March Events at Mounts Garden

Richard Alexander
(Photo Credit: Mounts Botanical Garden)

 (Press Release) (West Palm Beach, FL – February 12, 2024) Friends of the Mounts Botanical Garden will host a variety of informative workshops and classes, healthy activities, and fun events throughout the month of March, including several inspired by the current exhibition ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN.
 
“We are proud to offer new and elevated programming in March, featuring exceptional nationally renowned experts in origami, landscape design and butterfly gardening, and Japanese garden design; plus, another fun sake tasting with a Sommelier and an activity-packed Origami Family Day—all at our beautiful 20-acre oasis, located just minutes from downtown West Palm Beach,” invites Mounts Interim Co-Director Misty Stoller.

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March 2
Japanese Garden Design
with Heather Grzybek
Saturday, 9:00 am to 10:00 am
FREE for members; $25 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). Classes are nonrefundable. Registration is required.
Heather Grzybek, Garden Curator at the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, will reveal the elements found in a true Japanese garden, including basic design principles and the importance of mindfulness.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 2, April 6, May 5
Orchids are for Everyone: Potting Workshops
Presented by Mounts Botanical Garden & Tropical Orchid Society
with Donna Tobey & Maria Trenor
Saturday, 10:00 am to 11:15 am
$10 Members $25 Nonmembers (includes full Garden admission).
FREE for Members of West Palm Beach Orchid Society with proof of membership
Registration is required for everyone attending; class size is limited to 35 adults; classes are nonrefundable.
March Topic: Oncidium Orchids
Held in the Mounts Garden Pavilion next to the Welcome Center, the interactive workshop will be conducted by board members of the Tropical Orchid Society. There will be a brief review of the selected orchid’s characteristics with specific growing advice, followed by hands-on repotting demonstrations and Q&A. Attendees may bring one orchid in need of repotting, plus their preferred media and pot or mount.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 2
Butterfly Gardening for Containers & Landscapes
with Pamela Crawford
Saturday, 10:30 am to Noon
$15 for members; $35 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). Classes are nonrefundable. Registration is required.
Nationally acclaimed landscape designer and author Pamela Crawford is widely considered one of America’s leading experts on container gardening. She will cover such topics as selecting the best butterfly plants for this area, maximizing butterfly environments in both patio containers and the landscape, locating local sources for plants and containers and knowledgeable design/installation specialists, and factors that attract butterflies. Mounts Botanical Garden will have a selection of Crawford’s books for sale, including her newest book, Container Gardens for Butterflies, and she will be available for book signing after the presentation.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 5, 12, 19, 26
Watercolor at the Garden
with Carl Stoveland  
Tuesdays, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm
$20 for members; $25 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). Classes are nonrefundable.
Registration is required; class size is limited to 15 adults.
Join artist Carl Stoveland and share the love of art and nature with fellow art enthusiasts. This class is for adults only. Bring your pencils, pens, paints sketchpad or watercolor pad, (or journal) and your favorite photographic device (i.e., cell phone camera or tablet). Some experience preferred. True newbies should consider the beginners class. Each week or two, the class will start a new painting project. Time will be split between demos by Stoveland and supervised painting time for participants. Subjects will be chosen by instructor with assistance from class.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 5, 12, 19, 26
Beginner Watercolor
with Carl Stoveland
Tuesdays, 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
$20 for members; $25 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). Classes are nonrefundable.
Registration is required; class size is limited to 15 adults. 
If you have always wanted to try watercolor but been overwhelmed by it then this is the class for you. Geared toward novice watercolor enthusiasts, this class will focus on the basics, focusing on a new technique and a simple painting each week. Join artist Carl Stoveland and share your love of art and nature with fellow art enthusiasts. This class is for adults only. Bring pencils, pens, paints sketchpad or watercolor pad, (or journal) and your favorite photographic device (i.e., cell phone camera or tablet). Each week or two, the class will start a new painting project. Time will be split between demos by Stoveland and supervised painting time for participants. 
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 6, 13, 20, 27
Qi Gong
with Roxanne Cumberland
Wednesdays, 10:00 am to 11:00 am
$12 for members; $18 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). Classes are nonrefundable.
Registration is required; size of “inside” classes is limited to 20 adults.
Relieve stress and increase metabolism, flexibility, and strength. Qi Gong (pronounced chee-gong) is an ancient Chinese exercise and healing technique. The exercises include simple, slow movements (which mimic nature), meditation, and focused breathing—similar to Tai Chi but less structured.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 9, 24
Forest Bathing:
Nature Therapy Walks and Tea Ceremony
with Kathy Andio
Friday, Saturday, 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
$25 for members; $35 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). 
Registration is required; class size is limited to 15 adults; classes are nonrefundable. 
Forest Bathing—also known as Nature Therapy—is an immersive experience in nature that gives participants an opportunity to reset their outlook on life and have an encounter with nature in a way that they have never-before experienced. It is a sensory practice away from phones, computers, and social media and back to what the body yearns for—a connection with nature, a sense of peace, a sense of relaxation, and a sense of being in the present moment. It provides the perfect time to become a human “be-ing” instead of a human “do-ing”. During a Forest Bathing experience, attendees will be invited to slow down and reconnect with nature’s perfect balance using their senses to see the sunlight playing through the leaves, smell the flowers, and feel and hear the gentle wind whispering to return to one’s native roots and discover a deeper self. The nature encounter concludes with a tea ceremony to connect with other like-minded nature lovers. Forest Bathing has been scientifically proven to boost immune strength, lift depression, reduce stress, and improve sleep. But beyond these physiological changes, this contemplative experience demonstrates how important it is for well-being to take time in nature on a daily basis.
Note: Please plan to arrive 15 minutes before start time and bring a chair or yoga mat.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 9, April 19, May 4
Evening at Mounts Sake Tasting Soiree
Saturday, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
$25 for members; $30 for nonmembers; $18 for non-Sake-sipping drivers (includes full Garden admission).
Registration is required; event is limited to 35 adults; classes are nonrefundable. 
Take advantage of the perfect weather and enjoy an evening at Mounts sipping sake and strolling through the Fragrance Garden. Attendees will have the rare opportunity to explore the Fragrance Garden at its most sweet-scented time of day. Specialists will be on hand to guide the sake sampling adventure. Sake samples are included with admission along with other refreshments and cheese pairings from around the world. Additional sake and traditional Japanese drinkware will be available for purchase. For guests ages 21 and older; please show ID at check-in.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 10
Dogs’ Day in the Garden
Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (last entry at 3 pm)
FREE for MBG members and children under 6; $20 for nonmember adults; $18 for seniors 65+, college students, and military with ID; $13 for children 6-17. Ticket includes full Garden admission.
Note: Dogs are FREE for Mounts members and $5 for nonmembers.
This dog-and-family-friendly monthly event is held throughout the Garden. Bring your favorite pooch and enjoy a relaxed garden stroll. There are many great spots to capture family photos for posting online with #mountsbotanicalgarden.
Guidelines:
+ Non-retractable leashes only; retractable leashes are not permitted.
+ No more than one dog per adult will be admitted.
+ Rabies vaccination must be current.
+ Visitors should bring their own water and treats for the puppies.
For details, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/
 
March 10, 17
Awakening Hearts:
A Cacao Ceremony & Sound Immersion Experience
with Casa Rituals
Sunday, 10:00 am to 11:30 am
$25 for members; $35 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). 
Registration is required; class size is limited to 30 adults; classes are nonrefundable. 
Under the guidance of instructors Marit Tuisk and David Lepp, participants will receive a ceremonial smudging and blessing upon arrival to release the burdens of day-to-day life and will be given a cup of the highest quality, Ceremonial Cacao to take part in a sacred heart-opening Cacao Ceremony. This will be followed by a Yoga Nidra mediation and deep sound healing during which everyone will be immersed in the healing energies of the Gong, Crystal singing bowls and other high-frequency instruments.
Note: Please bring a yoga mat or blanket, and do not drink alcohol on the day of the ceremony or consume caffeine three hours before and after the event.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 16
Blue Zone Cooking Series:
The Cooking of Provence
with Judith Olney  
Saturday, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
$90 for members; $100 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). Classes are nonrefundable.
Registration is required; class size is limited to 15 adults.
Interested in the Mediterranean Diet? Want to learn more about the Blue Zone way of life that fosters longevity and wellbeing? Come be a part of Mounts' first cooking class where participants will learn, sample, and participate in a fascinating Provençal lunch and rose wine tasting conducted by James Beard award-winning cookbook author Judith Olney. This class will be vegetable driven, seasoned with herbs from Mounts own Herb Garden of Well-Being, and students will have a chance to have a hand in the cooking and receive a bouquet of rosemary. Bring an apron if you have one – and an appetite! Ms. Olney will regale attendees with stories of Provence and her long friendship there with Julia Child. Recipes will be provided.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 23
Origami Family Day
with Famed Origami Artists Michael La Fosse and Richard Alexander
Plus, the Ronin Taiko Drummers
Saturday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (last entry at 3:00 pm)
FREE with Garden Admission
Note: Advance registration is highly recommended for the 1:00 pm lecture with Michael La Fosse and Richard Alexander because seating is limited.
Celebrating both Japanese culture and the current exhibit at Mounts (ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN), Family Day activities will include:
+ 9:00 am to 10:30 am – Book Signing and Butterfly Folding in the Pavilion behind the Mounts Gift Shop. Attendees will be encouraged by Origami experts La Fosse and Alexander to fold their own butterflies.
 
+ 10:45 am to 11:45 am – Paper Airplane Folding and Flying on the Mounts Great Lawn, complete with a motorized plane launcher.
 
+ Noon to 12:30 pm – Taiko Drums by Ronan Taiko, a Fort Lauderdale-based Japanese Drum Troupe.
 
+ 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm – Michael La Fosse & Richard Alexander present Hand Papermaking & Origami Art: From Botany to Bronze in Mounts Exhibit Hall A. The only Origami artists who make custom papers for each piece, La Fosse & Alexander will share fascinating aspects about the artform and discuss their hands-on involvement with the current ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN exhibit at Mounts Botanical Garden.
 
+ 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm – Paper Folding Demonstrations in Mounts Exhibit Hall A. La Fosse and Alexander will show how to fold an Origami flapping bat. Class size is limited.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
March 24
Full Moon Release Ceremony, Cacao Ceremony and Sound Healing
With Casa Rituals
Sunday, 10:00 am to Noon
$35 for members; $45 for nonmembers (includes full Garden admission). 
Registration is required; class size is limited to 30 adults; classes are nonrefundable. 
Come be inspired in the Herb Garden of Wellbeing as we explore the healing power of the sound and personal intention while immersing in the transformative power of nature during the Full Moon Flower Release Ceremony. This awe-inspiring gathering takes place in a tranquil garden, carefully adorned with aromatic flowers and lush greenery. The Casa Rituals philosophy is deeply rooted in helping to bring everyday mindful intention to the busy modern-day person. This is achieved by creating a deeper and more aligned space, working with the vibration of sound healing and sacred rituals for internal peace and harmony. Upon arrival, participants will receive a ceremonial smudging and blessing, helping to release any burdens from day-to-day life, followed by a cup of the highest quality, Ceremonial Cacao to take part in our sacred heart-opening Cacao Ceremony. The Cacao works to relax, open the heart chakra, and help one to be receptive to the healing. During the Release Ritual, attendees will learn how to release that which no longer serves with Intention and Grace and with power of Full Moon. Finally, relax into Yoga Nidra mediation and deep sound healing during which everyone will be immersed in the healing energies of the Gong, Crystal singing bowls and other high-frequency instruments.
Note: Please bring a yoga mat or blanket, and do not drink alcohol on the day of the ceremony or consume caffeine three hours before and after the event.
To register, please visit:
https://www.mounts.org/events/2023-3/mounts.org
 
Mounts Botanical Garden & Bloomberg Connects
Explore Anytime, Anywhere with New Mobile Garden Guide
Visitors can now explore Mounts Botanical Garden anytime from anywhere across the globe with the new Mobile Garden Guide. Launched in partnership with Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and cultural app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the guide is designed to elevate and enrich the visitor experience by making it easy to discover more of what people love before, during, and after their visit to the Garden. Multi-media content includes maps and information on Mounts Botanical’s 25 display gardens, art in the garden, and current and upcoming exhibitions, as well as an ever-growing spectrum of new photo, audio, and video content available exclusively via the app. To learn more and download the app, visit www.mounts.org/mobile-garden-guide/ [mounts.org]. ​