This Week at Phipps Jan. 30 - Feb. 5

By Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

There's always something new to see and do at Phipps! This weekly blog post provides a run-down of the latest happenings so you can plan your visit. Events listed below require no advance registration unless noted otherwise. 

Open Daily: 

• Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show: Origin Stories
  Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show: Origin Stories is an experience filled with captivating displays of colorful orchids and exquisitely trained tropical bonsai specimens guide you through the origins of these fascinating plants.
•  BiblioBotany: The Work of Lisa Meek
  In our Welcome Center Gallery, Phipps is pleased to host the BiblioBotany sculptures of Lisa Meek who looks for symbolism in each page and flower she uses to encourage people to process ideas in new ways.
• Garden Railroad: Our National Parks
  Garden Railroad: Our National Parks pulls into the station with miniature recreations of the beautiful National Parks of the United States, bustling with chugging trains and filled with live plants.
• Tropical Forest Hawai‘i: Aloha ‘Aina
  Tropical Forest Hawai‘i: Aloha ‘Aina invites guests to take an exciting, immersive journey through the rich history, nature and culture of the Hawaiian archipelago. 
• Planets Earth Virtual Exhibit
  A dynamic exhibit at the Center for Sustainable Landscapes (and now online) addresses the pressing environmental issues of our time and proposes a new way of thinking about how to solve them.

Mon., Jan. 30:

• Moss Shadowbox | 7 p.m. –  9 p.m.
  Moss art brings the beauty and texture of nature into your home during those harsh winter months. You will get a complete material kit shipped to your door, including a shadowbox frame to create your patch of nature, sure to freshen any space.

Tues., Jan. 31:

• Developing Botanical Perspective to Create Depth | 6 p.m. –  9 p.m.
  Learn how to study and draw the various perspective techniques used to create depth. Use foreshortening, shadows and highlights to achieve a highly accurate and convincing botanical drawing, working with guided practice handouts, 2D photographs and 3D botanical specimens.
• Sustainable Landcare Accreditation Program | 6 p.m. –  9 p.m.
  These classes are designed to help landscapers build the skills they need to offer more environmentally-friendly services while taking care of their bottom line
• Handmade Valentines Workshop | 7 p.m. –  9 p.m.
  Make sheets of paper by hand using cotton and other plants. Then, incorporate pressed and dried flowers, ferns, fibers, and vintage ephemera — including old valentines — to spontaneously create a delightful wet-on-wet collage for someone extraordinary.

Wed., Feb. 1:

• ​In-Person Story Time | 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
  Kids will love visiting Phipps to listen to our storyteller weave tales about gardens, fruits, vegetables, animals and other fun topics. Attend weekly sessions with a special child in your life!
• Flowers, Jewels and Gold | 9:30 a.m. –  12:30 p.m.
  In this class we’ll explore the medieval and renaissance decorative art featuring flowers, insects, and gems on golden borders, and then students will create their own designs.
• Bouquet Design Series: Loose and Airy Bouquet | 6:30 p.m. –  8 p.m.
  Our Loose and Airy bouquet workshop is designed to take your basic floral knowledge skills to the next level by adapting your techniques and flower choices to create a more organic style bouquet, one of the most highly requested and difficult bouquet styles.
• Botanical Drawing I | 6 p.m. –  9 p.m.
  Learn to identify basic shapes in nature and use a step-by-step process to create the illusion of depth through light, shadow and perspective.
• Landscape Design I: Landscape Graphics | 6:30 p.m. –  9 p.m.
  Learn how to be able to use acceptable freehand and drafting techniques that will produce legible landscape drawings for designs that do not exist yet.

Thurs., Feb. 2:

• Watercolor Materials: Paper, Brushes, Pigments and Charts | 6 p.m. –  9 p.m.
  We will learn about different aspects of these materials to understand how to use them in your paintings and which qualities to look for when purchasing new materials. We will also be creating helpful watercolor charts
• Sustainable Landcare Accreditation Program | 6 p.m. –  9 p.m.
  These classes are designed to help landscapers build the skills they need to offer more environmentally-friendly services while taking care of their bottom line

Sun., Feb. 5:

• Reduction Block Printing with Botanical Imagery | 2 p.m. –  5 p.m.
  This course will take you through the process of creating a print using the reduction block printing method in which part of the plate is carved away then printed, more of the plate is carved away and printed and so on working from the lightest color to the darkest.

Photo ©  Paul g. Wiegman