Adkins Arboretum is offering a full slate of programs for winter and spring, focusing on ecology for gardeners, landscape design and the arts. Programs include:

Ecology for Gardeners Series
Wednesdays, February 3, March 10, April 7, April 21, 10–11:30 a.m.
Fee: $10 members, $15 general public per session; $35 members, $50 general public for all four programs in the series
The garden is a stage for endless interactions between organisms and their environment. Learn about the interactions between plants, insects, and their environment that create a natural balance in the garden. Programs include Plants and the Environment, Plant Population Ecology, Pollination and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) and Healthy Soils.

Nature and the Underground Railroad Guided Walk
Saturday, February 13, 1 p.m.
Free for members, free with admission for the general public
Celebrate Black History Month with a guided walk that explains the historical and cultural cross-section that combines the story of the Underground Railroad and the natural landscape of the Eastern Shore. With endless picturesque scenes that reflect the conditions through which slaves traveled en route to freedom, the Arboretum is the ideal backdrop for learning about this little-known historical relationship.

Landscape Design Workshop
Saturday, March 13, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Fee: $65 members, $75 general public
Does your property lack beauty and distinctive character? Do you want to create attractive outdoor living spaces? This workshop will address typical challenges of Eastern Shore homeowners. Four experienced landscape designers and avid gardeners will lead participants through an all-day intensive planning session. Come with your challenges and dreams, and leave with a landscape plan, ideas, and confidence to transform your home landscape for your enjoyment and pride.

Mt. Cuba Center Field Trip
Friday, April 23, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Fee: $50 members, $60 general public includes transportation, lunch and entrance fee
Witness an explosion of color at Mt. Cuba as thousands of wildflowers emerge and flower to welcome another year in the garden. Spectacular flowering shrubs and trees provide accents throughout the gardens to further highlight the splendor of spring. Mt. Cuba Center is a 650-acre nonprofit horticultural institution in northern Delaware dedicated to the study, conservation, and appreciation of plants native to the Appalachian Piedmont Region through garden display, education, and research.

Noon Tea in the Trees Journaling
First Saturday of the month, 11 a.m. public guided walk; noon Tea in the Trees Journaling session
Free with admission
Take a break for an informal Saturday morning walk. Stroll through the Arboretum’s varied habitats—delightful places to gather ideas and impressions. Then return to the Visitor’s Center or Nursery for tea and homemade goodies and a chance to see your ideas germinate into language during a brief free writing session.

Pysanky: The Art of Ukrainian Eggs
Session 1: Traditional Pysanky Design, Thursday, February 18, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Session 2: Nontraditional Pysanky Design, Thursday, March 4, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Fee:  $30 members, $35 general public per session
Create a beautiful egg in a Ukrainian tradition reaching back to antiquity. Eggs are decorated with symbolic motifs rooted in nature and the cycles of life. Among the designs used are spiders and sheaves of wheat, spirals, stars and circles, bees, acorns, garlands of flowers, clusters of grapes, birds and mammals. Instructor Coreen Weilminster, who learned the art from her great-aunts, has been making Pysanky for almost 20 years.

Creating Books and Cards with Nature
Saturday, February 27, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Fee: $25 members, $30 general public
Join artist Sue Stockman to construct a journal writing book or cards using collage and other techniques to make hand bound journals or individual cards. All materials are provided, but participants are encouraged to bring paper, photos, cards, twigs, leaves, shells, and other objects and images that evoke special memories.

Basketry: Free-form Cracker Basket
Friday, March 5, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Fee: $55 members, $65 general public
Make a free-form rimmed cracker basket with wild jasmine vine and natural and dyed rattan using traditional melon basket technique. This functional, colorful, one-of-a-kind basket can be used to serve crackers or may also hang on the wall as an art sculpture. Bring a lunch, basin or small tub, clippers, awl and jackknife and join the fun. Instructor Lee Zimmerman Nelson has exhibited her award-winning basketry for more than 30 years.

Watercolor Series—Daffodils
Thursdays, March 11, 18, 25, and April 1, 10 a.m.–noon
Fee: $60 members, $75 general public
This four-day workshop with Lee D’Zmura will focus on composing and developing a color study of daffodils using a grisaille under painting. Watercolor techniques including color mixing, washes and lifting will be demonstrated.

Pre-registration is required for all programs. Call 410-634-2847, ext. 0 or e-mail info@adkinsarboretum for more information. To register online, visit www.adkinsarboretum.org.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum offers educational programs for all ages about nature and gardening. Through its Campaign to Build a Green Legacy, the Arboretum will build a new LEED-certified Arboretum Center and entranceway to broaden educational offerings and research initiatives promoting best practices in conservation and land stewardship. For additional information about Arboretum programs, visit www.adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.