Garden Story Time

Porterville Family FiestaGarden AdmissionThis event is free with Admission Join us for nature-themed stories, songs, puppets, and sensory activities!  Children of all ages are welcome, but the program is geared toward children aged 2 to 7 years old.   Garden Story Time......More

Porterville Family FiestaGarden AdmissionThis event is free with Admission Join us for nature-themed stories, songs, puppets, and sensory activities!  Children of all ages are welcome, but the program is geared toward children aged 2 to 7 years old.   Garden Story Time will be held rain or shine, hot or cold. For location, check on arrival at the Gardens. Upcoming ClassesClasses, Gardening Full DIY Desert Garden Design: 6-part seriesJanuary 31 @ 9:00 am – 11:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Classes, Art Full Crepe Paper Red PoppiesFebruary 9 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am Classes, Art Fused Glass Mosaic FlowersFebruary 10 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Education Building Classroom

Artist’s Talk featuring Marilyn Johnson

Porterville Family FiestaRegister HereThis event is included with Garden Admission Capacity 50 Join us as we hear from artist Marilyn Johnson, as she tells the stories of her lifetime through her colorful, quilted, textile masterpieces, and her collection of drawings, w......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister HereThis event is included with Garden Admission Capacity 50 Join us as we hear from artist Marilyn Johnson, as she tells the stories of her lifetime through her colorful, quilted, textile masterpieces, and her collection of drawings, watercolors, and works in pen and ink. This event is free with Garden Admission. Registration required. See her 2 exhibits:A Retrospective: The Fabric of My Life!A Chronology: Art Got Me Through Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

Education Building Classroom

Crepe Paper Red Poppies

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$60 Non-Member / $48 Member Class Capacity 14 February is the month of love. Let’s create a red crepe paper poppy to celebrate “Love” Learn how to assemble a beautiful red poppy with petals, leaves and a steam. You will create a flo......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$60 Non-Member / $48 Member Class Capacity 14 February is the month of love. Let’s create a red crepe paper poppy to celebrate “Love” Learn how to assemble a beautiful red poppy with petals, leaves and a steam. You will create a flower with precut petals, leaves, a steam and use glue and wire to assemble it. We will learn the story behind this famous flower in other countries and talk about its origins as well.   Instructor Sandy VillegasBorn in Puebla, Mexico, Sandy has always loved art making drawings and doodling when she got the chance. Her family moved to Sonora, Mexico and after a couple years she decided to come to the United States. She married a military man and while raising two children received an Associate Degree in Digital Arts. Some time passes before her daughter, Brittany, found an art project making paper flowers. Soon Sandy found herself making flowers and a business was born. Refund & Cancellation PolicyNo refund will be issued less than 15 days prior to any Community Class. A $10 cancellation fee will be applied to all refunds. No refunds will be issued for special events. We reserve the right to cancel Community Classes due to insufficient registration, garden closure, or inclement weather, in which case, participants will receive a full refund. People with disabilities should make requests for accommodation as early as possible to allow time to make appropriate arrangements. Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

Education Building Classroom

Fused Glass Mosaic Flowers

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$65 Non-Member / $52 Member Class Capacity 16 Paint a beautiful glass flower to bring color and joy into a window year-round.  Make it as fanciful as you wish to always remind yourself of spring. No experience necessary. All materia......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$65 Non-Member / $52 Member Class Capacity 16 Paint a beautiful glass flower to bring color and joy into a window year-round.  Make it as fanciful as you wish to always remind yourself of spring. No experience necessary. All materials are provided by the artist.  Tiles are ready to hang when painting is finished.  Each tile is approximately 7” x 7”.  Instructor Dee TaubeI have always loved art, so while growing up I took all the art classes that were offered in school. I was drawn to art beyond being content to just appreciate it, but during my working career making time for art seemed a luxury to be put on hold for the future. Somehow I found jewelry making and fell in love with it. It enabled me to work with color, design, and texture, it was a great stress-reliever, an outlet for my creativity, and it nurtured my soul. When I became a member of an artists’ co-op in Colorado Springs, I was constantly admiring the work created by the glass artists there, and one day one of them offered to teach me how to fuse glass. I was hooked. Creating fused glass art has taught me to appreciate all art even more than I did before. It is always a learning experience. But when everything goes right, the end result brings me joy and nurtures my soul, as I always hope it will for those who see my art. Learning, enjoying and creating art is an ongoing journey. Each new piece guides its own design and helps me grow as an artist. I love it! Refund & Cancellation PolicyNo refund will be issued less than 15 days prior to any Community Class. A $10 cancellation fee will be applied to all refunds. No refunds will be issued for special events. We reserve the right to cancel Community Classes due to insufficient registration, garden closure, or inclement weather, in which case, participants will receive a full refund. People with disabilities should make requests for accommodation as early as possible to allow time to make appropriate arrangements. Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

Education Building Classroom

Garden Story Time

Porterville Family FiestaGarden AdmissionThis event is free with Admission Join us for nature-themed stories, songs, puppets, and sensory activities!  Children of all ages are welcome, but the program is geared toward children aged 2 to 7 years old.   Garden Story Time......More

Porterville Family FiestaGarden AdmissionThis event is free with Admission Join us for nature-themed stories, songs, puppets, and sensory activities!  Children of all ages are welcome, but the program is geared toward children aged 2 to 7 years old.   Garden Story Time will be held rain or shine, hot or cold. For location, check on arrival at the Gardens. Upcoming ClassesClasses, Gardening Full DIY Desert Garden Design: 6-part seriesJanuary 31 @ 9:00 am – 11:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Classes, Art Full Crepe Paper Red PoppiesFebruary 9 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am Classes, Art Fused Glass Mosaic FlowersFebruary 10 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Education Building Classroom

Hummingbirds in Colored Pencil

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$30 Non-Member / $24 Member Using simple techniques, you will learn to break a hummingbird down into simple shapes and draw them more accurately. Then we will use multiple layers of color with colored pencil to add vibrancy and spa......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$30 Non-Member / $24 Member Using simple techniques, you will learn to break a hummingbird down into simple shapes and draw them more accurately. Then we will use multiple layers of color with colored pencil to add vibrancy and sparkle to our drawings Please supply your own art materials. Recommended art materials include: Bristol Board paper Colored Pencil Set of at least 12 pencilsColorless BenderWhite Soft EraserPaper – regular printer paperInstructor Devon MeyerAs an artist, Devon is constantly inspired by nature. The elaborate patterns and gorgeous colors seen in plants, birds or flowers are reflected in the work she does. Watercolor is her favorite medium but she also works in oil, charcoal, pen and ink and colored pencil. Refund & Cancellation PolicyNo refund will be issued less than 15 days prior to any Community Class. A $10 cancellation fee will be applied to all refunds. No refunds will be issued for special events. We reserve the right to cancel Community Classes due to insufficient registration, garden closure, or inclement weather, in which case, participants will receive a full refund. People with disabilities should make requests for accommodation as early as possible to allow time to make appropriate arrangements. Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

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Pigeons and Doves of the World

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$30 Non-Member / $24 Member Pigeons and doves are sometimes dismissed as rather drab birds that often take over bird feeders. But the reality is that these birds can be stunningly beautiful and reach the size of turkeys. They also ......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$30 Non-Member / $24 Member Pigeons and doves are sometimes dismissed as rather drab birds that often take over bird feeders. But the reality is that these birds can be stunningly beautiful and reach the size of turkeys. They also have some interesting habits such as feeding their young crop ‘milk.’ This class explores the beautiful and interesting world of pigeons and doves on a global scale. Instructor Jeff BabsonJeff Babson is an all-around naturalist, with particular interest in birds, butterflies, moths, beetles and dragonflies. Owner of Sky Island Tours, an environmental education and eco-tour company, Jeff has led birding tours for the Tucson Botanical Gardens, Pima County Department of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and several birding festivals in southern Arizona (Wings over Willcox, Southwest Wings, Tucson Birding and Nature Festival). He lives in Vail with his wife and two children. Refund & Cancellation PolicyNo refund will be issued less than 15 days prior to any Community Class. A $10 cancellation fee will be applied to all refunds. No refunds will be issued for special events. We reserve the right to cancel Community Classes due to insufficient registration, garden closure, or inclement weather, in which case, participants will receive a full refund. People with disabilities should make requests for accommodation as early as possible to allow time to make appropriate arrangements. Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

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Members' Valentine's Eve Picnic

Porterville Family FiestaReserve Your SpotMember tickets are free for this event Celebrate your love in the timeless beauty of Tucson Botanical Gardens at our Members’ Valentine’s Eve Picnic! Bring your sweetheart or best friend, pack a cozy blanket and your favorite b......More

Porterville Family FiestaReserve Your SpotMember tickets are free for this event Celebrate your love in the timeless beauty of Tucson Botanical Gardens at our Members’ Valentine’s Eve Picnic! Bring your sweetheart or best friend, pack a cozy blanket and your favorite bottle of wine or beer, and soak in the romantic glow of the Gardens at twilight. Want to make your evening even more memorable? Consider adding a beautifully curated charcuterie box for two from Edna’s Eatery, or indulge in our Lover’s Bundle—complete with elegant saguaro crystal stemless wine glasses, prickly pear taffy, and sweet caramels. Valentine’s Charcuterie Box: An assortment of small bites curated by Chef Carlos of Edna’s Eatery (serves 2)Love Bundle: Includes a set of 2 stemless saguaro crystal wine glasses, prickly pear taffy, and caramels (for 2)Romance Bundle: Includes the Charcuterie Box and the Love Bundle (serves 2)Please note that beer and wine, but no liquor, may be brought to the Gardens. This event is exclusively for Tucson Botanical Gardens members and their guests. This is a rain or shine event. Upcoming ClassesClasses, Gardening Full DIY Desert Garden Design: 6-part seriesJanuary 31 @ 9:00 am – 11:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Special, Talks Artist’s Talk featuring Marilyn JohnsonFebruary 7 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Classes, Art Full Crepe Paper Red PoppiesFebruary 9 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Author’s Talk featuring Carolyn Niethammer

Porterville Family FiestaRegister HereThis event is free with Garden Admission Capacity 60 Cactus, Corn, and Cattle: Celebrating Tucson’s Culinary Heritage An early farmer tends his irrigation ditch in the re-creation of a scene from a farm at the base of Sentinel Peak ......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister HereThis event is free with Garden Admission Capacity 60 Cactus, Corn, and Cattle: Celebrating Tucson’s Culinary Heritage An early farmer tends his irrigation ditch in the re-creation of a scene from a farm at the base of Sentinel Peak where Mission Garden is located today. Archaeologists have found evidence of habitation in this area from 800 BC to AD 1300. (Robert B Ciaccio, lcoutesy Desert Archaeology, Inc.) Join us as we trace the big changes in diet in the Santa Cruz River Valley over the last 4,000 years. Niethammer’s book, “Desert Feast,” will be available for purchase and autographing. Author Carolyn NiethammerCarolyn Niethammer has been writing about the food and people of the Southwest for six decades in books and newspaper and magazine articles. Four of her eleven books are cookbooks, three are books about Native American women, one is a travel book, and one of her two novels features a famous cook from Arizona history. Her work has been translated into German, French, and Korean. Her latest nonfiction “A Desert Feast: Celebrating Tucson’s Culinary History,” is a look at Southern Arizona’s food history over the last 8,000 years, including the arrival and development of agriculture, and is an answer to why Tucson was named the country’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy. She recently received the 2025 Jim Griffith Foodways Keeper Award. Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

Porter Hall

Sonoran Desert Wildlife: Identifying Their Tracks and Signs

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$30 Non-member / $24 Member Class Capacity 40 Did a gray fox visit your backyard last night—or a bobcat? Is this track on the trail a coyote or a domestic dog? This two-hour class is an introduction to common mammal tracks in the Tu......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$30 Non-member / $24 Member Class Capacity 40 Did a gray fox visit your backyard last night—or a bobcat? Is this track on the trail a coyote or a domestic dog? This two-hour class is an introduction to common mammal tracks in the Tucson area. Wildlife tracking is an invitation to stop, bend down, and look closely. Javelina or deer? Pack rat or ground squirrel? We are surrounded by animals we rarely see and yet—here they are, winding secretly past our houses and through our lives. instructor Sharman Apt RussellAuthor of recent nonfiction book What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs (Columbia University Press, 2024). The author of thirteen books translated into nine languages, Sharman is the recipient of the John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Natural History Writing for her Diary of a Citizen Scientist, which was named by The Guardian as a top-ten nature book. A professor emeritus at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, she lives in the Gila Valley of southern New Mexico and continues to teach in the low-residency MFA program at Antioch University in Los Angeles. Refund & Cancellation PolicyNo refund will be issued less than 15 days prior to any Community Class. A $10 cancellation fee will be applied to all refunds. No refunds will be issued for special events. We reserve the right to cancel Community Classes due to insufficient registration, garden closure, or inclement weather, in which case, participants will receive a full refund. People with disabilities should make requests for accommodation as early as possible to allow time to make appropriate arrangements. Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

Education Building Classroom

Garden Story Time

Porterville Family FiestaGarden AdmissionThis event is free with Admission Join us for nature-themed stories, songs, puppets, and sensory activities!  Children of all ages are welcome, but the program is geared toward children aged 2 to 7 years old.   Garden Story Time......More

Porterville Family FiestaGarden AdmissionThis event is free with Admission Join us for nature-themed stories, songs, puppets, and sensory activities!  Children of all ages are welcome, but the program is geared toward children aged 2 to 7 years old.   Garden Story Time will be held rain or shine, hot or cold. For location, check on arrival at the Gardens. Upcoming ClassesClasses, Gardening Full DIY Desert Garden Design: 6-part seriesJanuary 31 @ 9:00 am – 11:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Classes, Art Full Crepe Paper Red PoppiesFebruary 9 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am Classes, Art Fused Glass Mosaic FlowersFebruary 10 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Education Building Classroom

Container Gardening Wisdom for Thriving Small Pots

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$36 Non-Member / $29 Member Not everyone can manage huge pots in the desert — and that’s the point of this class. Discover how to create beautiful, resilient small-scale container gardens in limited space. Marylee teaches you how t......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$36 Non-Member / $29 Member Not everyone can manage huge pots in the desert — and that’s the point of this class. Discover how to create beautiful, resilient small-scale container gardens in limited space. Marylee teaches you how to match plants to petite pots, optimize soil depth, manage heat stress, and create lush designs on balconies, patios, and small courtyards. Perfect for beginners, apartment dwellers, or anyone seeking manageable gardening without sacrificing beauty. Instructor Marylee PangmanMarylee Pangman founded The Contained Gardener in 1998 as a niche business in the desert community of Tucson, Arizona.  Since then, Marylee has been compelled to share all that she has learned about container gardening over 3 decades of blistering summers and record breaking winters. Marylee sees container gardening as a way to have an oasis garden while conserving water as the demands of pots are far less than heavily planted areas and beds. You can find Marylee’s books, Getting Potted in the Desert, and Riley’s Garden Oasis at the Garden Gift Shop. These two books are excellent resources for creating and caring for potted gardens, advice on container selection, plant lists and much more. https://thepotteddesert.com Refund & Cancellation PolicyNo refund will be issued less than 15 days prior to any Community Class. A $10 cancellation fee will be applied to all refunds. No refunds will be issued for special events. We reserve the right to cancel Community Classes due to insufficient registration, garden closure, or inclement weather, in which case, participants will receive a full refund. People with disabilities should make requests for accommodation as early as possible to allow time to make appropriate arrangements. Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

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Introduction to Ikebana

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$50 Non-Member / $40 Member Class Capacity 16 The Arizona chapter of the Ohara School of Ikebana is offering an Introduction to Ikebana workshop. Students will learn about the philosophy and art of Japanese flower arranging and crea......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister Here$50 Non-Member / $40 Member Class Capacity 16 The Arizona chapter of the Ohara School of Ikebana is offering an Introduction to Ikebana workshop. Students will learn about the philosophy and art of Japanese flower arranging and create an arrangement. Vases and kenzan (frogs) will be available to borrow, and students will take the flowers home.  Refund & Cancellation PolicyNo refund will be issued less than 15 days prior to any Community Class. A $10 cancellation fee will be applied to all refunds. No refunds will be issued for special events. We reserve the right to cancel Community Classes due to insufficient registration, garden closure, or inclement weather, in which case, participants will receive a full refund. People with disabilities should make requests for accommodation as early as possible to allow time to make appropriate arrangements. Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

Education Building Classroom

Planting the Seed: 50 Years of Vision & Leadership at TBG

Porterville Family FiestaRegister HereThis event is included with Garden Admission Capacity 60 Come hear from previous TBG Executive Directors, past and present, as they reflect on the Gardens’ 50-year journey and celebrate the individuals who have shaped its legacy. Pa......More

Porterville Family FiestaRegister HereThis event is included with Garden Admission Capacity 60 Come hear from previous TBG Executive Directors, past and present, as they reflect on the Gardens’ 50-year journey and celebrate the individuals who have shaped its legacy. Panelists include: Michelle Conklin (2009-present)Nancy Laney (2003-2008)Sue Brogdon (2000-2002)Marty Eberhardt (1988-2000)Moderated by Tom McNamara, host of AZPM’s Arizona Illustrated Upcoming ClassesFamily Garden Story TimeFebruary 4 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 11 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 18 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am Family Garden Story TimeFebruary 25 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am

Porter Hall