This Week at Phipps: March 31 – April 6

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: 

• NOW OPEN: Spring Flower Show: A Bloom for Every Room
  Soak up vivid colors and delightful fragrance! Each room is dedicated to a different signature spring bloom in this year's edition of Phipps' Spring Flower Show.
• NOW OPEN: Tropical Forest Panama: Bridge to Biodiversity
  Embark on a spectacular journey through the lush vegetation and vibrant culture of Panama, the incredibly biodiverse land bridge connecting North and South America, in our immersive new Tropical Forest Conservatory exhibit
• Ikebana International Exhibit
  ​In this recurring exhibit in our Welcome Center Gallery, view gorgeous floral displays courtesy of the Ikebana International Pittsburgh Chapter.
• 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.

Wed., April 2: 

• 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.

Thurs., April 3: 

• Biophilia: Mindfulness in the Outdoors: Practices for Connecting with Nature for Health and Serenity | 6 – 7 p.m. 
  Join us for a virtual Biophilia meeting, acknowledging the relationship that humans have had to the natural world throughout their evolution and how in modern life, it’s easy to lose touch. This session will introduce connective practices gleaned from Shinrin-yoku, Sit Spots, Council Circles, meditation and The Deep Time Walks. We’ll also review studies that validate how spending time in nature is good for you!
• La Fleur at Phipps | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. 
  Presented by Citizens, La Fleur is a one-of-a-kind evening of music, art, fashion, culture and botany curated by Green Voice Sustainable Business and Lifestyle Collective of Pittsburgh Earth Day in Phipps' historic glasshouse.

Sat., April 5:

• Presentation on Pigments and Paints | 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  This class will be an exploration of the pigments and other ingredients that we find in our paints. We’ll look at what terms like lightfastness, opacity, translucence, staining and granulation actually mean, and how we can understand and use these qualities to best create our art. Students will learn how to do their own lightfastness tests, and to decipher the terms they find on those paint manufacturer color charts. Bring your color charts and your questions, and we’ll see what’s in those colors.

Sun., April 6:

• Shinrin Yoku Forest Therapy Walk | 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  Come join Forest Awakenings for a relaxing nature retreat shaped by the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku. Join this shortened version of our popular forest therapy walk, where we’ll slow down and connect with the More Than Human World in a deeper, more intimate way. Following a research-based process, we’ll get in touch with our bodies and our place in the living fabric of life. 

Photos © Paul Vladuchick