Get Growing in the new season with exhibits, events and fun for the whole family 

(CLEVELAND) March 7, 2024 – Spring has sprung at the Cleveland Botanical Garden! Enjoy a captivating way to experience the great outdoors and get in touch with nature. The gardens are awakening in the new season, and you will not want to miss it! Cleveland Botanical Garden hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. The first official day of the spring season is Tuesday, March 19, 2024.  

SPRING AT THE CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDEN PHOTOS 

MIDWEST CACTUS AND SUCCULENT SOCIETY SALE & SHOW on April 6 and April 7, secure your succulents at this highly anticipated sale of the year. Please note, this event fills up fast! Registration is not required. This sale is cash and check only.  

RETURN OF THE BUTTERFLIES on Tuesday, April 2, celebrate the arrival of spring in a big way, Holden Forests & Gardens presents Return of the Butterflies at the Cleveland Botanical Garden – a visual treat with more than 600 newly emerged butterflies in the Costa Rica biome. The butterflies will bring the Glasshouse to life in a colorful, moving, and exhilarating way!  Starting April 2, there will be a public butterfly release Tuesdays-Sundays daily at 2 p.m. in the Costa Rica biome. Visitors will learn about the butterflies, and even assist with the release!   

REOPENING OF HERSHEY CHILDREN’S GARDEN  

Help your child disconnect from technology and discover the wonders of nature. As they explore plant and animal life, they’ll have a new appreciation for the environment. They can become immersed in hands-on activities like making a mud pie, searching for insects and arthropods in our lush foliage, exploring and playing in nature’s playground, and so much more! The Hershey Children’s Garden will open on Saturday, March 30. 

SPRING EGG HUNT  

Join us on Saturday, March 30, 9 a.m. – Noon for an eggceptionally fun day at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Eggs will be hidden all morning long; once each hunter has received their 10 natural seed bomb eggs, they can retrieve their delicious prize at our candy station. Our seed bomb eggs are a great way to avoid plastic and encourage planting. Advance registration is required. The Cleveland Botanical Garden will be temporarily closed to the public during this event. Public access will resume at noon. 

FREE ADMISSION DAY Friday, April 26^th – ARBOR DAY 2024  

Celebrate trees with us on Friday, April 26th! Enjoy free admission to the Cleveland Botanical Garden and a free tree seedling giveaway while supplies last. 

OUR OUTDOOR GARDENS                                                                                                                   

Whether you’re a budding plant-lover or deep-rooted botanist, our beautiful campus has something for everyone. In late March and early April, visit our gardens to spot the first sights of spring! Look for blooming snowdrops, witch-hazels, lenten rose, spicebush, and more. Catch the first glimpse of blooming spring bulbs on the Geis Terrace. Let your love of nature draw you to the Japanese Garden where every detail matters. Take refuge among towering trees and enjoy a brief escape from our bustling city in our Woodland Garden. Head to the Western Reserve Herb Society Garden where there are over 3,500 plants, a collection used for dyes, historic roses, culinary needs, and medicinal remedies, just to name a few. Additionally, don’t forget to stroll through our Gateway Garden, Perennial Garden, Restorative Garden, Inspiration Gardens, Rose Garden, and Topiary Garden on your visit. 

ITS 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!   

ARTWORK ON DISPLAY 

KEVIN KAUTENBERGER 

Starting on March 23, Portals and Pollinators by Kevin Kautenberger will open in the Eppig gallery. The beauty and multi-sensory phenomena that Kautenberger reacts to in the natural world is transformed into his work.  Kautenberger is a professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art, teaching the Foundation program, sharing his sense of wonder with students through site exploration teaching design through nature. 

QIUCHEN FAN 

Starting on March 23, Habitat by QiuChen Fan will be on display in the Perennial Playspace. This series was initially inspired by retro wallpaper patterns as a paradoxical response to the human desire to be near nature through using artificial to heal the longings for the real. Fan is from Kunming, China and as a recipient of Dean’s Scholarship from Cleveland Institute of Art, she began her art journey in 2011.  

GRACE NESTOR-LOUIE 

Beginning on March 23, Blooms & Brushstrokes: A flower extravaganza in oil by Grace Nestor-Louie will be on display in the CBG Cafe. Through playful scenes of nature in bright and vivid colors, she offers a momentary escape from the sometimes-gloomy realities of life. Nestor-Louie is inspired by her parents’ flower farm in rural Ohio, collecting flowers that serve as her muse for many paintings.  

GET GROWING WITH SPRING CLASSES 

• BOTANICAL PAINTING & DRAWING: Join us every Tuesday from April 9 – May 21 at 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. to connect with plants on a creative level. This seven-week series will be held in person at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Learn composition skills and techniques of botanicals including line, form, shading techniques, and layering using inspiration from the natural world with instructor Susan Gray Be. This class welcomes all levels of experience and mediums. All seven sessions are included in the registration fee. Participants will provide their own materials. The materials list will be provided at the start of class. Registration Link Here 

• HOUSE PLANTS 101 & 102: Join us on Saturday, April 20 and May 11 from 10:30 a.m. –12 p.m. to discover your green thumb with the help of Nature Kollektiv’s Deyampert Giles! House Plants 101: Whether you’re choosing a new house plant or trying to keep an old one alive, this class will help beginners tackle the basics. Participants will draw inspiration from the house plant exhibit at Cleveland Botanical Garden and leave with the skills to brighten their living space with living plants. House Plants 102: Are you ready to expand your knowledge and collection of house plants? This class builds off the basics of house plant care, focusing on more specific and challenging topics like pests and propagation. Led by Nature Kollektiv’s Deyampert Giles, participants will learn how to take cuttings and identify and prevent plant pests. Registration Link Here 

• FASHIONING A FIBERSHED: THE POTENTIAL OF THE LOCAL TEXTILE MOVEMENT: Join us on Saturday, April 13 from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. to discuss local, sustainable fashion. Learn how the founders of Rustbelt Social are building a community that supports locally grown textiles and decreases the consumption of fast fashion to restore the health of our environments. From the soil to the farmers, from the dyers to the designers, from the shop owners to fiber enthusiasts of all styles, we will explore and connect to the possibilities of our local resources. Registration Link Here 

• HOUSEPLANT KOKEDAMA: On Sunday, April 21 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. elevate your houseplant display! The Japanese art of kokedama stems from the tradition of bonsai and uses beautiful moss textures to create living containers for your plants. Join Horticulturist and artist Sommer Tolan will guide you as you create your own hanging moss ball using a house plant to take home. Registration Link Here 

SUMMER CAMPS 

We are excited to provide day camps at the Cleveland Botanical Garden this summer for children in rising grades 1-6. Each unique themed camp is packed with outdoor exploration, hands-on learning, and physical and creative activities that will get kids connected and excited about nature. Full List of Summer Camps Here  

About Cleveland Botanical Garden and Holden Forests & Gardens 

Cleveland Botanical Garden, located in Cleveland’s University Circle cultural district, is an ever-changing 10-acre urban oasis where visitors find enrichment and inspiration through fabulous gardens, an exotic Glasshouse, and seasonal events. The Cleveland Botanical Garden is part of Holden Forests & Gardens along with the Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio. 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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