Tour Schedule March – August 2025

 

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Public Guided Tours* IN-PERSON

*Public Guided Tours require pre-registration through our website.

Seasonal Garden Tours

Enhance your understanding and appreciation of the Garden with one of these specialized tours featuring seasonal aspects of the collection, offered monthly except January, July, August and December.

April Seasonal Garden Tours | April 9 OR April 22 

May Seasonal Garden Tour | May 13 

June Seasonal Garden Tours | June 4 OR June 24  

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Evening Seasonal Garden Tours 

Enjoy an evening out in the Garden! Enhance your understanding and appreciation of featured seasonal aspects of the collection. Come dressed for the weather and walking in the Garden. 

May Evening Seasonal Garden Tour | May 15 

June Evening Seasonal Garden Tour | June 26 

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Talk and Tours

For the Love of Trees Talk & Tour | April 29  

Do you love trees and want to learn more about the role you can have in their survival? Come join Garden Guide, Lorrie Lincoln for a talk about the hidden life of trees and their importance in our ecosystem. Then enjoy a walk around the Garden to see our magnificent and beautiful tree collection. 

Native Plant Talk & Tour | May 6 

Native plants are a wonderful addition to the landscape for their adaptability, ornamental value and pollinator support. First meet in the classroom for the talk and then tour the Garden with an experienced Guide to see what native plants are growing at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and what native plants might work for you in your yard. 

Pollinators & Pollinator Habitats Talk & Tour | June 17 

What is a pollinator? Why are pollinators so important? What do they need for Habitats? How can you create a habitat? Come talk about what pollinators are, what they do and what is necessary for them to survive. Then we will enjoy a walk around the Garden looking to see what pollinators we can find and what pollinator habitats we have created here in the Garden. 

Native Moths & Butterflies Talk & Tour | July 15  

What are some of our native moths and butterflies? What do their caterpillars look like? What do they need for survival? Come talk and see pictures of some of our native moths and butterflies and learn what their host foods are. Then enjoy a walk around the Garden to see what we can find. 

  

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Themed Tours

Enjoy a guided tour of the Garden through the lens of a particular themed topic! 

 Spring Migration Tour | April 5 

Enjoy a pleasant walk in the garden with Garden Guides Buz and Barb Sawyer and learn about how birds use our 80 acres to rest, refuel and continue the journey north to their breeding grounds. Discover what birds will be passing through or arriving in Richmond for the summer. Spring migration can be an exciting opportunity to observe our avian friends in the oasis of the garden. Bring binoculars if you have them. 

Springtime in Virginia Tour | March 29 OR April 24

In early March, spring creeps in. Fruit trees and witch hazels bloom on bare limbs and early bulbs emerge among the leaves. By April, daffodils, tulips and bluebells color the ground while viburnum and redbuds paint the canopy above. The blazing colors of rhododendrons and azaleas fill the space between. With warming weather, peonies, iris and roses emerge. Join Garden Guide Julia Cothron to learn what makes “A Million Blooms” possible and how the Garden changes, including the brief appearance of ephemerals. Acquire information about perennials recommended for beginning gardeners with small spaces. 

NEW! Lake Sydnor Garden Tour | May 21   

Learn about the gardens adjacent to Sydnor Lake, featured plantings, and explore the diversity of each garden landscape. Walk among mature trees including a magnificent sycamore. The tour will be an easy walk around the lake including visiting lake docks to enjoy the view across the water. 

Hydrangea Walk & Talk Tour | May 31 OR June 14  

Garden Guide and hydrangea enthusiast Rich Waiton leads tours of the Garden’s collections of these favorite summer shrubs. Learn about the several species which are adapted to Virginia and compare examples in the Garden to review differences in bloom, growth habit, soil type, sun exposure and pruning techniques. Tours are timed throughout peak successive bloom time, so take more than one! Come dressed for the weather and walking in the Garden. 

Hydrangea Walk & Talk Evening Tour | May 29 OR June 12  

Garden Guide and hydrangea enthusiast Rich Waiton leads tours of the Garden’s collections of these favorite summer shrubs. Learn about the several species which are adapted to Virginia and compare examples in the Garden to review differences in bloom, growth habit, soil type, sun exposure and pruning techniques. Tours are timed throughout peak successive bloom time, so take more than one! Come dressed for the weather and walking in the Garden. 

NEW! Balmy Weather Brings the Conservatory’s Tropical Plants Outside Tour | June 20 OR June 18 OR August 22 

Although the Conservatory is closed temporarily, the Garden still has hundreds of plants that have been moved from greenhouses into the Garden. Add some favorite annuals and you have dazzling displays with a tropical vibe of color, blooms and unique pollination strategies. Join Garden Guide Julia Cothron to view “the Conservatory outside” and learn where you will see many of these plants year-round when the expanded Conservatory opens in 2026. 

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NEW! Themed Friday Drop-In Tours IN-PERSON 

Join a Garden Guide for a 30-minute mini-tour featuring a variety of unique topics! No pre-registration required. Free to members or with paid admission. Meet in the Atrium of the Robins Visitors Center. Each tour will start at 1 pm. 

First Impressions | Friday, March 28

Upon your arrival to the Garden, you may notice the Garden has taken on a fresh, new look! Join Garden Guide, Anita Waters to learn more about the plants that welcome visitors at the main entrance to the Visitors Center as well as parking lot B. You’ll be inspired to create a first impression for your home entrance! 

Viburnums | Friday, April 4

What versatile shrub blooms in April/May, may be elegantly fragrant, widely varies in size, can be native, produces berries loved by birds, may turn colorful in the fall, and gives you a choice of hundreds of species and cultivars? Viburnums! Garden Guide Daryl Mathers will show us the blooming viburnums in the Garden and we’ll learn how to incorporate these beauties into the home garden.

Awakening Native Plants | Friday, April 11

Shyly peeking out from under the cover of leaves, Virginia’s native plants begin their show in early spring. Join Garden Guide Lisa Hamilton as we seek out and celebrate Virginia’s native plants, including the beloved Virginia bluebell, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild ginger, and more! 

Digging Deeper in Flagler | Friday, April 18

Learn more about the history of the Henry M. Flager Garden, completed in May 1993 and the first major project of the Garden’s masterplan. The tour, with Garden Guide Anita Waters, starts at the Ian Robertson Pavilion and strolls along the 500-foot lawn to the sculpture “Slow Dance”. 

Roses | Friday, April 25

Our Garden Guide, Daryl Mathers will discuss the many ways to successfully grow a summer of blooming roses using the Garden’s experience. Virginia’s non-cooperative weather makes this a challenge. Yet, as you will see in the Louise Cochrane Rose Garden, now and for months ahead, you can develop your garden into one full of roses and the complementary plants that assist in their health. 

Let’s Hear it for the Ladies! | Friday, May 2 

Join Garden Guide Anita Waters to learn more about the impact Grace Arents and Lora Robins had on the creation and ongoing evolution of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Highlights include a visit to Grace Arents Garden and other areas developed through donations by Lora Robins to include the gardens created in the first major capital campaign. 

Lake Sydnor Mini-Tour | Friday, May 9  

Join Garden Guide Nancy Penick to learn about the gardens adjacent to Sydnor Lake and walk among mature trees including a magnificent sycamore. We’ll also discuss the environmental practices regarding the lake and water quality. Our tour will be an easy walk around the lake to include picturesque views from the docks and across the water. 

Extend Your Summer Bloom Season | Friday, May 16  

Join Garden Guide Kathy Barksdale to learn the best choices of perennials and annuals that will ensure continuous blooms all season long! 

Garden Mood Booster | Friday, May 23  

Join Garden Guide Gail Taylor for a walk through the Garden that will highlight many opportunities to boost your mood! Research proves that nature not only impacts our physical well-being but also our mental and emotional wellness! Please join us to experience how garden plants and paths can enhance your behavioral health one step, feel and smell at a time! 

Greek Gods & Goddesses in the Garden | Friday, May 30  

Join Garden Guide Barb Sawyer for a fun and enlightening exploration of Greek mythology alive in our gardens! Many of the plants we love are named after Greek gods and goddesses, the myths about them and often the medicinal qualities ascribed to them. We’ll walk the Garden to find some of these and talk about others you may have in your home garden. 

Bluebird Conservation | Friday, June 6  

Learn more about the importance of bluebird conservation with Garden Guide Buz Sawyer as he talks about our techniques at the Garden and how this is a model for the role human intervention can play in reversing the damage we’ve done to their habitats. 

Hot Weather Ornamental Performers | Friday, June 13  

Gardening in central Virginia has special challenges due to the heat and humidity. But some garden ornamentals thrive in these conditions! We’ll take a walk around the Garden with Garden Guide Lisa Hamilton to see what’s putting on a good show and what you might consider as an addition to your home garden. 

True Lilies | Friday, June 20  

Join us on a mini-tour featuring true lilies (botanical name lilium) and discover several characteristics that distinguish them from other plants that have ‘lily’ in their name. Our own Garden Guide Lili will showcase the Garden’s true lilies highlighting the unique bulb, stem, leaves, and flower components of these long-lasting garden gems.  

Flowers & Fairy Tales | Friday, June 27  

Folklore and mythology feature plenty of flowers and plants, rich with symbolic meanings, magic, power, and fantastic beauty. This tour with Garden Guide Kat Dianina combines the remarkable specimens in the Garden with such timeless classics as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Rapunzel”, Alice in Wonderland, as well as select Greek myths. Aside from enjoying seasonal blooms and timeless tales, we will consider the enduring power of nature to enchant and inspire.