Adult Education Classes - The North Carolina Arboretum

Learning is a lifelong creative endeavor. Adult Education Programs at The North Carolina Arboretum extends an invitation for you to grow in mind and grow in place. Explore the natural world and grow in your understanding of the uniqueness of this place, one of the most biologically diverse regions of the temperate world. We invite you to explore and expand your own interests and abilities; try something new to begin a new decade.

The full class schedule is now available online in the Winter | Spring issue of GROW magazine. We’ve put together over 100 classes for January through April reflecting a range of subjects, taught by some of the region’s leading experts.

Classes are listed below in chronological order. To view classes by discipline, click here. To view classes by instructor, click here.

Click on the class titles below to register.

NOTE: When two sections are listed for a class (for example: Understanding Lichens A, Winter Tree Identification B, etc.), only register for one section. The exception to this is our Mindful Arts classes, which may be repeated if desired.

Upcoming Classes

Deep Relaxation: Yoga Nidra A | Sunday, January 19, 2 – 4 p.m.

Winter Plants of Interest | Wednesday, January 22, 1 – 4 p.m.

Embracing the Dark: Light Pollution and Health | Friday, January 24, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Unwind & Renew: A Mind-Body Wellness Retreat | Friday, January 24, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, January 25, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Understanding Lichens A | Saturday, January 25, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

NEW Making a Coptic Stitch Journal | Saturday, January 25, and Sunday, January 26, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

NEW BioForest Immersion A | Sunday, January 26, 1 – 3:30 p.m.

Winter Gardening Projects | Wednesday, January 29, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Treasures of the Winter Night Sky | Wednesday, January 29, 4 – 6:30 p.m.

Sparrow Identification Workshop | Thursday, January 30, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Duck Day: A Field Trip | Friday, January 31, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Screech Owl Meet & Greet | Build a Screech Owl House | Friday, January 31, 1 – 4 p.m.
NEW The Winter Garden that Doesn’t Sleep | Saturday, February 1, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Introduction to Lightroom | Saturday, February 1, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

NEW Poets of the Blue Ridge: Reading Deeper | Tuesday, February 4, and Wednesday, February 5, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Growing and Using Culinary Herbs | Tuesday, February 4, 1 – 3 p.m.

Residential Landscape Design | Four weeks: Wednesdays, February 5 – 26, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Natural History Interpretation | Four weeks: Thursdays, February 6 – March 5, 1 – 4:30 p.m.

NEW Introduction to Felting | Friday, February 7, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

NEW Plant Parenting for Houseplants | Saturday, February 8, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Understanding Lichens B | Saturday, February 8, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Winter Tree Identification A | Saturday, February 8, 1 – 4 p.m.

NEW Herbal Self Care | Sunday, February 9, 1 – 3 p.m.

Principles of Ecological Gardening | Three weeks: Tuesdays, February 11 – 25, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.

NEW Survival by Degrees: Birds and Climate Change | Tuesday, February 11, 4 – 6 p.m.

Gardening for Joy | Thursday, February 13, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Bonsai Tree & Landscape Appreciation: Curator’s Talk | Thursday, February 13, 4 – 6 p.m.

NEW Qualitative Research Basics: Collecting Stories and Oral Histories | Friday, February 14, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Build a Rustic Wren House | Friday, February 14, 1 – 4 p.m.

NEW The Enveloping Landscape: Contemplative Photography in Practice | Friday, February 14, 4 – 6:30 p.m. | Saturday, February 15, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Intro to iNaturalist and Smartphone Ecology | Saturday, February 15; 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Winter Tree Identification B | Saturday, February 15, 1 – 4 p.m.

Meteorology of the Blue Ridge | Five weeks: Tuesdays, February 18 – March 17, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

The Wonder of Birds | Tuesday, February 18, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Build Your Own Bluebird Box | Wednesday, February 19, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

NEW Clear Mind, Relaxed Body: Meditation and Your Health | Six weeks: Wednesdays, February 19 – March 25, 3 – 4:30 p.m.

Vertebrate Zoology of the Blue Ridge | Six weeks: Fridays, February 21 – March 27, 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

NEW Words that Serve: Writing for Self-Awareness and Mindfulness | Saturday, February 22, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Cougars and Coyotes: Mystery Mammals of the Mountains | Saturday, February 22, 1 – 4 p.m.

Deep Relaxation: Yoga Nidra B | Sunday, February 23, 2 – 4 p.m.

NEW Celtic Legacies: Ballads of Appalachian Culture | Friday, February 28, 4 – 6:30 p.m. | Saturday, February 29, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

NEW Creating a Multi-Use Native Plant Garden | Saturday, February 29, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

NEW Natural Impressions: Designing, Carving and Using Rubber Stamps | Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
NEW BioForest Immersion B | Sunday, March 1, 1 – 3:30 p.m.

NEW Indomitable Women of Western North Carolina | Five weeks: Tuesdays, March 3 – 31, 4 – 6 p.m.

Gardening for the Birds | Thursday, March 5, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

NEW Breakfast & Birding A | Friday, March 6, 8 – 10 a.m.

NEW Ukrainian Pysanky Egg Workshop | Sunday, March 8, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

NEW Meeting Horace Kephart, the Man with the Knapsack | Monday, March 9, and Tuesday, March 10, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Introduction to Paper Marbling | Friday, March 13, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

NEW Tapping into the Creative Side of Gardening | Friday, March 13, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

NEW Intermediate Paper Marbling | Saturday, March 14, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

NEW Radical Redesign: Bonsai Curator’s Talk & Styling Demonstration | Saturday, March 14, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

NEW Gardening with Grains | Tuesday, March 17, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

NEW Introduction to Permaculture | Tuesday, March 17, and Thursday, March 19, 1 – 4 p.m.

Geology of the Blue Ridge | Five weeks: Tuesdays, March 17 – April 14, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

NEW Seasonal Landscape Planning | Two weeks: Wednesdays, March 18 – March 25, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Botanical Illustration | Four weeks: Wednesdays, March 18 – April 8, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

What’s Up With Woodpeckers | Thursday, March 19, 1 – 4 p.m.

NEW Lettering with Flowery Flourishes | Thursday, March 19, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Weather for Gardeners | Two weeks: Thursdays, March 19 – 26, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

All About Corvids | Friday, March 20, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Exploring Watercolor A | Saturday, March 21, 1 – 4 p.m.

Deep Relaxation: Yoga Nidra C | Sunday, March 22, 2 – 4 p.m.

Silk Reeling: Spiraling Energy of Tai Chi | Eight weeks: Tuesdays, March 24 – May 12, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Pruning Woody Plants in the Home Landscape | Tuesday, March 24, 1 – 4 p.m.

Spring Migration of Birds | Wednesday, March 25, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Pets and Plants | Thursday, March 26, 1 – 3 p.m.

Nocturnal Birds of the Blue Ridge | Friday, March 27, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., and Friday, April 3, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

NEW The Power of Plants: How Gardening Captures History | Saturday, March 28, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

NEW Teas of China: Class and Tasting | Sunday, March 29, 1 – 3 p.m.

NEW BioForest Immersion C | Sunday, March 29, 1 – 3:30 p.m.
NEW Breakfast & Birding B | Friday, April 3, 8 – 10 a.m.

Spring Flora Identification A | Tuesdays, April 7 – May 19, 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Spring Gardening Projects | Tuesday, April 7, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

NEW The Search for Something Hidden: Reading Kephart’s Our Southern Highlanders | Four weeks: Tuesdays, April 7 – 28, 6 – 8 p.m.

Spring Flora Identification B | Wednesdays, April 8 – May 20, 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Soil Health Check Up | Wednesday, April 8, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Spring Warblers | Wednesday, April 8, 1 – 4 p.m.

NEW Wildflower Ecology: A Step Beyond Identification | Wednesday, April 8, 6 – 8 p.m.

NEW The American Beaver: An Amazing Keystone Species | Thursday, April 9, 10 a.m. – 4:30p.m.

Bird Songs of the Spring Woodlands | Thursday, April 9, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Exploring Watercolor B | Thursday, April 9, 1 – 4 p.m.

NEW Slow & Steady Wildflower Walk | Tuesday, April 14, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

NEW Gardening Round Table | Tuesday, April 14, 2 – 4 p.m.

Treasures of the Spring Night Sky | Wednesday, April 15, 6 – 8:30 p.m.

NEW Landscape Architecture: Process to Practice | Thursday, April 16, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

NEW Spring in Sandy Mush: A Field Trip | Friday, April 17, 8 – 11:15 a.m.

Watercolors: The Tools We Use | Friday, April 17 – Sunday, April 19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

NEW Sketching and Lettering for Landscape Planning | Friday, April 17, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Spring Tree Identification A | Friday, April 17, 1 – 4 p.m.

Beginning Bonsai A | Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Beginning Bonsai B | Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 26, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

NEW Crafting the Casebound Journal | Saturday, April 18, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Deep Relaxation: Yoga Nidra D | Sunday, April 19, 2 – 4 p.m.

Botany Basics | Eight sessions: Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 21 – May 14, 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Sumi-e: Japanese Brush Painting | Six weeks: Tuesdays, April 21 – May 26, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

NEW Nature, Art, and Community: Responding to Our Changing World | Wednesday, April 22, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

NEW Endangered: Understanding the Biology and Conservation of Imperiled Species | Four weeks: Wednesdays, April 22 – May 13, 6 – 8 p.m.

NEW Creating a Naturalistic Landscape | Wednesday, April 22, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

NEW The Lure and Lore of the Night Sky | Two weeks: Wednesdays, April 22 – 29, 6 – 8 p.m.

Ecology of the Blue Ridge | Five weeks: Thursdays, April 23 – May 21, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.

NEW Native Edible Plants: A Historical Look at Landscape Design | Thursday, April 23, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Methods of Ecological Gardening | Friday, April 24, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

NEW All About Willows | Building a Living Willow Structure | Sunday, April 26, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

NEW BioForest Immersion D | Sunday, April 26, 1 – 3:30 p.m.

Spring Plants of Interest | Wednesday, April 29, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Spring Tree Identification B | Thursday, April 30, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The North Carolina Arboretum’s Adult Education Programs attract some of the region’s leading experts to teach close to 300 classes on a range of topics each year. Course descriptions are listed in GROW, a publication combining the Arboretum’s newsletter and Adult Education catalog, which comes out three times a year. New classes are added throughout the year. Click on individual class titles above for full course descriptions, information on the instructor and to register online.

Classes fill up quickly, so be sure to register and pay in advance. A wait list is maintained for any class that is full. Please be sure to add your name to the list and you will be contacted if a space comes available or, in the case of high demand, an additional section is added. North Carolina Arboretum Society members receive a discount on class registration fees. By registering, participants agree to the Cancellation Policy and Liability Waiver.

For more information or to notify us of cancelling your registration, please contact Adult Education Programs at 828-665-2492 or email AdultEducation@ncarboretum.org.