March at Garvan Woodland Gardens Brings Spring Celebration with Daffodil, Tulip Displays

Garvan Woodland Gardens

Hyacinths bloom at Garvan Woodland Gardens near Garvan Pavilion, which was designed by Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Garvan Woodland Gardens prepares for spring with family-friendly favorites, such as "Celebrate Spring Day," and new classes in botanical illustration, herbalism and bonsai grafting.

The annual "Daffodil Days and Tulip Extravaganza" celebrates the transition from winter to spring at Garvan Gardens. The display starts with blooming crocus, daffodils and hyacinths, followed closely by more than 150,000 Dutch tulips in brilliant hues. Spring annuals, dogwoods and azaleas also will bloom in the coming weeks. The timing of blooms is, of course, dependent on the weather. Up-to-date photos and peak bloom times can be found on the Garvan Gardens Facebook page.

Paintings by Dolores Justus will be featured in the March art exhibit, on display from March 1-31 in the Magnolia Room. Justus is an accomplished artist working in the "new landscape" movement of contemporary American art. Her paintings blur the line between abstraction and representation, distilling patterns of light and form into compositions that engage and inspire. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the nation, as well as being featured on the cover of Elegant Homes Magazine in 2017 and 2019. She is the owner of Justus Fine Art Gallery in Hot Springs and art director/designer at Justus Design & Marketing.

The "Bonsai Series: Tsugiki" workshop will take place from 10-11 a.m. March 2 in Millsap Bride's Hall. Bryan Carlan, a horticulturalist, will demonstrate techniques used to graft scion (a shoot, branch or root) to a tree (also called the stump or rootstock). This approach is often used to combine strengths of two different plants in one new plant.

"Group Health Walks" will be held at 9 a.m. three days a week from March 4 to May 31. On Mondays, Sharon Turrentine will lead a three-mile walk in 52 minutes. On Wednesdays, Ginger Ladehoff and Dee Garrett will lead the two-plus-mile "Halfway Hike." On Fridays, Rush Fentress will lead a two-plus-mile walk called "The Weekender." Walks will be held rain or shine. Participants should meet in the Welcome Center, and pets and strollers are welcome.

The first session in the "Botanical Illustration Series" will take place from 2-4 p.m. March 9 in the Magnolia Room. Ginger Ladehoff, a local artist, and Rush Fentress, Garvan biologist, will co-teach the series, with Ladehoff instructing students on drawing techniques and Fentress discussing the botany behind the subject matter. All materials will be provided, but students are encouraged to bring their own pencils if desired. The topic for March 9 is Tulipa sp. (tulips). An April 20 class will feature Cornus florida (flowering dogwood), and a May 4 class will feature Hydrangea macrophylla (bigleaf hydrangea).

"Mrs. Garvan's Tea" will be held at 3 p.m. March 12 in the Magnolia Room. This afternoon tea will feature a living history presentation of Verna Garvan, the garden's benefactress. Susan Harper will portray Mrs. Garvan while guests enjoy traditional tea fare.

"Homeschool Focus" classes will meet from 10:30 a.m. to noon March 13 and 27. Students will meet in the Weyerhaeuser Bonsai Learning Center and move to the Bob & Sunny Evans Tree House in the Evans Children's Adventure Garden. The topics are "Seeds!" on March 13 and "Conservation of Natural Resources" on March 27. Each class is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and provides children with a hands-on project to help solidify their learning. Lessons are geared toward children in kindergarten through fifth grades.

A three-part "Herbalist Series" will begin from 2-3 p.m. March 17 in the Magnolia Room. The first session is "Introduction to Herbs." Tami Sain, a natural herbalist, will discuss the historical uses and perceptions of herbs, both culinary and medicinal.

Two sessions of "Garvan Rocks!" will be held from 10-11:30 a.m. March 18 and 22 in the Magnolia Room. Sissy Hubbard, a local artist, will share the tradition of drawing on stones. Participants will create their own Garvan Rocks and hide them in the garden. The class will end with a treasure hunt as children search for one another's rocks.

Garvan Gardens, in cooperation with the Arkansas Forestry Commission, will give away free bare root tree saplings starting at 9 a.m. March 18 to commemorate Arbor Day in Arkansas. Species available will be two types of oak trees or loblolly pines, with a limit of three trees per family. Garden staff will be on hand throughout the day giving demonstrations of proper planting techniques and care for these young trees.

Linda Williams Palmer, owner of Linda Palmer Gallery/Studio in downtown Hot Springs, will be in the Magnolia Room starting at 1 p.m. March 18 to sign copies of her book Arkansas Champion Trees: An Artist's Journey. She traveled more than 15,000 miles to photograph the state's champion trees, and she has created 28 large-scale portraits of the trees, which have been featured in a traveling exhibit. The award-winning documentary "Champion Trees," produced by the Arkansas Educational Television Network, will be shown at 1:30 p.m. March 18 in the Magnolia Room.

"Celebrate Spring Day" will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 23. Children's activity booths will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring color-focused activities such as rainbow in a bag, rock painting and color-surprise potions. Flossie's Food Truck and the Chipmunk Cafe will serve food until 3 p.m. A beer garden will open at 11 a.m. at Garvan Pavilion.

"Art, Wine & Horses" will be held from 5-8:30 p.m. March 29 in the Magnolia Room. Dee Garrett will lead this acrylic painting workshop for artists at the beginner level. The subject of horses is inspired by the local horseracing season. Participants will enjoy complimentary wine and cheese as they practice their techniques, creating finished pieces on canvas. All materials will be provided. Participants must be 21 or older.

The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design will present Design Camp the week of June 24-28. Early registration for the camp runs through April 8, at a cost of $225 for Garvan Gardens members or $325 for the general public. The cost increases by $50 for the regular registration period, which ends May 24. Need-based full and partial scholarships are available. The camp is open to students going into ninth through 12th grades this fall. Design Camp offers students the opportunity to learn through hands-on projects, tours, presentations and discussions led by architecture, landscape architecture and interior design faculty of the Fay Jones School. For more information, visit the Fay Jones School website, or contact Ansley Higinbothom at higinbot@uark.edu or 479-575-4907.

Garvan Woodland Gardens is the botanical garden of the University of Arkansas and part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. The garden is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-12 and free for children ages 3 and younger. Some events and activities are free. Some require a fee, advanced registration or prepayment.

For more information about these events or to check on upcoming events, call 501-262-9300 or 800-366-4664.