Columbus Botanical Garden

Celebrate the New Year at Columbus Botanical Garden As we step into the crisp embrace of the new year, 2024 marks the Columbus Botanical Garden’s 25th Anniversary! Each year our Garden grows, we’re happy to have our guests here with us. Amidst the celebration is our blooming Camellia trail, a woodland home to over 750 varieties of gorgeously colored camellias, unfurling its budding beauties to the new year. We’re excited to have a beautiful new year planned for all our supporters of the Garden.   NEWSLETTER PREVIEW: Art of Nature Exhibit Camellia Workshops Children’s Programs Naturalist Symposium Volunteer of the Month SHINE recap and MORE!   Keep up with ALL upcoming events here: Upcoming Events Open EVERY DAY 9am-5pm, last entrance time at 4pm Members and nonmembers, please check in at admission kiosk before entering the Garden. As always, thank you for your membership! Use your CBG membership to receive discounts on the many upcoming events and visit the Garden as many times as you want throughout the year for free! Garden Admission: $10 adults // $5 ages 4-17 // Free 0-3 Free entry for CBG Members Learn More About Memberships UPCOMING EVENTS   From camellia waxing to learning all about the flower, we’re going to have camellia workshops this season for all our camellia lovers out there! If you’re interested in fun activities surrounding this beautiful bloom, be on the lookout for more of our workshops that we’ve got coming up! Our first planned camellia workshop is… Camellia Waxing Workshop Saturday, January 27th @ 10AM   Learn all about wax camellias with our Camellia Waxing Workshop this January, the peak of our beautiful camellias blooming!   This workshop will give you first hand experience and knowledge of waxing camellias, a process that’ll leave you with a flower you can cherish for weeks! Camellia Garden Tours Saturday, January 13th @ 2PM Saturday, February 10th @ 2PM   It’s camellia season, and we will be leading tours of our Sam M. Wellborn Camellia Garden! If you’re a beginner camellia enthusiast or an all-out professional, this tour is sure to be interesting as we lead you through the intricacies of this precious flower.   Self-Led Camellia Tours Want to experience and learn about the camellia garden but can’t catch the tour? Try out our self-led tour booklets available at the kiosk! Featuring information about the formation of our camellia garden, the history of camellias, and the profiles of several camellias we have throughout the garden!   Pick up a booklet from our welcome kiosk the next time you visit our camellia garden! Kids Events are Back! With the New Year comes a whole new schedule of children’s educational events! This year, all three kids’ events will be the same theme, but geared to each age group. This month’s topic is… Winter Wonderland in Bloom Embark on a magical journey into the heart of winter’s beauty. Designed for curious young minds, this immersive experience invites children to explore the wonders of winter blooming flowers and discover the hidden treasures within the frosty landscapes. In these interactive and age-tailored classes, participants will learn about the incredible resilience of certain flowers that defy the cold to add splashes of color to the winter canvas.   Each children’s education event costs: $5 members / $7 nonmembers (per child), free entry for 1 caretaker Little Sprouts Tuesday, January 9th, 10-11am 3-5 year olds Register Here Budding Naturalist Thursday, January 11th, 10-11am 1st-5th grade students Register Here Seedling Storytime Monday, January 22nd, 10-11am 0-2 year olds Register Here Lunch & Learn Wednesday, January 17th, 12:00-1:00pm Tommy Alden from County Line Nursery will be here to teach us all about camellias! FREE for CBG members // $10 for nonmembers Register Here Naturalist Symposium – March 16th Our annual CBG Naturalist Symposium intends to instill a sense of curiosity and ignite a love of the natural world in our surrounding community. This year’s event will focus on the effects that a changing climate is having on our natural communities.   We invite the community to join us in a weekend of learning! Our symposium day will be capped by keynote speaker, Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, a leading international expert in weather and climate and the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia.   This nature-filled weekend culminates in an event for all ages, with our Kids Day extravaganza, filled with fun weather experiments and hands-on learning opportunities.   Students with research in the natural sciences needed! We would like to invite students from local universities to display posters of their own research. Undergraduate and graduate students with research in the natural sciences are welcome. Posters must be 36” x 48”. To enter your poster, please email lmoorecbg@gmail.com with the following information: Student name School Abstract Poster submission deadline: February 23, 2024 Send your bookworm for a week of camp in the perfect setting, the Columbus Botanical Garden! Campers will read an assortment of books relating to science and the natural world, will complete activities connected to the stories, and will have opportunities to read, discuss, explore, and interact with their peers. It’s a week where the literary world and the natural world combine for learning and fun!   Dates: June 10th – 14th, June 24th – 28th Time: 9:00AM – 12:00PM Session 1 Dates: June 10th – 14th Age: Upcoming 2nd-3rd graders Session 2 Dates: June 24th-28th Age: Upcoming 4th-5th graders Learn More! Become a Super Citizen Scientist at the Columbus Botanical Garden! Participate in citizen science projects at the Garden throughout the year and earn your Super Citizen Scientist Certificate.   The Columbus Botanical Garden will host 6 citizen science projects from February through October every year. Come participate in these fun and educational events to earn your participation badges.   Collect 3 participation badges to receive your Super Citizen Scientist certificate!   Check out February’s Citizen Scientist Event:   Backyard Bird Count – February 17th Embark on a feathered adventure at the picturesque Columbus Botanical Garden as we join forces for a day of avian discovery. Nestled within the vibrant tapestry of nature, this event invites citizens of all ages and skill levels to become citizen scientists and contribute valuable data to this global bird monitoring initiative. Learn More! Self-Led Educational Activities Learn more! Ireland Trip Supporting CBG! Learn more and see the itinerary Ten years ago we embarked on our first Ireland adventure. This May 2024 adventure promises to be even better! Our visits to many of Ireland’s very special gardens and Georgian mansions are being organized by Robert O’Byrne. Robert is an extremely entertaining authority on Irish houses in addition to being an accomplished author. He maintains strong connections with many of the “Old Line” Irish families. Our past estate tours with Robert have included lunches/dinners with Lords, Ladies, and Dukes. This special access is rare indeed. Recently, Robert wrote and presented a two-part history of Irish Gardens. The CBG May tour will visit gardens and stately houses primarily in county Kerry as designated by Robert. Because an enthusiastic response is anticipated and a limited group size, a $250 deposit received by January 15th will hold your place! – Geoff Robertson, American Travel Association Photo of Robert O’Byrne courtesy of TVPR A Message from our Executive Director, Adriana Quiñones