As the official botanic garden of Rutgers University, Rutgers Gardens has a rich horticultural history and is home to many fascinating plant cultivars. We invite you to attend a series of outdoor learning experiences and guided walking tours where you’ll be introduced to unique specimens, including some not typically found outside the botanic garden setting. These excursions explore important horticultural and agricultural topics with Rutgers experts who are ready to offer guidance and answer your questions. The beauty of Rutgers Gardens is on full display and nature is your classroom! Ticket fees for these events help us care for the Rutgers Gardens collections while keeping our general admission free all year long.
Subscribe to the Friends of Rutgers Gardens e-newsletter and follow @rutgersgardens on Instagram to learn when tickets for each event go on sale. Rutgers Gardens Members receive $5 off each ticket purchase.
NEW FOR 2025: Current Rutgers University students can purchase $15 discounted tickets to these events! Students will be asked to show a current Rutgers ID when checking in for the tour.
Thank you for your interest in our planned September event, “We’re Nuts for Tree Nuts.” Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been postponed.
Past Events
Make Your Own Cut Flower Bouquet
A summer Friday is a great day to make a bouquet. Spend an early evening at Rutgers Gardens and join our staff for the perfect work week wind down as we tour the flowering annuals gardens with Assistant Director: Horticulture, Maxine Marvosa. Wellness experts say that being in the presence of flowers promotes positive emotions, relaxation, improved mental health, and stress reduction. On this mood-boosting walking tour, we’ll explore a cut flower demonstration garden, the incredible Donald B. Lacey Display Garden, and find colorful blooms throughout our collections for you to get your creativity flowing with floral arrangements. Learn how some flowers thrive when they’re cut back regularly, how to properly prune your garden, the aesthetics of container gardening and flower arranging, and create a lovely bouquet to take with you! Since cutting or removing plants is typically not allowed, this is a unique opportunity to bring the beauty of Rutgers Gardens home.
Meeting the Needs of Bees: Creation and Conservation of Pollinator Habitat
Join our pollinator collaborators Dr. Kimberly Russell and Dr. Lauren Errickson on Friday, July 18th from 5:00pm to 6:30pm for a guided walking tour of Rutgers Gardens that will have you buzzing with new knowledge. Attendees will learn how to create and maintain a pollinator garden, get into the bee-tails of what plants are favored by specific types of bees, and understand how to harness the pollinator power of beneficial insects to keep your garden thriving. During the walk, you’ll hear about Dr. Russell’s research at Rutgers Gardens to promote wild bee conservation and find out how you can provide pollinators with food and shelter year-round in your home landscape. And of course, we’ll visit the most colorful blooms and eco-friendly host plants including herbaceous perennials and trees attracting pollinators this season at the Gardens.
