Botanic GardensBotanic GardensJanuary | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
They flutter they flitter, some even look like glitter. Learn how to attract butterflies to your garden.
This program is held for ages 6-12 years old. All children MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the event. Register in advance to Angie Wall at angwall@cox.net. A $15 fee is required for each child. Participants will receive a snack and a take home craft. Attendance is limited to 30.
Upcoming Events:
Garden Fest is a family friendly festival in the middle of Baton Rouge that promotes locally grown foods. Your family will enjoy fresh morning omelets by the Louisiana Egg Commission, famous Bloody Mary samples by Mason's Grill and local food tucks. Activities for kids include water slides, "Touch-a-Tractor" and hayrides! Don’t miss our education sessions to learn more about gardening, nature and environmental programs in the Conference Center to educate people of all ages. There will be vegetable trials and tastings, “Ask the Expert” plant and gardening tent, and a chance to meet amazing local plant and gardening clubs in Baton Rouge.
Admission is $5 per person and free for children ages 3 and under. Bring your swimsuits and prepare for a fun Saturday at the Botanic Gardens!
June 25-29, 2018 - 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Join us for a week of exploring nature! Participants will enjoy interacting with nature through a series of games, arts and crafts, science experiments, fishing, hiking and more! Snacks and water will be provided each day during the nature camp. Lunch will not be provided. Participants must wear sunscreen, comfortable clothes that can get dirty and closed toe shoes.
Drop off is between 8:00 and 8:30am with activities starting promptly at 8:30am. Students
must be
picked up by 12:00pm. Parents or guardian will sign participants in and out daily.
To join, simply fill out the form and return it with your payment to the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens c/o Kiki Fontenot.
Make checks payable to LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. Space is limited, and payment
must be received to confirm registration.
For all of you orchid lovers, orchids are on display and for sale in the Ione Burden Conference Center from vendors across the Gulf Coast! Regional orchid growers and collectors create works of art with the orchids on display. Orchid supplies will also be sold. Orchid Society members will be available to offer orchid growing and maintenance advice and potting demonstrations to showcase your beautiful orchids.
The event is open to the public for free admission.
July 30 - August 3 2018 - 9 AM - 4:30 PM
Experience the unique peace of the Byzantine era through Icon painting. The Byzantine Icon Workshop is a thoughtful and meditative 5 day retreat of traditional painting techniques that dates back 2000 years. If you have a desire for a peaceful, contemplative setting join the Iconographers and create an individual piece of meaningful art. No previous artistic skill or experience is required!
The cost of the workshop is $350 and includes all materials and lunch for 5 days. Materials provided are a specially prepared board, gold leaf, all paints, brushes, and other materials. Participant who have a 13-watt desk Ott Light may bring it for their personal use during the workshop. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Gardens to further the implementation of the Botanic Gardens Master Plan. Please return this form with the full payment of $350, or a $175 non-refundable deposit, the remaining $175 is due on or before June 1, 2018. If final payments are not received by June 1, the space will be offered to artists on the waiting list.
Email dianawells1548@gmail.com to reserve your seat in advance due to high demand and limited space.
September 15, 2018 - 9 AM - Noon
Story Time in the Garden is a creative way of mixing storytelling and imagination with hands on craft activities for children. The program, supported in part by the Junior League of Baton Rouge, meets once a month to share the joy of reading with kids. Parents with children ages 3-8 from 9am to noon are invited to attend.
The event is open to the public for free admission.
Registration is not required. The event is free of charge.
Upcoming dates:
October 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018 - 10 AM - 5 PM
The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens Corn Maze is a family friendly day of fall fun with numerous farm related activities. Join the crazy mazy fun every Saturday in October with hayrides, zip lining, face painting, Bayou Goula’s Petting Zoo, pumpkin decorating and more! Corn Maze has thousands of visitors each year and is Baton Rouge’s most aMAZEing event!
Enjoy hamburgers, food from local vendors, and corn inspired snacks like corndogs and popcorn.
Admission is $10 per person and free for children 3 and under. Friends of the Gardens family membership discount: $5 per person.
October 17, 2018 - 6 PM
Friends of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens invite you to dine among the roses for the most beautiful al fresco event of the year! Join us for an evening of delicious food and live music played by the John Gray Jazz Trio.
Guests are asked to wear cocktail attire. Tickets are $125 for nonmembers and $100 for members. Seating is limited and tickets sell out every year so please reserve your seat in advance. Call (225) 763-3990 ext. 6 for tickets and more information.
October 27, 2018 - 6 PM - 9 PM
Wear your costume and kick off your Halloween celebrations at Night Maze! You won’t find anything spooky or ooky, just more mazy fun with a bonfire, smore’s, live music, and glow in the dark games.
Admission is $10 per person and free for children 3 and under.
December 1, 2018 - 8 AM - Noon
It’s not Christmas in South Louisiana without coming to the poinsettia display and sale at the Botanic Gardens. Join us for our annual, one day only Poinsettia Show and Sale! The Botanic Gardens is one of the nationwide trial locations for new and classic poinsettia varieties. We rely on our customers to take part in the evaluation process to help poinsettia breeders to decide which poinsettias hit the shelves next Christmas season!
The event is open to the public for free admission.
Be an arborist for a day by scaling a Louisiana live oak, meet Smokey the Bear, enjoy a scavenger hunt and more! Your family will learn about native trees, plant a tree and watch your tree grow for generations with your tree’s GPS coordinate in the Burden Woods. All trees planted help to reforest our native trees lost during Hurricane Gustav.
Concessions are available. The event is open to the public for free admission.
The public is welcome to enter blooms into the Baton Rouge show at the LSU Rural Life Museum. The annual Camellia Sale features award winning camellias grown by the Baton Rouge Camellia Society and the general public. Entry and Judging takes place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Many of these camellias have been meticulously propagated from our expansive camellia collections. The show is free and open to the public for viewing from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. The Baton Rouge Camellia Society will be on hand to give camellia planting and management advice.
February 2019
Herb Day is an educational outdoor and gardening event and sale sponsored by the American Herb Society Baton Rouge Unit. There will be an Herb “Petting Zoo” and other children’s activities to make this event fun for all ages. Herb classes will start at 9:30 a.m. and continue every hour.
The event is open to the public for free admission.
Brush with Burden is a collaborative, multimedia art and photography exhibition that showcases works inspired by Southern Sights. Artist submissions will be accepted until January 20th. The exhibit is free and open to the public in the Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie and Ione Burden Conference Center. Art will be available to purchase throughout the exhibition.
March 2019
Shop from over 5,000 homegrown perennials and annuals specifically selected by the East Baton Rouge Master Gardeners for success in your garden! The EBR Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale raises money to support the educational activities of the Master Gardeners and the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens.
Visit the Plant Sale website before the sale to browse the selections with images and specifications on the available varieties.
The event is open to the public for free admission.
The Plant Sale website lets you browse our selections in advance of the sale with images and specifications
on the available varieties.
Stroll through the gardens and savor the best local flavors from Baton Rouge chefs and creative mixologists! This extraordinary evening challenges local restaurants to compete for the People’s Choice and Juried Awards. Guests will enjoy creations from local restaurants prepared with locally grown products. Gourmet in the Garden is held in the lush green setting of the Rose Garden and Orangerie Garden.
All proceeds from this event go towards education programs at the Botanic Gardens and the Louisiana Culinary Institute Foundation.
Friday before Mother's Day - 9 AM - Noon
Join us and hundreds of gardens across the United States for National Public Gardens Day! This year the Botanic Gardens will showcase the new Pollinator Garden. Activities for all ages will be themed around pollination and its importance to our environment. Educational sessions will take place in the Ione E. Burden Conference Center. Local organizations will provide information on pollinators and pollinator plants. City Gelato will be selling a customized gelato made from Burden honey. The event is free and open to the public with a free pollinator plant to take home. National Public Gardens Day is a program supported by American Public Gardens Association.
