Events and Happenings
March 27, 2023
Behind the Scenes with Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Butterflies
Have you ever wondered where Cleveland Botanical Garden’s biome butterflies come from, how they get here, and what goes into getting them flying in the glasshouse? Let’s walk through each step in this process and learn all about it!
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June 3, 2022
2022 Holden Summer Intern Program
By Emma Dawson-Glass, Research Specialist
The HF&G’s Research, Community Forestry and Conservation teams are excited about the arrival of the 2022 cohort of interns. This year, HF&G leverages resources and opportunities across departments and campuses to allow our interns gain the finest in knowledge, experience, and skills for future career success.
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May 25, 2022
Ikebana Exhibition 2022
The Ohara School of Ikebana emphasizes the Japanese aesthetics of asymmetry and empty space, beauty of natural scenery, harmony between materials, container and setting. Over a dozen floral designs by the members of Ohara School of Ikebana Northern Ohio Chapter will be on view Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29, 2022 at Cleveland Botanical Garden.
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April 12, 2022
Holden Forests & Gardens Celebrates150th Anniversary of Arbor Day with Free Admission, Tree Seedling Giveaways, & More
Trees, wonderful trees! This year marks the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, the national holiday devoted to trees. The Cleveland Botanical Garden and the Holden Arboretum celebrate the planting and care of trees every day, but especially during the month of April when spring is in the air and it’s a great time to plant. Trees are of central importance to life on Earth and now is a great time to become more aware of them.
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February 4, 2022
Beyond its Sheer Loveliness and Tropical Setting, Cleveland Botanical Garden’s ‘Orchids Forever’ Emphasizes Relationships
By Janet Podolak, Food and Travel Writer- For the News-Herald
Beyond its sheer loveliness and tropical setting, Cleveland Botanical Garden’s ‘Orchids Forever’ emphasizes relationships
Janet Podolak – Food and Travel Writer- the News-Herald
February 3, 2022
From Stormwater to Farms, U.S. Cities Put Empty Lots to Use
By Carey L. Biron, Washington correspondent, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Holden Forests & Garden’s Sandra Albro, director of Community Partnerships and author of “Vacant to Vibrant,” was recently interviewed by Thomson Reuter’s foundation for a national report on what cities are experiencing with regard to transforming vacant lots to healthy green spaces. Here is the story.
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January 20, 2022
The Language of Nature
By Caroline Tait, Vice President, Horticulture & Collections
ering the origin of words, how they change over time, how language is constantly evolving, hearing my goddaughters use words which to me, mean the total opposite! What really fries my brain is that there are over 7000 known languages on our earth. Just imagine the size of vocabulary invented by the human brain, the capability of our grey matter to devise, construct and turn into speech these millions of words! Sobering to say the least. A smattering of French and Swahili is in my repertoire and when I speak those words I know I feel different, that another part of me is expressed, that I am enriched by an additional culture which I respect. What, you ask, has this got to do with garden, plants and trees?
Read moreJanuary 20, 2022
To Plant or Not to Plant? The Low-Down on Fabric Containers
By Courtney Keinath, Gardener
Over the past few years, you may have noticed what seems to be a growing trend in the horticulture industry. Whether you’ve seen them at your local nursery, an urban garden, or your favorite gardening website, fabric pots are beginning to really make an appearance! Seeing these pots around may start to bring some questions in to your head. Why are people starting to prefer these pots over plastic? Do they help out my plants at all? How do I plant something that’s growing in a fabric container? Are these going to help make an environmental impact that I want to see in the green industry? I hope that in this article I can begin to address some of the questions that I know I had when I was first introduced to the idea of fabric containers.
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January 20, 2022
Winter – Time to plan your next gardening adventure
By Sandi Cesarov, Gardener
The seasons are an interesting thing. While I deeply enjoy spending time in and working on my garden, marveling at all the beautiful colors and forms and admiring all the changes that happen little by little, but by the end of the summer and early fall, I inevitably get tired of being so hot all the time. Which is kind of unbelievable because I’m one of those people that is always cold in the winter, and I know by February the cold of winter begins to wear on me (It may be the shortest month of the year, but I feel it drags on the longest). Once the bustle of the holidays and new year are over, I can go to my happy and quiet place. I enjoy using this time of year to reflect on my garden, what I want to change, and what I want to add. And yes, I always want to add something. That is what plant hoarders do, they always add more.
Read moreJanuary 11, 2022
Airing it Out
By Rob Dzurec, Horticulturist
Tillandsias are one of the great low maintenance house plants. Also known as air plants, these plants are native to tropical areas of the Americas. They are epiphytic plants which means they grow on other plants, usually trees. The roots they do have are used to hold themselves onto other plants or structures. The water and nutrients they need are absorbed by the leaves.
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January 11, 2022
Fascination with Fasciation
By Annie Rzepka Budziak, Director of Arboretum Horticulture
We wrapped up our fall planting in the Rhododendron Discovery Garden in the first week of November. While I was loading the Veronica ‘Sunny Border Blue’ (spike speedwell) into the Kubota, I noticed two things. First, there was a very cold little bumblebee nestled into the violet-blue flowers which had persisted quite late into the season; and second, that the terminal racemes which usually resemble candle shaped spikes, where looking rather odd. I immediately thought “Yay! Fasciation!”
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January 7, 2022
In Pursuit of the Plumleaf Azalea
By Connor Ryan, MS, Rhododendron Collections Manager
An important part of my job as Rhododendron Collections Manager is seeking new plants to enhance our Rhododendron collection. As part of an ongoing thrust to collect North America’s native rhododendrons and azaleas, last month I embarked on a trip in pursuit of the plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium).
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December 29, 2021
Feeding the Animals at Cleveland Botanical Garden
By Matt Edwards , Animal Care Specialist
Have you ever wondered what goes into feeding our animal collection? In this blog I will talk about what our food needs are, where the food comes from, and some ways I am working on to reduce costs and our dependence on outside sources of food by working toward producing as much as possible in-house.
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December 29, 2021
Trees from Holden Used for Rehabbing Birds at CMNH
By Rick Anielski, Arborist
Recently, the Collections Maintenance crew received a request from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for trees that ranged from 15 to 20 feet in length, and 2 to 4 inches in diameter to be used for rehabbing the bird in closers. Gary and I knew of areas where we could easily harvest and transport the needed trees for loading. All the trees we cut were either damaged by storms or were on road sides that needed to be removed to maintain right-of-ways. It took less than a day of our time to collect the trees needed, but the impact they will have on the bird enclosures will easily last years. Here are pictures of the harvest, transport, and final use of the trees.
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December 28, 2021
Franklinia alatamaha, Franklin Trees
By Mary Lineberger, Gardener
Follow along Gardener Mary Lineberger as she photographically follows Franklinia alatamaha for a few months. I think you’ll agree from these images it’s a beautiful little tree. And the flowers smell good! How special to have in our collections a tree that no longer exists in the wild!
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December 7, 2021
A Winter Home for our Plants in the Nursery
By Greg Wright, Nursery Manager
Every year right before winter, we move our plants (that aren’t already in a polytunnel) from our lath house or our large container area into winter storage to provide them with an extra layer of winter protection. This year we accomplished this the week before Thanksgiving.
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November 30, 2021
Winter is Wonderful
By Margaret Thresher, Vice President of Public Relations & Marketing
Winter in Northeast Ohio is underrated. The average temperature in November is 50 degrees, December is 40 degrees and January is 35 degrees. Approximately 10 days a month are sunny and when it snows it is truly beautiful. All throughout the winter season, Holden Forests & Gardens encourages you to bundle up and join us at the outdoor gardens and woodland trails at the botanical garden and the arboretum. We are going to tempt you to venture outside and provide you with outdoor exploration and exercise activities to battle any sort of winter blues and cabin fever.
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November 16, 2021
People for Trees: Planting One Tree at a Time to Make a Big Impact
By Margaret Cook, Communications Specialist
In its first year, People for Trees has gathered more than 1,000 pledges to plant more than 3,800 trees across Greater Cleveland. In addition, Holden Forests & Gardens has planted more than 1,400 trees with the help of our community partners. This past week, our Community Forestry team and Tree Corps have been busy planting some of the last trees of the year. Here’s a look at a wonderful week with numerous community partners including some of Cleveland’s youngest new tree planters.
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November 10, 2021
It’s In The Air
By Lorinda Laughlin, Gardener
Find out why Gardener, Lorinda Laughlin, thinks autumn is the best season of the year! Read along as she describes her favorite parts about fall and why it is such a special time to see the leaves change color.
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October 29, 2021
The Intersection of Sustainability and Convenience
By Caroline Paul, Horticulturist
Not to over simplify it, but I believe there really is only two types of people in this world. Those who love the quiet work of gardening in late fall and winter, and those who do not. Admittedly, before my introduction to dormant pruning in college, I was part of the ‘does not enjoy frostbitten fingers’ group. But there is good news for those who would rather enjoy the warmth and comfort of the indoors as the temperatures begin to fall. Just as we need to prepare for winter, we need not interfere with nature’s winter preparation process. A lot of what we do in fall, like cutting back perennials and raking your leaves, takes habitat and carbon sources away from our local environment. So try and resist the urge to get ahead of the game and leave your gardens a little messy this winter.
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October 28, 2021
Autumn Gardening for Nature Lovers; Leave the Leaves
By Stefanie Verish, Horticulturist, CBG
As we learn more about our environment and its needs, we can better contribute to our role as the ecologist. It starts in the garden, of course, and though the leaves are falling, the flowers are drooping, and our thoughts are drifting toward soup and a warm blanket, this is the best time to set the stage for the season. Stefanie Verish, Horticulturist, gives some tips for fall gardening!
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October 27, 2021
Foraging for Health
By Alyssa Zearley, Nursery Technician
Interested in learning about foraging and wild edible plants and their uses? Nursery Technician, Alyssa Zearley, gives some tips and tricks for foraging plants for health benefits. Read along for a few recipes too!
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October 27, 2021
Celebrating the Change of Seasons
By Hilary Wright, Horticulturist
We are at the time of year when the days are short, the nights are cooler, and plant life is slowly succumbing to the change of the season. What are some things to do to enjoy this colorful and cooler season? Here are 12 fresh ideas to enjoy the new season!
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October 15, 2021
Wahkeena Vacation
By Ethan Johnson, Plant Records Curator
Ethan Johnson, Plant Record Curator writes about his trip to Wahkeena Nature Preserve located on the edge of Hocking Hills. Ethan and his team enjoyed the beautiful preserve while collecting seeds. Seed collected on this trip may be grown on for Holden’s living collection or offered via the international seed exchange among botanical gardens and arboreta.
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Plant and care for a tree beginning with making a pledge. We will support each pledge with easy-to-follow instructional toolkits, guidance on how to select the most appropriate tree and where to purchase it, free virtual classes and other ongoing support.
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