Booking

Adult Programs

The Dallas Arboretum's Adult Programs have been enlightening North Texans for over 15 years. Classes are offered year-round and course topics include horticulture, landscape design, photography, art, floral design, and much more!
There are three basic styles of classes: demonstration, lecture, and hands-on. Many classes combine two or more of these activities to maximize learning and enjoyment.

Member discounts can not be given after the completion of the sale.

For more information on Adult Programs click here.

Registration

Class fees include admission to the garden and parking. The gate opens by 8:45 am for morning classes and participants are invited to stroll through the gardens and see spectacular floral displays after class. Class sizes are limited, and many fill quickly. To avoid disappointment, we recommend registering early.

To register for a class over the phone, or to be added to a waiting list, call: 214.515.6540 or 214.515.6539

Photography Programs

Anthotype and Lumen Prints

May 31, 12-2pm;
$75 ($68 for members)

This beginner-friendly class invites exploration and experimentation – two things that make for exciting photography. During this workshop you’ll learn the basics in historical photography processes. Join Rachel Rushing, from Oil & Cotton, for an afternoon of exploration. Leave the garden with an archival, handmade specimen book for collecting your flora, swatches and recipes for creating your own anthotypes, and a beautiful, finished lumen print to display at home.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Gardening & Design

Farming 101 - Greenhouse Production

May 3; 9-11am;

$40 or $36 for Members Greenhouse production can be a game-changer for a farm, financially. Andrea Bithell from Oak Cliff Organics will review greenhouse selection, set-up, and maintenance at the We Over Me Farms. Students will also get hands-on training for starting seeds, tending to seedlings, bumping up to four-inch pots, and propagation techniques as well as creating a spring and fall plant sale to generate revenue. Class takes place at the We Over Me Farms.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Xeriscape Plants

May 3; 12-2pm;

$27 or $25 for Members This is an introductory course featuring perennials, shrubs and trees that can be used to create a xeriscape garden in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Kevin Wiley, horticulture manager for the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, will discuss individual plants, their points of interest, uses as elements of the landscape, and maintenance in a xeriscaped landscape. At the close of the class enjoy a walk through the areas of the Children’s Garden where xeriscape plant material is used in the landscape.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Cacti & Succulents for the Landscape

May 17; 12-2pm;

$27 or $25 for Members Kevin Wiley will introduce you to the many cacti and succulents that can be used in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The focus will be on the individual plants, their points of interest, and the care and maintenance of cacti and succulents in the landscape. At the end of class enjoy a walk through the areas of the Children’s Garden where cacti and succulents are used in the landscape.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Designing a Xeriscaped Landscape

May 31; 12-2pm;

$27 or $25 for Members You will enjoy this class that shows you how to design a beautiful and environmentally friendly xeriscape landscape. Kevin Wiley will explore the design and installation process from the ground up, including soil amendment, topography, watering techniques, plant palates, and the use of micro-climates. At the end of class enjoy a walking tour of the entire property, looking at different xeriscape techniques used in the garden.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Creative Containers: SHADE

May 31; 9-11am;

$45 or $40 for Members Today’s smaller lots, larger houses and townhouse gardens present unique challenges for urban gardeners. Let Jennifer Wang, Arboretum horticulturist, share the secrets of the beautiful container displays seen throughout our gardens and help you create your own unique container. This class will focus on shade containers.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Farming 101 - Urban Farm Animals

June 7 9-11am;

$40 or $36 for Members In an urban setting you can keep bees, chickens, fish, worms, and goats, oh my! Owning and caring for livestock is fun and rewarding. During this session, Andrea Bithell from Oak Cliff Organics will discuss taking care of urban-approved animals. She will go from design to layout to choosing the animals and what to feed them. This class will show you how to benefit from using animals in an urban setting. Class takes place at the We Over Me Farms.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Creative Containers: SUN

June 14; 9-11am;

$45 or $40 for Members Today’s smaller lots, larger houses and townhouse gardens present unique challenges for urban gardeners. Let Jennifer Wang, Arboretum horticulturist, share the secrets of the beautiful container displays seen throughout our gardens and help you create your own unique container. This class will focus on Sun containers.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Plant a Living Picture: Vertical Succulent Garden

June 28, 9-11am

$83 or $75 for Members Vertical gardens have become one of the trendiest ways to adorn your walls, but did you know that you can make them yourself? In this hands-on class, Steven Chamblee, chief horticulturist at Chandor Gardens, will help you design and construct a vertical, wall-hanging garden frame and fill it with beautiful succulent plants. You will go home with a one-of-a-kind work of living art that is sure to wow your friends.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Creative Arts

Concrete Leaf Casting

May 10, 9-11am;
May 17, 9-11am; sold out
$60 ($54 for Members)

Let Joanne Durbin, concrete leaf artist, show you how to transform a piece of nature into a beautiful decoration for your garden. Using leaves from the garden and a few simple ingredients, Joanne will show you how to create your own concrete casting. Your unique finished work of art will show the beauty of Mother Nature’s work through the veins, leaf texture and shape of the leaves. Durbin will show you how to embellish your piece using paint so that you may finish your piece at home once it has dried. Space is limited.

* To be added to the waiting list for this class, please email us with the title and date of the class.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Petite Fleurs - Mosaic Flowers

May 10, 9am-3pm;
$95 ($86 for Members)

Join Katrina Doran, mosaic artist and owner of Doran Studios, as she helps you make a distinctive piece of art from your very own imagination. The smallest of Doran’s mosaic flower creations measures about three inches per petal length. They are of a unique variety and reminiscent of old fairy tales and nursery rhyme illustrations. These flowers are bejeweled with antique jewelry, miniature doll parts, beads, petite glass tiles, millefiori, pearls and more. Supplies provided.
DurationDuration 6 Hours
Price
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Mixed Media Inspirations - Inspirations, Dreams an

June 21, 9am-1pm;
$60 ($54 for Members)

What inspires you? A beautiful garden? Poetry? Holidays? Bring your dreams to life with Kay Goodman, creator of Mixed Media Workshops, in a fun, relaxed and free-flowing, mixed-media experience. We’ll take a short walk through the divine spring garden and then dive into several techniques that will create a foundation to illustrate your dreams and inspirations. We’ll use gesso, acrylics, stencils, collage and embellishments. Use your new skills for greeting cards, framed art, gifts or art journaling. Come translate your dreams into beautiful creations.
DurationDuration 3 Hours
Price
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Soft Block Carving - Inspired by my garden

May 17, 9am-4pm;
$55 ($50 for Members)

Bring the outside in and use your garden, or dream garden as inspiration to turn your designs, sketches or photos into Soft Block carving blocks to print or stamp into garden journals, sketchbooks, artwork, and paper or fabric projects. Sheila Cunningham, of the Creative Arts Center, will show you that carvings can be as simple as a single image stamp or complex with garden and nature-inspired scenes. You will be exploring basic carving and printing techniques during this innovative class.
DurationDuration 7 Hours
Price
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Felted Soap

June 7, 9am-12pm;
$40 ($36 for Members)

Ever thought about making that bar of soap in your guest bathroom more attractive? Learn to make a felted soap with Suzanne Morgan, fiber artist. She will introduce new and different types of wool and how to felt around a bar of soap. You will leave the class with a beautiful felted piece to share with your guests. Please bring sharp scissors and wear clothes that can get a little wet.
DurationDuration 3 Hours
Price
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Painting Flowers and Landscapes in Watercolor

June 14, 9am-3pm;
$110 ($99 for Members)

 

Brush up on your painting skills in this fun two day workshop. Join award winning artist, Carol Vystrcil Scott, as she introduces you to the wonderful world of watercolor painting. During the workshop learn how to translate your vision from the real world to the canvas. By using photographs and still life, you will begin the process of planning and sketching your work of art. Supply list will be provided upon registration. Space is limited.

DurationDuration 6 Hours
Price
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Painting Flowers in Oils

June 21, 9am–3pm;
$110 ($99 for Members)

Join award winning Texas artist, Nancy Medina for a day of making brilliant flowers bloom in oils. Open to all levels and those who work in water-based oils and acrylics. Medina begins with a demonstration and continues with a step-by-step paint-along session. Students will bring home a completed flower painting and tips needed to create paintings they will love for years to come. Bring lunch or pick up something at the dining terrace. Supply list will be provided.
DurationDuration 6 Hours
Price
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Painting from Your Heart and Soul

June 21, 12-3pm;
$66 ($60 for Members)

Join Tina Alvarez, award winning artist and Touch Drawing facilitator, who will help you open the gateway to your inner creative landscape. Dive in and learn a fun and easy process of painting and drawing. Using the unique and easy to learn Touch Drawing technique, you will leave with 15-30 images that you can use in your creative work as you learn to enhance your images at home. No experience necessary and all skill levels welcome. Supplies provided.
DurationDuration 3 Hours
Price
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Special Interest

Wine Tastings with Times Ten Cellars

April 10, April 17 (sold out), May 1 or May 8; 6:15-7:15pm;
 $50 or $45 for Members

What better way to kick off a Cool Thursday Concert than with a fun wine tasting by Times Ten Cellars on the new rooftop Oasis Garden at the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden? The tasting includes three red and three white wines from their winery and a crystal wine glass to take home. Full bottles of your favorite tastings will be available for purchase after the event. Light bites will be provided by Times Ten Cellars. Fee includes admission to the concert. Theses tastings sold out last year so make your reservation today!

* If you would like to be added to the waiting list for this class, please email us with the class title and date.
DurationDuration 1 Hour
Price
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Hummingbirds

May 3 and 10, 9-11am;
$42 ($38 for Members)

Explore the incredible world of hummingbirds. We’ll begin at the Arboretum and learn about specialized feeding and unique behavior. Then, we’ll head into the grounds in pursuit of the smallest birds in the world. We’ll resume our quest for hummers the following Saturday at the Trinity River Audubon Center. We’ll trek the trails and learn how to create hummingbird friendly

feeders and gardens. The first session of class will be held at the Arboretum, and the second session of the class will be held at TRAC, located at 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way, Dallas, TX 75217.

DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Jam Making

May 10, 12-3pm;
$50 ($45 for Members)

Chef Eva Greer, well known for her Farm to Fork cooking classes and specialty fruit jams and sauces, will take you through jam-making basics from start to finish. Each element of the process will be covered in detail allowing participants to capture the freshness of fruits when in season to enjoy all year long as jam. Participants will leave the class with an appreciation and understanding of jam making and a couple of Jams for themselves to share with friends and family.
DurationDuration 3 Hours
Price
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Birds on the Water

June 7 and June 14, 9-11am;
$90 ($81 for Members)

Birding is one of the fastest growing pastimes in America. Join Jenna Hanson, Education Director at Trinity River Audubon Center (TRAC), as she takes you on a unique birding float trip on the Trinity River. The first session is at the Arboretum and will cover birding and canoe basics. The second session, at TRAC, will be a float trip through the Great Trinity Forest to view some of the birds that call North Texas home. See a side of Dallas very few people get to enjoy while cruising past herons, egrets, beavers, turtles, river otters, and more. The first session of class will be held at the Arboretum and the second session of the class will be held at TRAC, located at 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way, Dallas, TX 75217.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Cyanotype

June 7, 12-2pm;
$75 ($68 for Members)

This class will introduce students to the history of the Cyanotype process. Students will learn from Shannon Driscoll from Oil & Cotton, how to mix chemicals to make sensitizing solutions and application techniques for coating various papers and fabric. Photograms may be created with botanical specimens, feathers, lace, stencils, and other objects (no film, camera, or negatives needed for photograms). Most of the class will take place outside.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Bottle Cutting

June 14, 12-2pm;
$89 ($80 for Members)

Since prehistoric times, bottle containers were created from clay or asphaltum sealed woven containers. Join Shannon Driscoll from Oil and Cotton, as you learn how to use a glass cutter, a combination of cold and hot water, fine grit polishing paper, and electric palm sanders to make drinking glasses from recycled bottles. The bottle necks may be used to make light fixtures, funnels or paint brush holders. You are invited to bring bottles to class. Be sure the bottles are round, clean and all paper labels are removed. Additional bottles will be provided.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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Leather Field Guides

June 21, 12-2pm;
$75 ($68 for Members)

Field guides are a great way to document the world around you through notes, sketches or simple collections. Shannon Driscoll from Oil and Cotton, will help you create your own pamphlet-bound field guide book with a leather cover. This workshop is a great introduction to bookbinding where you will learn about book related terms and tools. This ancient book structure is direct and fairly quick to do, allowing you time to embellish it and take it out into the Arboretum for sketching and writing. Materials will be provided.
DurationDuration 2 Hours
Price
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