Calendar of Events

iNaturalist: An Amazing Tool for Identification in Your Pocket with Lauren Lampley.

Thursday, April 24  |  2:30 – 4 pm

BRN + BREG – Elective

Learn how a smartphone app, iNaturalist, can both be a very useful identification tool and a way to participate in Community Science! Submitting observations to iNaturalist helps scientists learn more about species by crowd-sourcing information from users all over the world. During this class we will look at the different versions of the app and website as well as take some time outside to practice submitting your own using your own smartphone. The City Nature Challenge will take place from April 25-28 and is a great way to submit iNaturalist observations in a global effort as well as earn a Bioblitz patch from Science Across North Carolina! https://scienceacrossnc.org/

This program takes place in the classroom and outdoors. Please come prepared to walk on gentle, yet uneven terrain, and dress appropriately for the weather.

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Mark your calendars for Bullington Gardens’ Annual Spring Plant Sale, a must-visit event for gardening enthusiasts! Discover a unique selection of perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, veggies, and tomatoes, all carefully curated to inspire your garden. This year, we’re also highlighting a variety of pollinator-friendly plants to support local ecosystems and bring life to your outdoor spaces. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, our sale offers something for everyone, with expert advice on hand to help you make the most of your selections. Don’t miss this opportunity to cultivate beauty and sustainability in your garden!

Ages 5+

Suitable for Beginners to Advanced Birders

This outing takes place at Lake Julian Park from 8:30-11:30 am. Get to know the birds of Lake Julian, one of Buncombe County’s birding hotspots!  We will start with a walk along the shore of Lake Julian and ends with birding on the lake from Lake Julian’s pontoon boat.  Free, Registration Required.  Binoculars are available upon request but supplies are limited. Dress for the weather!

Registration opens 30 days prior to activity.

For more information email [email protected] or call 828-250-4260.

Mark your calendars for Bullington Gardens’ Annual Spring Plant Sale, a must-visit event for gardening enthusiasts! Discover a unique selection of perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, veggies, and tomatoes, all carefully curated to inspire your garden. This year, we’re also highlighting a variety of pollinator-friendly plants to support local ecosystems and bring life to your outdoor spaces. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, our sale offers something for everyone, with expert advice on hand to help you make the most of your selections. Don’t miss this opportunity to cultivate beauty and sustainability in your garden!

This class covers a variety of topics like DIY garden structures like trellises and rainwater collection, bed-building techniques, and edible spring weeds with management tips. Discussions will also include pest control, soil testing, cover cropping, NPK basics, common garden challenges, and strategies to maximize growing space.

Native Azalea Day

April 26, 2025

Visit the gardens this spring for Native Azalea Day, an invitation to celebrate and experience azaleas through the eyes of plant enthusiasts, botanists, and artists. In partnership with the Mountain Science Exposition, Native Azalea Day plans to bring even more excitement in its third year! For one day only, visitors can observe as plein air artists capture the scene in paint and pen, learn about the garden and its collection on a walking tour, and participate in hands-on activities for children and adults.

A shuttle to the Collection will be available between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., departing to and from the Baker Visitor Center throughout the event. Visitors are also welcome to walk to the Native Azalea Collection from the Gatehouse Parking Lot using Old Mill Road to Bent Creek Road, or can park at the Baker Visitor Center and walk down Running Cedar Road to Bent Creek Road. Walkers should be prepared to travel one mile over unpaved roads and paths.

Schedule

10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Shuttles running continuously between Baker and Azalea Collection for public

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.: Pre-registered bird netting activity with Wild Bird Research Group meets

10:00 a.m.: Event begins with ongoing walk-up features: tabling, activity booklet, scavenger hunt, and cyanotype activity

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: Pre-registered walking tour with curator (45 minute)

11:30 p.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Pre-registered walking tour with volunteer docent (30 minute)

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Cyanotype demonstration with Calissa Lawn

1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Pre-registered walking tour with volunteer docent (30 minute)

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Pre-registered walking tour with volunteer docent (30 minute)

3:00 p.m.: Event ends, last shuttle

Grove Arcade In Bloom: A Celebration of Growth

Spring is arriving in full bloom at one of Asheville’s most iconic landmarks! Grove Arcade In Bloom will transform the historic place into an immersive floral wonderland this Spring 2025. Come celebrate with us on Saturday, April 26, from 12 PM to 5 PM!

This event will feature:
🎻 Live Symphony Quartet from Asheville Symphony
🌷 Immersive Floral Installations by Studio Flora Diva, including a flower wall
🛍 Botanical Market by BB Barns and other local vendors with plants and garden treasures.
🎭 Performances & Art Installations
🍹 Aperol Spritz Pop-Up Bar

With support from B.B. Barns, Aperol Spritz, Stewart Owen Dance, Asheville Symphony, Studio Flora Diva, and On the Wing, Grove Arcade In Bloom is set to be a must-visit celebration of springtime, music, and community.

Follow @grovearcade on social media for updates.

For media inquiries, interviews, or questions please contact: [email protected]

Join us with friends and family as we celebrate Earth Day and the spring season! Games, pontoon boat tours, Earth Day crafts and education, kayak demos from waterways, and more. Make your own mini greenhouse and visit with community partners. This free event is open to all ages, and no registration is required.

For more information email [email protected] or call 828-250-4260.

Join us as we celebrate Earth Day and spring!  More details coming soon

Explore 22 beautiful greenhouses filled with mixed patio planters, hanging baskets, perennials, houseplants, shrubs, and plant starters. Enjoy live music, food from Smashville Food Truck and Mountain Man BBQ, a craft fair featuring jewelry and home goods, kids’ activities including a scavenger hunt and potting station, plus a mechanical bull! Appalachian Standard CBD products also available. With 600-900 attendees expected, carpooling is recommended. Free admission.

This class offers a creative, hands-on experience perfect for all skill levels!  Participants will decorate terracotta pots using vibrant paints to transform each one into a heartfelt gift just in time for Mother’s Day.  Feel free to get creative with your design!  Everyone will get seeds to take home with them to plant in the pot once the paint is dry, creating a thoughtful and lasting token of appreciation for Mother’s Day.

Tuesday May 6th, 2:00 – 4:00. $20/$15 for Friends of Bullington Gardens.

The Weaverville Tailgate Market located at 60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville, NC 28787 will again host Extension Master Gardener plant clinics on the first Wednesday of the month for the 2025 season!

At each Plant Clinic, Master Gardener volunteers will be available to answers all of your gardening questions and address your related concerns. Feel free to bring plant or insect samples for identification and/or problem resolution.

You can pick-up soil test kits and receive information about in-person programs and activities at The Learning Garden and the Gardening in the Mountains seminars. Please stop by to learn more!

Garden photography workshop with Camilla Calnan.

Do you want to take better photos in the gardens? Join us for a hands-on workshop where we use whatever camera you are working with to learn tips, tricks, and techniques to take the photos you are hoping to capture. Working from whatever level you are currently and using your phone, point and shoot camera, or SLR camera, we will discover new ways to think about photography to help you grow in your photography.

This program takes place in the classroom and outdoors. Please come prepared to walk on gentle, yet uneven terrain, and dress appropriately for the weather.

This event is open to all youth 15 and under. Competitors will be divided into age groups (0-5, 6-10, and 11-15) with prizes in each for Biggest Fish (GRAND PRIZE), Smallest Fish, and Most Fish Caught.
This is a catch and release tournament. Each fish that is caught must be brought one at a time to the measuring station. After each fish has been measured, they will be released back into the lake. Your $10 registration fee includes a bucket, bait, plus snacks and drinks. You must be in the measuring station line before the horn goes off at 11:00 am to have your fish measured. Competitors must bring their own fishing poles and tackle.

In this series of classes learn about tree health care and maintenance.

By cultivating and protecting healthy diverse habitats for pollinators, for wildlife, for healthy flora and fauna, we benefit the individuals who live in and enjoy these spaces and for our community, as a whole. By creating natural areas in your yard and leaving the leaves each fall you can benefit many kinds of insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals which depend on the native plants and their fallen leaves and seeds for shelter, food and habitat.

Join Steve Pettis, Henderson County Commercial and Consumer Horticulture Agent and host of the Gardening in the Mountains Radio Show and Podcast to learn how we can do things better!

May 22, 2025, 1:00-3:00pm.

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

Garden Jubilee, one of the largest gardening shows in Western North Carolina, will be held on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Memorial Day weekend. With nearly 200 plant and craft vendors lining Main Street, the Historic downtown will be transformed into a garden wonderland. 

Local and regional nurseries, orchards and crafters will offer a wide variety of plants and handmade delights and gardening experts will be on hand to share the latest gardening tips and techniques. 

Take a daily, short, guided stroll that highlights Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. Included with admission. See the blooms and learn about their history, attributes and roles they play in the mountain’s ecological communities. The easygoing walks take approximately 20 minutes and are fit for guests of all ages – wheelchair and stroller accessible. Meet outside the entrance of the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Staff naturalists will also have a display inside Wilson Center.

This annual run/walk timed event raises funds to support Open Arms Pregnancy Center. Open Arms supports women facing unplanned pregnancies by providing free, confidential ultrasounds and maternity supplies. Mothers receive monthly diapers, clothing and other items once their babies are born up to the child’s 18th month.
The 5k and Fun Run will be held at Bill Moore Community Park, 85 Howard Gap Road in Fletcher, NC at 8:30AM.
Runners should register now (by May 9) at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Fletcher/Run4for5k for early bird pricing and to be guaranteed a T-shirt.
Businesses/Individuals interested in being a race sponsor can contact us via email at [email protected] or by phone at 828.676.4510.