Discover the stories, plants, and ideas that make the Ruth Bancroft Garden a global model for waterwise design. Join a cohort of fellow garden-lovers for a series of at-home and in-person learning opportunities.

At-home learning opportunities:

Webinar 1 – The Origin and Evolution of the Ruth Bancroft Garden – August 19th @ 11:00am – 12:00pm

Explore the Garden’s origins and evolution, and learn how Ruth Bancroft’s vision helped shape modern waterwise gardening

Webinar 2 – The Living Collection – September 16th @ 11:00am – 12:00pm

Take a closer look at the Garden’s signature plant collections and how they are grown, displayed, and cared for in a public garden setting.

Webinar 3 – Design the Ruth Way – October 21st @ 11:00am – 12:00pm

Unpack the design principles that make the Ruth Bancroft Garden so distinctive and learn how to apply them at any scale.

Webinar 4 – Plant Adaptations in Arid Landscapes – November 18th @ 11:00am – 12:00pm

Discover how plants from dry climates around the world thrive, and what their remarkable adaptations can teach us.

Participants may attend live or watch the recordings of the webinars anytime before the month’s end.

In-person learning opportunities:

Pre-series golden-hour Garden meet-up with the class cohort. Meet classmates, receive a brief orientation of class materials, and line up. (Friday, August 14 @ 6:30pm-7:30 pm)

Curator-led History and Highlights Tour with Curator Brian Kemble and Garden Manager Walker Young (Thursday, August 27 @ 5:00pm – 6:00pm)

Materials

Supplemental readings and a special 20% discount on The Bold Dry Garden and Lush Dry Garden

While each session stands on its own, the series is designed to be taken as a whole. We will be offering only 30 spots for those who would like to go through all the webinars, in-person learning opportunities and access the materials and discounts.  Register for the full series below. Or click on the individual webinars above for an ‘a la carte’ option.

About the Staff:

Brian has been at the Garden for 46 years. He worked alongside Ruth in the days before we became a public garden. During his tenure, he has preserved Ruth’s vision while expanding the collection and spearheading the Garden’s expanding educational role. Brian’s work for the Garden has included hybridizing aloes, agaves, gasterias and South American cacti. Brian has traveled extensively in Mexico, Madagascar and southern Africa, studying and photographing plants in their native habitats.

Walker joined Ruth Bancroft Garden in 2012, studied with Ruth and Brian, and has become a custodian of the Garden’s aesthetic. He helps preserve, renovate, and rejuvenate Mrs. Bancroft’s beds, with a particular talent for shaping mounds and arranging rocks to frame the plant collection. He also propagates rare succulents, manages the private collection, and contributed a cycad collection that adds an important transitional texture to the Garden’s plant palette.

Read more about the Cancellation and Refund Policy here.