Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Blog

Feb 16th, 2017

Witch Hazel: Winter Wisdom

Witch hazel always rings a mystical note. Blooming in the middle of the winter, those delicate bits of yellow, copper, or red ribbon blow outward from bare branches like sparks […]

Feb 9th, 2017

Beneficial Bugs: Facebook Live!

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of our Facebook Live post with Director of Horticulture Grace Elton and Conservatory Horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey. In this video, we take you on a brief […]

Jan 29th, 2017

Garden Trends for 2017

Gardening basics seldom change — like “right plant, right place”— but preferences can be downright trendy. So before tilling dirt this spring, check out what’s hot and what’s not for […]

Jan 23rd, 2017

The first class of Beautiful RVA‘s Ginter Urban Gardeners gathers twice a week, for 12 weeks, to do the very important work of making a difference: learning new things, building relationships, getting […]

Jan 19th, 2017

GardenFest Instagram Contest

Announcing the Winning GardenFest Photos! Congratulations to this year’s ‪GardenFest‬ Instagram contest finalists! We loved pouring through the hundreds (….and hundreds) of entries you submitted and truly enjoyed reliving Dominion GardenFest of Lights through your […]

Jan 14th, 2017

Ryan Syrell Paintings

Ryan Syrell Artist Bio Ryan Syrell is a painter whose work focuses on the interrelationship between haptics, perception, and the recollection of sensory information. He received his BFA from SUNY […]

Jan 12th, 2017

Forest Bathing

Updated 1/17/17 Awash in the Health Benefits of Nature My mother was right. She may not have known why, but she was right. When she sent me outside to play […]

Jan 2nd, 2017

Ice Skating in Richmond, 1895

On this day in 1895 On January 2, 1895, the Richmond Dispatch reported that Richmond citizens enjoyed ice skating on the first day of 1895 and were fortunate to have […]

Dec 29th, 2016

Racial Healing & Transformation

A Garden’s Role in Racial Healing & Transformation As Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s community engagement coordinator, I was honored to attend the W.K. Kellogg Foundation‘s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation […]

Dec 15th, 2016

Bling House Light Toys

Making Spirits Bright with Light Toys from the Bling Shop As Dominion GardenFest of Lights casts its spell over the Garden each year, you may discover that even you are […]

Dec 14th, 2016

Spinning the Thread of Life

Spinning Wheel Demonstration Spinning is an ancient craft dating back thousands of years that can be quite delightful to watch. If you want to add an unconventional — yet no less […]

Dec 13th, 2016

Go Wild With Landscaping

“Look to the wild,” suggested Thomas Rainer, co-author of “Planting in a Post-Wild World.”” His advice is intended for anyone who influences a patch of land, whether a sprawling backyard […]

Dec 11th, 2016

Monarchs & Milkweed

Monarch Butterfly Adoptions For about three years now, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s volunteer-led spring and fall plant sales have actively encouraged home gardeners to grow plants that support native butterflies and local pollinator […]

Dec 8th, 2016

Safeguarding Boxwoods

Editor’s note: This is a timely post on an important topic. We are reprinting it with permission from the authors, noted below. Mind Your Holiday Decorations: Safeguarding Your Boxwoods from […]

Dec 6th, 2016

Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights Decorations & Inspirations

Updated 12/14/16 Ask Justin Brown when he and his team began work on this year’s light show and he replies, “We never stopped.” Brown is Operations Manager and External Team Leader for Dominion […]