WPB's Mounts Botanical Garden Invites Public to 7 Fun & Informative Events in March

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Feb. 12, 2015 - PRLog -- The Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County  Invites the

Public to Seven Fun & Informative Horticultural Events in March:

+ Urban Farming  -  March 1

+ Book Discussion Series  -  March 10

+ Stories in the Garden  -  March 13

+ Exploring Nature with Encaustic - March 15

+ Season of Bamboo Trilogy, Part II - March 22

+ International Year of Soils - March 25 & 27

(West Palm Beach, FL – February 10, 2015)   The Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden will be hosting seven fun, horticulturally informative and family friendly public events during March 2015.

Urban Farming

Permaculture One-Day Intensive

Sunday, March 1  -  9:30 am to 1 pm

Exhibit Hall A

$35 for members; $45 for nonmembers

Speaker:  Déva (Marcus Thomson), Founder & Lead Teacher of Permaculture Miami

Permaculture is the harmonious integration of a garden with species inhabiting the bioregion. It is an applied ecological design science with emphasis on design, biodiversity, and intelligent integration of systems. Picture a very diverse oasis of plants, insects, amphibians, and animals alike enjoying a Garden of Eden. Déva will discuss growing environment, design, and perennials. Learn ways to turn a growing area into a permaculture garden.

Mounts Botanical Garden Book Discussion Series

Tuesday, March 10 - 7 to 8:30 pm

Clayton Hutcheson Complex - Conference Room

FREE

In  partnership with the Palm Beach County Library System, this new series provides an opportunity for book and garden enthusiasts to meet together to experience exciting fiction and non-fiction titles related to all aspects of gardening and horticulture.  The featured premiere novel for this month will be  The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating  by Elisabeth Tova Bailey.

Stories in the Garden:

UnBEELievable Bees

Friday, March 13 - 10 to 11:30 am

Mounts - The Pavilion

FREE

Speaker: Stacey Burford, Youth Services Librarian

Celebrate  the 11th year of Stories in the Garden by bringing young ones (ages 2-6) to these FREE nature-themed programs co-sponsored by the Palm Beach Library System.  They’ll love the interactive stories, songs and learning activities in the Garden. Programs are held rain or shine in the sheltered Pavilion. No reservations required, except for parties of six or more. A craft activity to culminate each day will be reserved for the first 30 registrants.

New

Exploring Nature with Encaustic

Saturday, March 15  -  9 am to 1 pm

Mounts Auditorium, Garden & Pavilion

$90 for members; $100 for nonmembers

Speaker: Irina Ashcroft, Artist & Art Educator

Encaustic - painting in melted beeswax, dammar resin, and pigment—is an ancient art tracing back to Roman days. Stroll through the gardens on a docent-led tour to get inspiration and gather organic ephemera for nature-inspired artwork. Then, roll up your sleeves and get introduced to the fascinating technique of encaustic through demonstrations and hands-on time that will allow a participant to create 2 – 3 small pieces. Learn how to play with hot wax. Individuals of all artistic levels and styles are welcome. All materials are provided; admission to the gardens is included. Open to participants age 15 and older. Class limit is 15.

New

Season of Bamboo Trilogy - Part II

Bamboo in Japanese Culture: An Illustrated Talk

Sunday, March 22  -  9 am to 11 am

Exhibit Hall A

$30 for members; $40 for nonmembers

Speaker: Reika Nishioka

Serving as Director of Education for the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens for over two decades, Reiko was pivotal in crafting education programs to celebrate and increase awareness of Japanese art and culture for the local community. In this illustrated talk, Reiko​​​ will look into the characteristics of bamboo, examine its versatility, and how it is closely tied to Japanese culture.

New

International Year of Soils

Wednesday, March 25  - 7 to 8:30 pm

Friday, March 27 - 7:30 pm

$50 for members; $70 for nonmembers for both classes

$30 for members; $40 for nonmembers for one class

Part I: Introduction to Soil & Composting

Speakers:  Greg Spencer, PBSC Horticulture Graduate & Master Gardner, and Jason McCobb, Farmer Jay Pure Organics

Exhibit Hall A

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has designated 2015 as the International Year of Soils. “Healthy soils for a healthy life” is the yearlong theme, and we at the Mounts are enthused and committed to providing a program that highlights a most worthy cause. Greg offers a general overview of soils and introduces us to concepts covered in the featured documentary Symphony of the Soil. Farmer Jay, an expert in sustainable agriculture, offers an engaging presentation on composting and how we South Floridians can enrich, cultivate, and utilize healthy soil! Who knew soil could be so sexy?

Note:

To register for any of the events and workshops at The Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County,  please call 561.233.1757.  Events at Mounts are accessible to people with disabilities.

About The Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County:

With a mission to inspire the public, Mounts Botanical Garden is Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest botanical garden, offering gorgeous displays of tropical and sub-tropical plants, plus informative classes, workshops, and other fun-filled events. The Garden contains more than 2,000 species of plants, including Florida native plants, exotic and tropical fruit trees, herbs, palms, bromeliads and more.  Mounts Botanical Garden is a facility of the Palm Beach County Extension Service, which is in partnership with the University of Florida and the Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden.

Located at 531 North Military Trail in West Palm Beach, The Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County is open Monday-Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The suggested donation for entry to the Garden is $5 per person. For more information, please call  561.233.1757 or visit  www.mounts.org .

Available for Interview:

Allen Sistrunk, Garden Director

561.233.1757

asistrun@pbcgov.org

Media Contact:

Gary Schweikhart

PR-BS, Inc.

561.756.4298

gary@pr-bs.net