This Week at Phipps: Sept. 9 – 15

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: Summer Flower Show: Under the Sea
  Starting Sat., May 4, dive into the magical underworld of the ocean with whimsical displays of an array of sea creatures, unique plant foliage and fantastic flora.
• Sea Creature Creations: A Youth Art Exhibit
  In this annual exhibit in our Welcome Center, view sea creature creations from The Fairchild Challenge student participants.
• Highlands Flora Project: Fraged Plants of Southwestern Pennsylvania 
  Now open in Phipps' Garden Center, plant lovers of all ages can enjoy stunning illustrations of foraged plants commonly found in southwestern Pennsylvania. Foraged Plants of Southwestern Pennsylvania is part of the Flora Project, a collaboration between Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ Botanical Art and Illustration Program and the Allegheny Highlands Botanical Art Society.
• Youth Climate Advocacy Committee Sustainable Art and Fashion Gallery
  Now open in the Center for Sustainable Landscapes, view the handcrafted sustainable pieces crafted by Phipps’ YCAC members, who are passionate about sharing eco-friendly fashion and art habits and while encouraging youth to implement this in their own creative works.
• 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.

Tues., Sept. 10: 

• Mastering Mushrooms: Classic Approach: Stuffed Mushrooms, Miso Soup, & Forager's Mushroom Pie | 6 – 8 p.m.
  Learn all about local mushroom varieties, their culinary attributes, and tips for preparing them in the kitchen. In this class we're keeping it classic—on the menu we have Stuffed Mushrooms*, Miso Cream of Mushroom, and a Forager's Pie, a riff on the classic Shephard's Pie!
• Pen and Ink II | 6 – 9 p.m.
  Add another dimension to your pen and ink work through color. Various tools and inks will be provided to develop additional reference sheets to add to your black and white references. Create various plant studies and a completed botanical art piece.
• Sustainable Landscape Plants | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
  In this class, students will become familiar with many landscape plants (perennials, trees and shrubs, etc.) learning their cultural requirements, how they grow and be able to identify them. This class is both lecture based and field study, as students have the opportunity to see these plants in the landscape.   

Wed., Sept. 11: 

• 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., Sept. 12:

• Designing with Plants with Tom de Witte | 6 – 8 p.m.
  In this talk, Tom de Witte will take us behind the scenes for a look at several of his own garden designs as well as those he has worked on with internationally celebrated landscape designer, Piet Oudolf. See the process from design and installation to what it takes to maintain naturalistic gardens. Includes time for questions. 

Sat., Sept. 14:

• Botanical Drawing I: Foundations | 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  Botanical illustration differs from traditional drawing because it captures a subject with scientific accuracy through observation, form and detail. 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.

Photos © Paul g. Wiegman