Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Blog

Dec 27th, 2019

A Year of Service to Community

Taryn Davis was just 21 when she lost her husband in Iraq. In the midst of her own struggle with tragedy, she reached out to help other young military widows […]

Dec 26th, 2019

Holiday Decorations by Henrico Students

Each year, Henrico County Public Schools elementary students present a gift to the community. They offer their creativity through holiday decorations adorning trees at Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights at […]

Dec 13th, 2019

Thank You, Volunteers!

Volunteers at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden are the heart and soul of everything we do. Simply put, there would be no Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights without them. Each year […]

Dec 11th, 2019

WINTER WILDSCAPES: Wonderlands for learning

Winter is in full swing, and nature’s response is a fascinating study for children on school break. Nature knowledge supports Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) objectives. Outdoor exploration of winter […]

Nov 28th, 2019

Ginter Urban Gardeners
Sustain Plants, People and Places

Ginter Urban Gardener cohorts do more than create green space in Richmond urban neighborhoods. They bring neighbors together to help restore people and communities. Environmental Justice When Ginter Urban Gardeners built […]

Nov 19th, 2019

MESSAGE FROM LEWIS GINTER’S DIRECTOR

Planting Seeds for Change Richard Piacentini, the visionary CEO of Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, famously has written with regard to the challenges of environmental stress “Being Less Bad […]

Nov 18th, 2019

Insects Take the Heat

Humans aren’t the only ones who feel the heat. Global warming affects insects, too. Their responses vary by species and environs, including creative adaptions over time. “Insects and mites are […]

Nov 9th, 2019

Wildlife Needs Habitat, Not Food

“Ideally, we shouldn’t feed wildlife at all,” said Carol Heiser, habitat education coordinator with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF). Nature takes care of her own during […]

Nov 1st, 2019

Garden Receives Major Environmental Grant

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is honored to receive a Virginia Environmental Endowment (VEE) grant in the amount of $315,000 to support the Glen Stream Restoration Project. The grant is part […]

Oct 16th, 2019

Butterflies Fly to Tucson Botanical Gardens

It is a brisk October morning as I step out of my car and head for the Conservatory. I say “morning,” yet heavy shadows still blanket the garden, and I […]

Oct 14th, 2019

Yucca: A Nifty Native

Sea to shining sea: Yucca adapted across diverse climates and soils, from America’s arid deserts of the West to sandy dunes of the East … and nearly every Virginia county […]

Oct 2nd, 2019

Investigating Black Swallowtail Caterpillars’ Behavior

Recently we got a question from a visitor about his black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. After visiting M&T Bank Butterflies LIVE! with his grandson, he decided to grow some parsley in […]

Sep 23rd, 2019

Native Plants of the James River: Native Art

Experience native wildflowers and plants in a new way by visiting the Lora M. Robins Library at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden during the month of October for a special show: […]

Sep 17th, 2019

Emily Herr Adds a Welcome Mural

The iconic view of the Conservatory and the Central Garden leading up to it immediately draw in visitors. However, hidden behind the Conservatory, an oft-overlooked treasure awaits. The Kroger Community […]

Sep 12th, 2019

Nature’s Vitamin D Helps with Grief

Taryn Davis’ prescription for grief involves a different type of vitamin D: dirt from the garden. She discovered the healing power of nature a few years after the death of […]