The Hauck Arboretum may just be Cincinnati’s best kept botanical secret! A stroll along the pathways of this historic public garden reveals new surprises on each visit. Which native plants are blooming this week? What wildlife visitors will you meet? How will you be inspired with ideas for your own landscape?

Join CGC Horticulturist Julie for an informal walk around Hauck Botanic Garden and learn all about the history of the park and the plants growing within it.

This half-mile tour will involve several steps and some uneven paths. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for rain or shine.

These free tours are held once a month, no registration required. You can also make a morning of it and come to our GLS tour from 10-11am! See our calendar for additional dates.

Houseplants are wonderful additions to any indoor décor, whether it be at home, the office or a favorite restaurant. Caring for these indoor gardens can be a bit tricky, but once you have the know-how, you can enjoy growing a diverse array of plants indoors through any season!

Each class in our Houseplant How-To series will include a deep dive into specific indoor plant species, their unique characteristics and growing needs, common problems associated with their long-term care and the best ways to propagate them.

Indoor plants can be a much-needed pop of color any time of the year. Vibrant Houseplant Foliage will highlight the wide array of colorful leaves found in these species: croton, calathea, peperomia, oxalis, arrowhead and alocasia. Understanding the needs of these plants is crucial for vibrant leaf color.

Instructors: Julie Dennewitz (CGC Horticulturist) and Mary Dudley (CGC Director of Education)
Cost: $20 / $15 for active CGC volunteers

Other classes in the series:

• Houseplants for Beginners

• Indoor Trees and Large Houseplants

• Succulent Houseplants

• Vining Houseplants

• Flowering Houseplants

Come explore a wide range of topics related to regenerative agriculture, including enhancing soil and plant health, biodiversity and principles of a healthy ecosystem. We'll also discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in implementing these practices.

Instructor: Kymisha Montgomery, CGC Urban Agriculture Coordinator
Cost: $20 / $10 for active CGC volunteers

This class is also part of our Civic Gardener Development Training (CGDT) series. If you’re already registered for the series, you don’t need to register here. If you aren’t interested in the series, you can still take this class as a one-off!

Houseplants are wonderful additions to any indoor décor, whether it be at home, the office or a favorite restaurant. Caring for these indoor gardens can be a bit tricky, but once you have the know-how, you can enjoy growing a diverse array of plants indoors through any season!

Each class in our Houseplant How-To series will include a deep dive into specific indoor plant species, their unique characteristics and growing needs, common problems associated with their long-term care and the best ways to propagate them.

In Vining Houseplants, we'll look at those trailing vines and training tendrils that add texture to any indoor space. With the proper care, these plants can be divided and given away to friends or used to increase your own inventory. This class will focus on the following species: ivy, tradescantia, pothos, philodendron, monstera, hoya and string of pearls.

Instructors: Julie Dennewitz (CGC Horticulturist) and Mary Dudley (CGC Director of Education)
Cost: $20 / $15 for active CGC volunteers

Other classes in the series:

• Houseplants for Beginners

• Indoor Trees and Large Houseplants

• Succulent Houseplants

• Vibrant Houseplant Foliage

• Flowering Houseplants

Did you know that the Civic Garden Center is host to seven different types of composting systems? Take a walk with us as we learn about the different methods of composting we have and how you can incorporate composting into your life! On this tour, you’ll see Earth Cubes, vermicompost, bokashi, Johnson-Su bioreactors, a three-bin system, a tumbler and a top-loading composter.

This tour is held entirely outdoors and may be cancelled in the case of extreme weather.

Cost: Free! No registration required.

Questions? Reach out to Mary Dudley: mdudley@civicgardencenter.org.

Want fresh vegetables but feel daunted by the idea of all that planting, weeding and watering? Here’s when to start, what to grow, and how to succeed in growing a bountiful vegetable garden. Gardeners of all skill levels are welcome.

Instructor: Kymisha Montgomery, CGC Urban Agriculture Coordinator
Cost: $20 / $10 for active CGC volunteers

This class is also part of our Civic Gardener Development Training (CGDT) series. If you’re already registered for the series, you don’t need to register here. If you aren’t interested in the series, you can still take this class as a one-off!

This class is sold out, but you can join the waitlist!

Houseplants are wonderful additions to any indoor décor, whether it be at home, the office or a favorite restaurant. Caring for these indoor gardens can be a bit tricky, but once you have the know-how, you can enjoy growing a diverse array of plants indoors through any season!

Each class in our Houseplant How-To series will include a deep dive into specific indoor plant species, their unique characteristics and growing needs, common problems associated with their long-term care and the best ways to propagate them.

In Succulent Houseplants, we'll do a deep dive into the fleshy, typically drought-tolerant plants that are ubiquitous in houseplant culture. Some growers have no issues with them, but they can be tricky for others. This class will cover the basics of growing succulents such as lithops, haworthia, cactus, euphorbia, echeveria and jade plants.

Instructors: Julie Dennewitz (CGC Horticulturist) and Mary Dudley (CGC Director of Education)
Cost: $20 / $15 for active CGC volunteers

Other classes in the series:

• Houseplants for Beginners

• Indoor Trees and Large Houseplants

• Vining Houseplants

• Vibrant Houseplant Foliage

• Flowering Houseplants

This event has been rescheduled from January 11 due to weather concerns.

Be part of democracy in action and help us make native plant landscapes the new standard in Cincinnati!

Did you know that, according to Cincinnati Municipal Code, natural landscaping must be set back at least 3 feet from all property lines. Not only that, but plants growing in the right-of-way between road and sidewalk are not permitted to be taller than 10 inches. That doesn’t leave much room for natives! What’s a city gardener to do? Native plants risk being cited as weeds and closely cropped turf grass is still the gold standard for Cincinnati yards.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Cities like Minneapolis, Minnesota have established a right to install and maintain natural landscapes, provided they don’t interfere with sidewalks or roads. In fact, their Municipal Code states that native plants are “beneficial to the city's environment and its residents and… require fewer potentially harmful and costly inputs, improve stormwater retention, increase water quality and biodiversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide habitat for wildlife such as birds, butterflies and other beneficial insects and species.” (Duh! We knew all that!)

Minneapolis’s actions are part of a nation-wide trend, and we don’t want Cincinnati to be left behind. Last year, Ohio declared April as Native Plant Month, but we can’t stop there. Let’s spend a morning together writing letters to city councilmembers encouraging them to revise city code and let native plants grow! We’ll have stamps and envelopes ready to go, as well as coffee and pastries to enjoy. All that's missing is you!

Cost: Free!

This event is full, but you can join the waitlist!

This event is sold out. Check out the rest of our calendar!

Do you love seed catalog season as much as we do?? Then join us for Coffee, Catalogs, Seeds & Shenanigans: a seed catalog party and seed swap! On this January morning, we'll enjoy warm beverages and potluck-style snacks while we trade seeds and peruse our seed catalogs in community. It's the time of year when all of us gardeners have our noses buried in our favorite companies' latest offerings anyway, so we might as well geek out together (with refreshments!). You just might discover a new variety or two to try in 2024. You're also welcome to bring vegetable, herb or flower seeds to share.

If you'd like, bring some seed catalogs, seeds to swap and/or a dish to share. If not, just bring yourself!

This event is free, but please register so we have a headcount and a way to reach you if needed.

Questions? Contact Kymisha Montgomery, CGC Urban Agriculture Coordinator: kmontgomery@civicgardencenter.org or (513) 221-0981

Houseplants are wonderful additions to any indoor décor, whether it be at home, the office or a favorite restaurant. Caring for these indoor gardens can be a bit tricky, but once you have the know-how, you can enjoy growing a diverse array of plants indoors through any season!

Each class in our Houseplant How-To series will include a deep dive into specific indoor plant species, their unique characteristics and growing needs, common problems associated with their long-term care and the best ways to propagate them.

Maintaining a large, mature houseplant can be a bit overwhelming. Join us for Indoor Trees and Large Houseplants as we share helpful hints on growing bigger indoor plants such as traveler’s palm, parlor palm, dracaena, fiddle leaf fig, money plant, rubber plants and fruiting trees.

Instructors: Julie Dennewitz (CGC Horticulturist) and Mary Dudley (CGC Director of Education)
Cost: $20 / $15 for active CGC volunteers

Other classes in the series:

• Houseplants for Beginners

• Succulent Houseplants

• Vining Houseplants

• Vibrant Houseplant Foliage

• Flowering Houseplants

Want to learn how to make your own infused balms and lotions using Cannabis and other ingredients? This hands-on workshop will teach you how!

We'll start with how to infuse different ingredients and explore the difference between balms, salves and lotions as well as why we use different ingredients in them. Then you'll get to make a Cannabis-infused balm and lotion to take home using pre-infused ingredients! You'll leave with your creations and the know-how to make your own products—infused with Cannabis, other ingredients or nothing at all—using easy-to-obtain ingredients.

Please note that although the balms and lotions made in this class are not psychoactive, participants must be at least 21 years old. We will check IDs during class check-in as needed.

Instructor: Stephanie Fransen
Cost: $35 / $30 for active CGC volunteers

This class is sold out, but you can join the waitlist!

The Hauck Arboretum may just be Cincinnati’s best kept botanical secret! A stroll along the pathways of this historic public garden reveals new surprises on each visit. Which native plants are blooming this week? What wildlife visitors will you meet? How will you be inspired with ideas for your own landscape?

Join CGC Horticulturist Julie for an informal walk around Hauck Botanic Garden and learn all about the history of the park and the plants growing within it.

This half-mile tour will involve several steps and some uneven paths. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for rain or shine.

These free tours are held once a month, no registration required. You can also make a morning of it and come to our GLS tour from 10-11am! See our calendar for additional dates.

Houseplants are wonderful additions to any indoor décor, whether it be at home, the office or a favorite restaurant. Caring for these indoor gardens can be a bit tricky, but once you have the know-how, you can enjoy growing a diverse array of plants indoors through any season!

Each class in our Houseplant How-To series will include a deep dive into specific indoor plant species, their unique characteristics and growing needs, common problems associated with their long-term care and the best ways to propagate them. In Houseplants for Beginners, we'll demystify the challenge of growing houseplants as we explore the basics. You'll learn what houseplants need to thrive and how to grow more to add to your collection. We'll specifically focus on the following species: air plants, aloe, spider plants, snake plants, zz plants, maidenhair fern and asparagus fern.

Instructors: Julie Dennewitz (CGC Horticulturist) and Mary Dudley (CGC Director of Education)
Cost: $20 / $15 for active CGC volunteers

Other classes in the series:

• Indoor Trees and Large Houseplants

• Succulent Houseplants

• Vining Houseplants

• Vibrant Houseplant Foliage

• Flowering Houseplants

This event has been rescheduled to January 25 at 1pm because of weather concerns.

Did you know that the Civic Garden Center is host to seven different types of composting systems? Take a walk with us as we learn about the different methods of composting we have and how you can incorporate composting into your life! On this tour, you’ll see Earth Cubes, vermicompost, bokashi, Johnson-Su bioreactors, a three-bin system, a tumbler and a top-loading composter.

This tour is held entirely outdoors and may be cancelled in the case of extreme weather.

Cost: Free! No registration required.

Questions? Reach out to Mary Dudley: mdudley@civicgardencenter.org.

The Hauck Arboretum may just be Cincinnati’s best kept botanical secret! A stroll along the pathways of this historic public garden reveals new surprises on each visit. Which native plants are blooming this week? What wildlife visitors will you meet? How will you be inspired with ideas for your own landscape?

Join CGC Horticulturist Julie for an informal walk around Hauck Botanic Garden and learn all about the history of the park and the plants growing within it.

This half-mile tour will involve several steps and some uneven paths. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress for rain or shine.

These free tours are held once a month, no registration required. You can also make a morning of it and come to our GLS tour from 10-11am! See our calendar for additional dates.