Settling Down for the Deep Time

“The tree knows this yearly rhythm in its own way, without words. It knows about time and relationship… Standing here is a way of marking slow time, of putting our feet in the context of years instead of minutes. We need this slow time for a proper frame of reference on the year’s activities. It is a help in settling down for the winter, for the deep time. This is the time of cultivating patience, of nourishing the soul, of soaking the ground thoroughly in preparation for spring.”

― Stephanie Kaza, Conversations with Trees: An Intimate Ecology

In this and every season, we wish you daily moments of awe in nature ― where we grow and learn in place.

 

Working at an arboretum in the Southern Appalachian mountains is to attend the changing of the seasons, to follow the leadership of trees in responding to the best conditions in which to grow and rest. Adult Education Programs will take a winter break, returning in late January with all new programs for 2022. 

 

Scroll down for a listing of classes open for registration.

Look for our Spring Program Guide coming soon!

For more information, please contact Adult Education Programs at AdultEducation@ncarboretum.org.

January Online, Onsite and Field-Based Classes

  • ONLINE  Sundays, January 16, February 20, March 20, April 24, 2 – 3:15 p.m

    Available to register by package or individual sessions.

    Join us online for this guided lying-down meditation to induce full-body relaxation and peaceful states of awareness. This practice will help you sleep better, release anxiety, and access inner calm, compassion, and clarity. Each session begins with very gentle tension-relieving stretches that can be done seated in a chair or on the floor. No prior yoga experience is required, and students who are working with injury, illness and physical limitations will find this class to be highly accessible.

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  • ONLINE   Thursday, January 27, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

    A series that traverses centuries and philosophies, continents and cultural boundaries in the company of acclaimed bonsai artists for an in-depth look at the sensibilities shaping a timeless art in the present day.  Jennifer Price has prepared for “Women in Bonsai” by thinking over the questions she is often asked as an artist excelling in her chosen medium — one traditionally associated with male artists. Considering gender as a kind of border crossing, we talk with Jennifer about pushing through boundaries, her own or imposed by culture, to be poised where she is in her career.

    And poise is something Jennifer, a former professional ballet dancer, knows a thing or two about. She understands instinctively how one art form influences the flow of creating in another: “As a ballerina I had always looked at movement, so the line of the trees fascinated me. I saw the movement within the trees, within the trunk line …. I think all trees kind of dance.”

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  • BLENDED ONLINE  & ONSITE  Five Sessions: Fridays, January 28 – February 25, 3:30 – 5 p.m.

    Deepen your intimacy with your surroundings and the natural world through photography. Award-winning documentary photographer Susan Patrice leads a heart-felt photography workshop that combines contemplative practices with ways to document a closer and more intimate focus on nature and your surroundings. Through this simple photographic practice, a nearby green space can become an oasis of beauty and connection and your own backyard can come alive with extraordinary photographic opportunities. Five class meetings include photographic assignments, rich sharing and discussion, and supportive critiques. With appropriate conditions, we will schedule one session onsite at the Arboretum.

    LEARN MORE

February Online, Onsite and Field-Based Classes

  • ONLINE*  Wednesday, February 9, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

    Is this twig smooth or wooly, this end bud hairy, leaf scars narrow? Speak the language of Winter Tree ID in this immersive learning opportunity with Naturalist Carlton Burke. Trees take on a whole new dimension in winter with the usual methods of identification less obvious. Learn techniques for identifying trees in the winter months based on silhouette, bark, buds, leaf scars, twigs and other distinguishing characteristics.

    Recommended: Deepen your knowledge with Winter Tree ID Field Experience . ONSITE: Pick one of  three convenient dates:  Thursday, February 10, Friday, February 11, or Saturday, February 12; 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

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  • ONSITE Three convenient days (Register for one): Thursday, February 10, Friday, February 11, or Saturday, February 12; 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

    Is this twig smooth or wooly, this end bud hairy, leaf scars narrow? Speak the language of Winter Tree ID in this immersive learning opportunity in the field with Naturalist Carlton Burke. Trees take on a whole new dimension in winter with the usual methods of identification less obvious. Applied learning in the field helps you identify trees in the winter months based on silhouette, bark, buds, leaf scars, twigs and other distinguishing characteristics. Impress friends and family with knowledge of your tree neighbors and become the dendrologist you know you were meant to be.

    Recommended:  Deepen your knowledge with Winter Tree Identification ONLINE Wednesday, February 9; 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. 

    LEARN MORE

  • ONLINE  Six Sessions: Thursdays, February 10 – March 17, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

    Regular meditation practice generates mental clarity and strong emotional well-being while reducing the effects of stress on the body and on the brain. Learn the fundamentals of developing a healthy relationship with meditation practice. Seated meditation (on chair or cushion), lying-down meditation, and walking meditation will all be explored, as well as brief simple movement exercises to calm the mind and release tension from the body in preparation for meditating in stillness.

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On Demand Classes

  • ON DEMAND

    The Arboretum’s annual wreath-making class goes online this year. Join Clara Curtis, the Arboretum’s senior director for mission delivery, to learn how to make a festive holiday wreath. Participants will be sent a pre-recorded video tutorial to watch on their own time, learning classic wreath making methods and creating a full-sized door wreath using the hand-wrapped bundle method. Consider it our gift to you!

    The video, along with a list of suggested wreath-making materials and instructions, will be included in your confirmation email following registration.

     

    Register Here

  • ON DEMAND

    Want to rejuvenate an older houseplant or share your plant with a friend? Arboretum Production Greenhouse Manager June Smathers-Jolley covers the basics of propagating houseplants through seeds, cuttings, division and air layering in this informative video, produced in-house by the Education Department’s creative team and available to watch “on demand” at your own convenience through September 30. Whether you have a colorful coleus, an aging aglaonema, a peppy peperomia, or a savvy succulent, you will pick up some proven techniques for expanding your houseplant collection.

    Register Here

  • ON DEMAND

    Arboretum Production Greenhouse Manager June Smathers-Jolley leads this engaging and packed-full-of-useful-information class on how to be a good plant parent to your houseplants. June shares on-trend resources from the horticulture industry, popular magazines, and social media that will make you want to adopt a few new family members of the botanical variety. Topics to be covered include selecting the best plants for different locations and conditions in your home, proper watering techniques, repotting, fertilizing, and pest identification/management.

    Register Here

  • ON DEMAND

    Follow along in this on-demand class anytime to take a break and focus on nature and love in this season. Begin with a brief online introduction to mandalas, practice a loving kindness meditation, and have a nature experience from your home, or in your neighborhood, the Arboretum, or elsewhere. Then settle in to design your own mandala inspired by nature and loving kindness.

    Register Here

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