:: Education & Programs ::

Education & Programs

2010 Workshop Series

The Ruth Bancroft Garden is hosting an exciting series of workshops designed to educate community members about low-water gardening and other garden projects. These workshops are co-sponsored by the Contra Costa Water District. Please RSVP early to ensure that the workshop is not cancelled. Hope to see you there!

$Workshop Images\$

Drought Tolerant Gardening 101, with Bobbi Feyerabend

Saturday, August 14

Want a drought-tolerant garden but not sure where to start? A local legend, Ms. Feyerabend will discuss the basics of low-water gardening, and will cover appropriate plant choices, garden design, irrigation, and maintenance. * She will be focusing on Mediterranean plants.

Lawn Removal, with Kat Weiss

Saturday, September 11 from 11 am - 1 pm

Ready to ditch your lawn and install a low-water landscape in its place? Learn how to remove and replace your lawn in this informative and hands-on workshop.

Succulent Troubleshooting

Saturday, October 9 from 11 am - 1 pm

From pests to frost to too much water, there are a lot of things that can make a succulent sick. This class will cover how to avoid common problems and fix ones that may have already occurred. Feel free to bring in examples of your sick plants.

Admission Prices:

$15 for RBG members

$15 for Garden Conservancy Members

$20 for the general public

To register, click here for a registration form, or call our office at (925) 944-9352

*Please note: All cancellations, refunds, and other changes must be received at least 7 days prior to the event date*

iPhone Photography

September 25, 2010

An all-ages workshop at The Ruth Bancroft Garden

Saturday September 25th, 2010; 1 pm – 3 pm, Taught by Lois Reynolds Mead

Join us for an afternoon of experimenting with mobile phone photography and capturing the incredible specimens found at The Garden. Learn how to WOW with the camera phone you always have in your pocket!

iPhone Photos by Lois Reynolds Mead

This workshop will cover:

Basic camera phone photography
A variety of iPhone photography applications
The way that the iPhone recreates historic cameras, silms, lenses and techniques
And will provide time to hone your skills through hands-on practice

Please join us for this exciting event. Space is limited.

To register, please call our office at (925) 944-9352, fill out a registration form, or email Sophie.

$15 General Admission

$10 for RBG or Garden Conservancy Members

*Please note: All cancellations, refunds, and other changes must be received at least 7 days prior to the event date.

Elementary Program

The Garden offers a two-hour field trip program that meets the California curriculum standards for the third grade. When students arrive they are divided into small groups and rotate through a series of stations that introduce them to local history, flowers and pollinators, propagation, and water storage in plants. Afterward the students take a stroll through the garden to learn about ethnobotany. Each student plants a seed and a succulent cutting to take home. Field trips are offered in the spring and fall. The cost is $5 per student.

College Internship Program

The Garden offers internships to college students in the areas of horticulture, landscape architecture or design, botany, scientific illustration, and related fields. Interns will receive hands-on training and experience in the areas of plant propagation and nursery production, greenhouse management, landscape management, interpretive education, and plant inventory and/or database management. Interns are needed all year!

We will work with your college or university so you can earn credit for your internship.

Download Internship Overview
Download Internship Application

Please send the application to our Education Coordinator Sophie.

Adult Education Programs

The Garden offers an array of workshops, classes, and seminars for the home gardener and horticulture/green industry professional. These programs range from special tours of The Garden with Assistant Garden Director Brian Kemble to all-day Dry Garden Design Seminars. For updated information on these programs, please visit our Calendar of Events.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, Inc. is to preserve this exceptional example of garden design and to continue to develop its collection of water-conserving plants for the education and enjoyment of the public.

Grant Funders

The Ruth Bancroft Garden would like to recognize the Quest Foundation for funding our youth program through the Education Coordinator’s position.