or email to register.

Critter Control—Introduction to Integrated Pest Management

Wednesday, April 30, 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Fee: $15 members, $18 general public

Are voles and moles tunneling into your garden? Beetles ravaging your flowers? Deer doing unauthorized pruning on your shrubs? There’s no need to panic when you find pests in the garden. Learn to tell friend from foe and find out how using native plants can reduce the need for pesticides. Discover ways to recruit and retain a workforce of beneficial critters that will fight pests for you. Instructor Carole Barth is owner and principal of Heal Earth Gardens, an environmental consulting firm offering planning, writing, education, and landscape design.

Making More Plants—Plant Propagation

Thursday, May 29, 10 a.m. – noon

Fee: $15 members, $18 general public

Learn about growing plants from seed, dividing plants, layering, and taking cuttings with Arboretum Docent and Delaware Master Gardener Beverly Gemmill. Making more plants from what you already have lets you share plants and add to your own garden. This will be a hands-on class at the Arboretum’s nursery; participants will take home plants divided in the class. Limit 12 participants.

Sail on the Sultana
Friday, May 30, 1:30p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fee: $20 members, $30 general public
Limit 32 participants
Meet in Chestertown at the foot of High Street. Sultana volunteer and Arboretum docent Dr. Bill Trakat will lead the group on a tour of the shipyard to talk about woods used in shipbuilding and to prepare the group for an authentic sailing experience. Once aboard the Sultana, help crew the ship or just watch and learn about life aboard the ship and about the ecology of the Chester River and Chesapeake Bay. See what creatures live in the river and watch a cannon being fired! Children 5 and older are welcome to attend. For directions, visit http://www.sultanaprojects.org/portdirections.htm.

Hydrangeas in Watercolor—Botanical Art Series

Tuesdays, June 3 – 24, 9:30 a.m. – noon

A botanical study of this lovely shrub will focus on using colored pencil and watercolor to define leaves and flowers. Emphasis will be placed on botanical accuracy and preliminary sketches. Instructor Lee D’Zmura has led workshops at the Arboretum for the past three years. She also exhibits her work throughout the region and teaches advanced watercolor classes at Brookside Gardens.

Attracting Pollinators

Wednesday, June 11, 1 – 3 p.m.

Fee: $15 members, $18 general public

Join entomologist Ted Suman to learn about native pollinators, and bees in particular! Pollinators provide an invaluable service by fertilizing many native plants, and there are numerous ways of attracting more of them to your yard. Ted will give an introduction to pollinators and lead a walk to observe pollinators around the Arboretum. Participants will also learn to make a simple bee box to install in their own yards.

Oaks and Hickories

Wednesday, July 9, 1 – 3 p.m.

Fee: $8 members, $10 general public

Oaks and hickories abound in the forests of the Delmarva and are a critical food source for many animals. Join botanist Chris Frye on a walk to learn about these wonderful trees. Participants will learn how to identify many oak and hickory species, and why their biology makes them so difficult to tell apart sometimes. Dress for the weather and bring a hand lens. Chris Frye is Maryland’s State botanist with the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage. This program is co-sponsored by the Eastern Shore chapter of the Maryland Native Plant Society.

Journal Writing with Nature Spring Series

A workshop about discovering nature through art and words

First Wednesdays in spring: May 7 and June 4, 9 a.m. – noon

Fee: $15/class or $25/series members, $18/class general public

Adkins Arboretum Book Club - For Arboretum members only
Third Wednesday of each month except where noted, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Free - Members only

The book club promotes the Arboretum's mission through monthly book discussions about conservation issues. Readings include nonfiction, fiction, essays, biography, and poetry, and will focus on horticulture, natural history, science, ecology, history, and environmental issues. Members share leading discussions of their readings. Limited to 15 participants, pre-registration is required. Please visit the book club page for more information.