Mobile Botanical Gardens

Homeschool Nature Walks: W.O.N.D.E.R. Wednesdays
2024-12-18 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-04 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-11-20 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-11-06 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 MUSEUM DR, MOBILE, AL, 36608, United States
Walk, Observe, Name, Discover, Explore, Read
Guided Homeschool Nature Walks for Families
Join Mobile Botanical Gardens for engaging, hour-long guided nature walks, specifically designed for homeschooling families. Starting, Wednesday, November 6th, explore our Gardens and Forests every other Wednesday morning at 10 am throughout November and December.
Discover the Wonders of Nature
On our themed walks, Director of Education Sara Habel will lead you through:

The Garden Collections of MBG: the Winter Garden, Azalea Garden, Pollinator and Rose Gardens, and more
Bugs, butterflies, leaves, and flowers
The Katherine Shropshire Nature Trail’s hidden gems
The majestic Longleaf Pine Treasure Forest

Enjoy Quality Time with Your Family
These outings are slow, enjoyable strolls, fostering fun learning experiences. Take advantage of this opportunity to:

Connect with nature and each other
Enhance your homeschool curriculum
Create lasting memories

These homeschool nature outings are FREE for members or with the cost of admission. Consider joining as a member if you haven’t already; there are LOTS of benefits available for MBG members! Attendance is limited and registration is required. Please email shabel@mbgardens.org and let her know how many of your family will attend and on which dates.
*Please note: some of our trails are not stroller-friendly. We encourage you to bring wearable baby-carriers instead.
Feel free to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy with your family after we conclude our guided walk. We have picnic tables near the Koi Pond, in the Sybil Burnett Herb Garden and in the Longleaf Pine Treasure Forest. Or you may spread picnic blankets on the ReBloom Garden Lawn or the Children’s Lawn, or elsewhere throughout the Gardens. Just be sure to clean up after yourselves, please and thank you!

Holiday Ornaments Make and Take
2024-12-14 10:00 - 12:00 | Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 MUSEUM DR, MOBILE, AL, 36608, United States
Holiday Ornaments Make and Take!
Please join us on Saturday morning, December 14th, 10am until noon, for a holiday ornaments make and take. Cookies and refreshments will also be served.
We will create several nature-inspired ornaments for your tree or to give as gifts. Planned ornaments include cornstarch dough with pressed flowers, pinecone ornaments, woven yarn trees and a button reindeer.
This family fun event is FREE for MBG members or with the cost of admission, but registration is required. Email shabel@mbgardens.org to reserve your seat. All ages are welcome and all supplies are provided!
Benefits of MBG membership and membership levels info
Join Now!

Sketch Club in the Gardens
2024-12-13 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-12-06 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-11-22 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-11-15 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-11-08 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-11-01 14:00 - 16:00 | Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 MUSEUM DR, MOBILE, AL, 36608, United States
What: A casual sketch club experience with oversight from Derek Norman, botanical arts instructor
When: Friday afternoons, 2-4pm*
Where: The Larkins Classroom OR at Magnolia Hill Studio
Cost: FREE for MBG Members, regular admission for nonmembers. (Benefits of membership) (Join Now!)
*The sketch club generally meets on Friday afternoons, subject to availability of space. Contact the office at 251.342.0555 to verify hours of activity on specific dates.

-=-The drawings and paintings shown here are by recent members of the Gardens Sketch Club and botanical art students of the MBG. They serve as examples of what can be achieved by those with none or very little previous experience drawing and painting.
We invite you to visit the Garden’s Sketch Club and to enjoy the therapeutic rewards of learning to draw and drawing to learn! Learn how art can transform and enrich your life plus enhance your physical and mental well-being.
We meet each Friday afternoon in an open studio where we usually work, study, draw and paint. We exchange information relevant to the business of botanical art, art in general and to the consideration of individual botanical art concerns.
Join the MBG Sketch Club. – a whole new world of infinite possibilities! -=-
-Derek Norman, Educator, Designer, Artist, Author, Curator & sometime Writer. 5th October 2024
Join Derek and several of his Botanical Arts students for an enjoyable afternoon of sketching the collections of MBG.

Botanical Art #3: Learning How to Paint in Watercolor
2024-12-13 09:00 - 13:00, 2024-11-22 09:00 - 13:00, 2024-11-15 09:00 - 13:00, 2024-11-08 09:00 - 13:00 | Mobile Botanical Gardens’ Larkins Classroom, 5151 Museum Dr, Mobile, AL, 36608, United States
Botanical Art Class III:
Learning How to Paint in Watercolor – with Derek Norman
How to surprise yourself and amaze your friends!
A Six-Week Course on the Art of Botanical Painting with Watercolor: Fridays* 10am – 1pm
First class: Nov 8, 2024
Second class: Nov 15, 2024
Third class: Nov 22, 2024
Fourth class: Dec 13, 2024
Fifth class: Dec 20, 2024
Sixth class: Jan 03, 2025
Members: $125 (MBG will refund $25 after purchase)
Nonmembers: $150
Register and Pay
WORKING WITH WATERCOLOR
This class is an excellent introduction to the botanical art of painting in
watercolor using the Six-Color-Palette.
Here is an opportunity to develop and further refine your understanding
of basic color, color mixing and sound color selection through a step-bystep
approach. Learn to paint wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry and how to apply a
“glaze”, a “wash” and classic English “dry-brush”. Students will progress
to working with botanical specimens as they build confidence and proficiency.
Supplies List (PDF)
About our Instructor –
Derek was born and educated in England before he moved to the States. His graphic works, paintings, drawings and botanical works have been exhibited in Europe and America. He has won Gold and Silver Gilt Medals at the Royal Horticultural Society in London and he is represented in many private and permanent collections including the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh, the Library of Congress, the British Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Florilegium Society.
(Link to Botanical Art #2: The Art of Colored Pencil).

Writers In Nature with Sue B. Walker
2024-12-11 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-12-04 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-27 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-20 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-13 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-06 10:00 - 12:00 | AL
What: A Writing group under direction of Sue B. Walker
When: Wednesday mornings 10am until Noon
Where: The Larkins Classroom
Members of the group meet weekly to discuss creative writings.

Beginner Hand Sewing Class: Christmas Ornaments
2024-12-10 15:45 - 17:00, 2024-12-03 15:45 - 17:00, 2024-11-19 15:45 - 17:00, 2024-11-12 15:45 - 17:00, 2024-11-05 15:45 - 17:00 | Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 MUSEUM DR, MOBILE, AL, 36608, United States
Beginner Hand Sewing: Christmas Ornaments
Join Sara Habel, Director of Education at Mobile Botanical Gardens, for a delightful beginner hand sewing class tailored for children ages 8-11. Tuesday afternoons, young crafters will discover the joy of hand stitching while creating an assortment of charming felt holiday ornaments.
In this interactive and engaging class, students will learn fundamental hand sewing skills, including:
– Threading needles and managing thread
– Basic stitches: straight stitch, blanket stitch, and running stitch
– Essential techniques: knotting, tension, and seam finishing
– Material exploration: working with felt, fabrics, and embroidery floss
As students master these essential skills, they’ll apply them to craft adorable Christmas ornaments, fostering creativity and confidence. This class encourages:
– Fine motor skill development through hand-eye coordination
– Patience and attention to detail
– Imagination and self-expression
– Appreciation for traditional craftsmanship
Sara Habel’s expert guidance ensures a supportive and encouraging environment, perfect for young learners.
*Class Details:*
– Ages: 8-11
– Day: Tuesday afternoons, November 5, 12, 19 and December 3rd and 10th, 2024 – – – Time: 3:45 – 5:00 pm
– Instructor: Sara Habel, Director of Education
– Location: Mobile Botanical Gardens
– Materials: Provided (felt, threads, needles, etc.)
– Cost: $15 members, $20 not-yet members (members will receive $5 refund after purchase). Join as a member now
*Take-Home Treasures:*
– Handcrafted felt holiday ornaments
– New skills and techniques
– Lasting memories of creative exploration
Register your child today and watch them blossom into a skilled hand sewist!

Holiday Market 2024
2024-12-07 09:00 - 13:00, 2024-12-06 09:00 - 15:00 | Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 MUSEUM DR, MOBILE, AL, 36608, United States
MBG Holiday Market 2024
December 6-7, 2024
Join us in the Botanical Center on Friday, December 6th and Saturday, December 7th for Holiday Market 2024!
Enjoy cookies and cocoa as you shop for everyone on your gift list. Choose handmade gifts from local and regional artists and artisans and specially curated fair-trade wonders you won’t find anywhere else. And you will also find holiday greenery, poinsettias, blooming camellia plants, and more!
Proceeds from Holiday Market support preserving the 106 acres of the Mobile Botanical Gardens and our educational programming.
As always, this event is held in conjunction with our friendly non-profit partner organizations. The Mobile County Master Gardeners will be here with their gorgeous greenery and the Gulf Coast Herb Society will have herbal goodies, ornaments, coasters, fire starters and bluebird houses for sale, too.

K. Sawada Camellia Club Meeting
2024-11-03 14:00 - 16:00 | Mobile Botanical Gardens’ Larkins Classroom, 5151 Museum Dr, Mobile, AL, 36608, United States
The K. Sawada Camellia Club is a non-profit organization that promotes education, history and community for camellia enthusiasts along Alabama’s Gulf Coast.
This Club meets at 2:00 pm at Mobile Botanical Gardens in the Larkins Classroom on the first Sunday of every month between November and April. Camellia Club meetings run until 4:00 pm.
Dates for the 2024/2025 season are as follows:

November 3rd
December 1st (tentative)
January 5th
February 2nd
March 2nd
April 6th

Come and hear a panel of seasoned camellia gurus share their knowledge! The meetings of the K. Sawada Camellia Club are open to all interested in joining.

Garden Tool Care with James Miles: First Friday November
2024-11-01 10:00 - 11:30 | Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 MUSEUM DR, MOBILE, AL, 36608, United States
Garden Tool Care: Taking Care of Our Gardening Toys and Equipment with James Miles
First Friday November
What do you know about garden tool care? Join us on the first Friday in November to learn everything you need to know to keep your gardening toys and equipment in tip top shape. As you know, careful maintenance and taking good care of your tools will help them to take good care of your garden!
From cleaning to sharpening to sanding and oiling, James Miles will cover it all. He will also share of his personal favorite tools, toys and gadgets for gardening and give his honest review of many of these.
This event is free for members or with admission. Please register your seat by sending an email to shabel@mbgardens.org.
Presentation will be followed by lunch ($15) by Georgia Roussos Catering. On the menu:

Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
Buttered Green Beans
Mixed Green Salad w/ Ranch or Champagne Vinaigrette
Bread Pudding w/ Praline Sauce

ORDER LUNCH HERE
About our speaker:
James Miles graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from Alabama A & M University in 1990. He went to work for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in 1991. He served as a Regional Extension Agent (REA) with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in southwest Alabama for 30 years and retired in 2020. In that position, he was the Commercial Horticulture REA for 11 counties, but his office was in the Jon Archer Agricultural Center here in Mobile. He worked in all areas of horticulture on both the home and commercial programming levels. He was involved with several On-site Result Demonstrations in the area of Fruits & Vegetables, Turf, and Christmas Trees. Importantly, he conducted several pesticide meetings over the years, including Worker Protection Standards. Along with Tony Glover, he co-founded the Mobile County Master Gardener Program.
After retiring from the ACES, Mr. Miles was hired in 2020 by NRCS as a Soil Conservation Technician. In this position, he provides assistance to the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) in his assigned area. A major part of his responsibility is to work with landowners to apply and maintain numerous conservation practices.
He loves fishing, traveling, gardening, and cooking. And he competes in bass tournaments regularly throughout the southeast U.S.
