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.
Tickets are now on sale for the July 18th Explore with an Expert event! Register to attend HERE.
Meeting the Needs of Bees: Creation and Conservation of Pollinator Habitat
Friday, July 18th from 5:00pm to 6:30pm
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.
For this summertime exploration, we recommend comfortable footwear and sun protection. Please bring plenty of water to stay hydrated. Tour participants should be prepared to spend up to two hours outdoors walking along uneven or unpaved pathways and through grass.
PLEASE NOTE: Attendance is limited to ages 12 and up. These tours will proceed rain or shine, though Rutgers Gardens reserves the right to reschedule the event in case of severe weather. Tickets are non-refundable. Advanced reservations are required. Tickets may be purchased up to 10:00am the day before the tour (Thursday, July 17th).
Kimberly Norris Russell is an Associate Professor of Teaching and the Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University. She is a community ecologist specializing in arthropod conservation, with much of her work focused on ways to make best use of transmission line easements to promote wild bee diversity and increase pollination services to the surrounding landscape through vegetation management. Most recently, she has been collaborating with the Horticultural Society of New York and the NYC DOT to create “Pollinator Ports” (islands of habitat) throughout the city.
Dr. Lauren Errickson serves as the Director of Rutgers Gardens and Campus Stewardship within the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. In this role, she oversees the care of the plant collections, display gardens, farms, and natural areas of Rutgers Gardens, and leads educational efforts to engage university students and community members in land stewardship. Dr. Errickson strives to create functional, ecologically-sound landscapes that feature beauty and biodiversity, and enjoys introducing others to these spaces through programs, classes, and events.
Future Explore with an Expert events will cover topics such as:
- Cutting and making your own bouquets from Rutgers Gardens flowers
- Tree nuts and their importance to the ecosystem and food production
- Farm field hygiene and plant diseases
- Tree pruning 101
- And the popular year-end event where guests are invited to cut and bring home holly sprigs and evergreen branches to craft their own holiday decor!
