Each month we offer a variety of programs to inspire, teach and engage. All Connecticut College Arboretum programs are open to the public and many of our programs are free or available at a discounted rate with membership and for current Connecticut College students. Some programs require registration to confirm your spot. Email arbor@conncoll.edu if you need assistance.

Connecticut College is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy community. 

 

Free Guided Tours

Free guided tours at the Connecticut College Arboretum begin in May.
Tours start at 10 a.m. on the first and second Sunday of each month from May thru October.
Our free guided tours are open to the public and pre-registration is not required. 

Native Plant Collection (1st Sunday of the month)

Tours of the Native Plant Collection meet at the entrance gate to the Native Plant Collection located on Williams Street across from the Williams Street entrance to the Connecticut College main campus.

Tour dates: 

May 4
June 1
July 6
August 3
September 7
October 5

Caroline Black Garden (2nd Sunday of the month)

Tours of the Caroline Black Garden meet at the entrance to the Caroline Black Garden located on behind the Vinal Cottage across Mohegan Avenue from the main entrance to the Connecticut College campus. Access to the parking area behind Vinal Cottage is located at 4 Winchester Avenue.

Tour dates: 

May 11
June 8
July 13
August 10
September 14
October 12

 

The Art & Science of Pruning

DATE: Saturday, March 22, 2025
TIME: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Trees and shrubs thrive with judicious pruning. This workshop will cover what, when, how and why to prune. Topics covered will include training young trees and shrubs to avoid future problems, renovating overgrown shrubs and pruning hedges. After a brief lecture inside, participants will go outside to view pruning demonstrations on campus plantings. With Jim Luce, retired grounds supervisor and Anna Fialkoff, Arboretum horticulturist.

COST: $25 -or- $15 for current Connecticut College Arboretum Members. 

Registration required.
Space is limited.

THIS PROGRAM IS FULL.
CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST

 

Growing Mushrooms on Logs

DATE: Saturday, March 29, 2025
TIME: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Interested in learning about growing mushrooms outdoors?  Assistant Professor of Botany, Eric Vukicevich, presents the basics of cultivating edible and medicinal mushrooms in log culture.  This program will start with a discussion of fungal biology followed by a hands-on workshop where participants will be able to inoculate a log to take home.  
 
Registration required.
Space is limited.

COST: $45 -or- $30 for current Connecticut College Arboretum Members. 

 

REGISTER HERE 

Full Moon Walk

DATE: Friday, April 11, 2025
TIME: 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Experience the Arboretum in a brand new light... under the full moon! Arboretum Director, Maggie Redfern and Assistant Professor of Astronomy, Alex Gianninas will lead this tour of the Campus and Native Plant Collections for a rare opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of the Arboretum after dark.
  
Registration requested.

COST: FREE! 

 

REGISTER HERE

 

Growing Native Orchids

DATE: Saturday, April 12, 2025
TIME: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This presentation introduces participants to the fundamentals of northeast native orchid cultivation, including habitat requirements, propagation methods, and conservation principles. Attendees will learn how to create and sustain orchid-friendly environments in their own landscapes.  

Instructor Ana Bermudez is a botany major, environmental studies minor, and scholar in the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment. Originally from Miami, Florida, Ana has worked with tropical orchids at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s micropropagation laboratory where she researched native lady’s slipper orchids (Cypripedium spp.). Using this knowledge, Ana has been creating a native orchid demonstration garden at the Connecticut College Arboretum.
 
This program is being offered in partnership with the Mountain Laurel Chapter of Wild Ones. Current members of the Mountain Laurel Chapter of Wild Ones may attend this program for free.
  
Registration required.
Space is limited.

COST: $10 -or- FREE for current members of the Connecticut College Arboretum or Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter. 

 

REGISTER HERE

 

Dividing Perennials

DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
TIME: 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Connecticut College Arboretum Horticulturist, Anna Fialkoff, leads a workshop to identify perennials that can be divided in the spring and the methods for dividing different species. This will be an outdoors, hands-on workshop dividing perennials in the planting beds outside the New London Hall Greenhouse. Participants will be able to take home selected divisions to add to their own garden!  
 
Registration required.
Space is limited.

COST: $30 -or- $25 for current Connecticut College Arboretum Members. 

 

REGISTER HERE

 

SAVE THE DATE!

 

ARBOR DAY

DATE: Friday, April 25, 2025
TIME: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

 

Come celebrate trees with us!

Free tours, educational display and other activities! 

 

 

Visit us on facebook @ConnecticutCollegeArboretum to stay up to date on our programs and events. To receive advance notice of programs you can sign up to get our monthly email newsletter on the Arboretum home page. You don't have to be a member to receive notifications but we would appreciate your support of becoming a member if you are not one already.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BECOMING A MEMBER.