Crown Heights Classes NYC, New York

Landscape Drawing for Travelers

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

The diverse landscapes of Brooklyn Botanic Garden provide a unique opportunity to hone outdoor drawing skills; its various settings from formal esplanades to native flora provide diverse challenges. My goal is to equip students to sketch successfully outside, whether in the city or remote wilderness. We will cover preparation, portable tools, location planning, and most importantly comfort and safety. Selection of subject matter and pictorial composition...

Wrapping Up Outside and Moving Inside

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Join horticulturist Jim Russell in this monthly series examining all aspects of gardening-by example-within the various gardens of the school. Learn about garden design principles; discuss plant choices and maintenance needs; and learn about pruning techniques. This class explores the outdoors, so dress appropriately.

Herbal Love Potions

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Explore tasty plant remedies that stimulate the senses, get the blood moving, calm the nervous system, and elevate the mood—all qualities we need for practicing the art of connection and expressions of desire. Delicious treats and elixirs will be shared and tasted in this heart-opening class. Note: Please bring a confirmation for Garden admission. The Security Guard in the lobby of the Administration Bldg. at 1000 Washington Avenue will direct...

Edible and Medicinal Native Plants of the Northeast

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Learn how the indigenous peoples of the Northeast prepared food and remedies from dozens of native plants that we will identify in the newly expanded Native Flora Garden. Our region is rich in little-known edible and medicinal plants, from woodland spices such as wild ginger to wetland plants like pickerel weed and wapato.

Houseplants 101: Choose the Perfect Plant

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

This class will help you find plants that love exactly the amount of light, humidity, and other conditions your indoor space has to offer. Selecting the right plant means the difference between something that looks gorgeous and is easy to take care of and a sad-looking specimen that leaves you wondering what you did wrong!

How Not to Kill Your Houseplant

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Foraging for Wild Edible Plants

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Learn how to safely identify, sustainably harvest, and deliciously prepare the feast growing at your doorstep with ethnobotanist Leda Meredith, author of Northeast Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Plants from Beach Plums to Wineberries. The Northeast is rich in wild edible plants, even in the city. On this foraging foray, we'll find native delicacies such as pokeweed and ramps growing right next to introduced invasive (but still delicious) species,...

Conifer Bonsai Styling

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Discover the artistic and horticultural thought process for selecting a bonsai design and the various techniques involved in achieving design concepts such as branch manipulation and foliage arrangement to transform raw, unstyled trees into quality bonsai. Notes: Bring small pruners or surgical shears, or purchase shears in class.

Fruit Pickling: Sodas and Cocktails

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Create your own shrub-a classic mix of fruit, sugar, and vinegar used to make delicious cocktails and sodas-and then learn how to preserve it by canning. Expand your ideas on what pickling can be, learn to minimize waste, and increase your nutritional intake as you prepare shelf-stable goodies that allow you to eat (and drink!) locally year-round.

Tropical Bonsai

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Learn about the care and training of tropical trees as bonsai. A tropical tree will be shaped to demonstrate techniques and care. Notes: Bring small pruners or surgical shears, or purchase shears in class.

Fall Bonsai Seminar: Pine Bonsai

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Various techniques for different species of pine trees will be detailed using one of the school's 70- to 200-year-old bonsai. The class will discuss pine bonsai refinement, emphasizing energy balance and branch alignment.

Urban Shade Garden Design

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

New York City gardens are often sited between buildings and near trees, with a variety of light and soil conditions. Learn what plants will do well in your shady space and how to care for them. Get ideas, design inspiration, and tips for growing colorful and lush plants in shady urban gardens, both in the ground and in containers.

Gardening with Tasty Edible Native Plants

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Ever tasted a Juneberry pie or served pawpaw ice cream at a dinner party? Find out how you can use these fun, edible native plants in your garden and your kitchen. Discover which native plants can add beauty to your garden while providing you with tasty and nutritious native fruits and nuts. Learn which of these low-maintenance plants are the best choices for your landscape and how they can improve your ecosystem.

Pruning Basics

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Learn the natural way a plant grows and the proper methods and timing for pruning deciduous and evergreen shrubs for optimal fruit and flowering, shaping, and habit. We also discuss tree pruning practices and tools. Discover how to plant and care for your own colorful cactus garden. Learn about plant materials and how to find hardy cacti; where to create your garden; and what soil materials can be used.   Bring pruners for classroom exercises....

Botanical Jewelry: Drift Seed Jewelry Making

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Drift seeds are carried by wind and water from the rainforest to the sea, where they may drift for months and years before landing on distant shores. These buoyant sea beans can be transformed into unique seed beads.  In this class, you will learn their journey and diversity as you create a striking pendant.

Garden Apothecary: Fruit and Herb Pool Waters

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Garden Apothecary: Creating Living Waters: Fruit and Herb Pool Waters Learn how to infuse fruits, flowers, herbs, and oils into custom waters. Create custom chlorine-neutralizing hair and body rinses for the whole family out of fruits and home-grown herbs.

Rethinking Horticulture: Plants

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Be prepared to reorient your definition of horticulture in this series of experiential workshops. Each class focuses on a different theme, and students are challenged with hands-on activities to rethink horticulture as a practice. Take one class—or more.

Botanical Jewelry: Jewelry from the Underground

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Have you ever thought of the potato as jewelry? Solanum tuberosum—long cultivated as an important food crop—has untapped potential for creative applications.  In this class, you will learn of the potato’s horticultural history as you transform it into beads and craft a conversation piece to take home.

Shakespeare's Garden: Drawing and Collage

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, learn about the symbolic and literary plants featured in BBG’s Shakespeare Garden with a hands-on workshop. Celebrate the life and creativity of the Bard make your own visual narrative with drawing and collage.

Fermented Herbal Sodas

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Brace yourselves for these fizzy, buzzy sodas. Sparkly fermented beverages like kombucha and fruit sodas made with real fruit and cane sugar can be a bit on the pricey side in stores. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to make these delicious beverages in your home kitchen. Join us to learn how to make your own herbal sodas as we talk about the science behind them and why they are good for you. Notes: The Security Guard in the lobby of the Administration...