(CLEVELAND) March 7, 2024 – Get ready to experience spring in all its beauty at the Holden Arboretum. Be on the lookout for colorful blooms popping up all over the grounds and enjoy long hikes on one of our many trails. From onsite experiences to classes and events, spring comes to life at Holden Arboretum. The Arboretum hours are Tuesday – Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The first official day of the spring season is Tuesday, March 19, 2024. 

SPRING AT THE HOLDEN ARBORETUM PHOTOS  

OPENING Tuesday, April 2 – MURCH CANOPY WALK & KALBERER EMERGENT TOWER 

One of the top outdoor attractions in Northeast Ohio is back! The Emergent Tower is 120 feet or about 12 stories tall and provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding area to Lake Erie. The Murch Canopy Walk invites guests on a 500-foot-long elevated walkway that is built 65 feet above the forest floor. This immersive experience takes guests in and out of the forest canopy to experience everything from the middle of a mature forest to a raised view of streams and the forest floor.  

FREE ADMISSION DAY Friday, April 26 – ARBOR DAY 2023 

Celebrate trees with one of the best living museums in the country on Arbor Day. Enjoy free admission to the Arboretum and a free tree seedling giveaway while supplies last. 

ARTISANS AT THE ARBORETUM FEATURING HOLDEN PLANTS 

Saturday, May 18 & Sunday, May 19 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

Artisans at the Arboretum in partnership with Made Cleveland returns to the Holden Arboretum this spring to provide a fun outdoor marketplace with a natural twist! In addition to shopping for a variety of unique, local vendors, Holden Forests & Gardens will offer an in-person shopping experience featuring Holden plants at Artisans at the Arboretum. Whether you are trying to naturalize your landscape or enhance a corner of your garden, this event will offer exclusively Holden-propagated plants, including over 80 species of native wildflowers, ornamental perennials, shrubs, and trees, including staff favorites and selections from our living collections including rhododendrons, sweetbay magnolia, peony, turtlehead, gentian, wild columbine, nodding onion, and many, many more! Event included with general admission.  

POLLINATOR EXPRESS – OPENING Saturday, May 25 

Pollinators are pulling into the station at the Holden Arboretum this summer! Get ready to be inspired by an imaginative world of miniature trains and larger-than-life botanical sculptures. The exhibit features G-scale model trains chugging through a landscape of iconic sculptures that depict unique plants from around the globe, paired with the insects and animals they depend on for pollination. Exhibit included with general admission – tickets will be available for advance purchase beginning in May at holdenfg.org. 

IT’S POPPIN’ – BEGINNING Friday, March 15 

The Holden Forests & Gardens Horticulture and Collections team will be providing a weekly bloom report for the Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Botanical Garden. “It’s Poppin’” will be your guide for exploring the vibrant colors, subtle smells and overlooked beauty in our gardens. Follow along each week on holdenfg.org, Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok. Let us know what you find poppin’ on your next visit! 

GET GROWING WITH SPRING CLASSES 

Be better to the planet, beginning in your backyard! 

• From Floras to Field Guides: The Evolution of a Genre Saturday, March 30 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m, A field guide is a vital tool for any naturalist looking to identify a specimen. From medieval herbals to Catesby’s floras, to the familiar guides we use today, this program will track the evolution of field guides using the library collections at Holden Forests & Gardens. You do not want to miss this opportunity to examine some of our rarest and most beautiful collections! As a special treat, we will highlight some works by female naturalists to celebrate Women’s History Month. Light refreshments provided. Cost: $10 per member, $25 per nonmember. Registration Link Here. 

• Composting at Home and in Your Community Friday, April 12 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., learn to turn scraps into soil! This class will cover composting basics on a home-scale and on a community-scale. We will also share demonstrations of vermiculture (worm composting) before checking out our on-site hügelkultur mound. The class will finish with a tour of our new composting bays at Holden Arboretum, funded by the Ohio EPA. Cost: $20 per member, $35 per nonmember. Registration Link Here. 

• Audubon Spring Bird Walks Sundays, April 14 – May 19, 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., Birders of all ages and skill levels are welcome to join local Audubon chapters in celebrating spring migration season. The Spring Bird Walk Series is one of the oldest community science partnerships in northeast Ohio. The series is a celebration of migratory birds and the important habitats our parks and natural areas provide. This class is included in the price of admission for nonmembers. Cost: Members free, $20 per nonmember adult, $14 per nonmember child. Registration is required. Registration Link Here. 

• Nursery Notes: Beneficial Bugs Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Bugs are not always bad news. Nobody wants to spend all their time in their garden spraying, but what about another option There are even some that can protect your plants. This class will go over some common pest problems you may find in your garden, as well as the beneficial insects that can be used to combat them. Participants will also learn how to rear Dalotia coriaria, a type of rove beetle, with an opportunity to take home some of your very own beneficial insects. Cost includes program supplies. Registration Link Here. 

‘IT’S IN BLOOM’ LEACH RESEARCH STATION VISITS – LOCATED IN MADISON OH 

Enjoy a self-guided stroll through the splendor of several thousand rhododendrons, azaleas, and other beautiful blooms at this special seasonal open house. HF&G staff and volunteers will be on site to answer questions about the rhododendron and azalea breeding and conservation that occurs at the station. Terrain: up to 1.0 mile, natural surface, mostly flat, potential mud. 

• LEACH RESEARCH WEEKLY DROP-IN: Fridays from April 26 – June 7 at 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Cost: Free per member, $15 per nonmember. Registration required. 

• MOTHER’S DAY OPEN HOUSE: Sunday, May 12 at 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Cost: $10 per member, $15 per nonmember. 

TRAM TOURS 

Starting in May, Arboretum Tram Tours will give guests an overview of the campus and gardens, with a focus on seasonal highlights. You may also learn a little history and information about the scientific work that happens behind the scenes. Tours are scheduled throughout the day every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday May through October, and tickets can be purchased in person at the Arboretum’s Corning Visitor Center. 

ARBORETUM BOOK CLUB  

Join us on Wednesday, April 17 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. to discuss books that open a window to the great outdoors! It is free with admission and open to anyone who read the book Now the Time for Trees by Dan Lambe. Please leave small children at home, but older ones with interest in the topic may attend, especially if they have read the book with you. Didn’t quite finish the book? As long as you do not mind spoilers, come anyways, and discuss the bits you got to. Advanced registration is required. Cost: included with admission. Registration Link Here. 

SUMMER CAMPS: We are excited to provide an in-person day camp at the Holden Arboretum this summer for children in rising grades 1 – 7. Each uniquely themed camp is packed with outdoor exploration, hands-on learning, and physical and creative activities that will get kids connected to and excited about nature. 

About the Holden Arboretum and Holden Forests & Gardens 

The Holden Arboretum, located east of Cleveland in Kirtland, Ohio, sprawls over an enchanting expanse of land in Lake and Geauga Counties and offers gardens, trails, lakes and meadows. The Holden Arboretum is part of Holden Forests & Gardens along with the Cleveland Botanical Garden in Cleveland’s University Circle cultural district. Holden Forests & Gardens is making a positive impact through urban greening and forestry initiatives, environmental research, educational programs, and world-class visitor experiences at its two campuses. For more information, visit holdenfg.org. 

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