Botanical Events & Plant Sales

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is one of two accredited botanical gardens in Ohio. Don’t miss events from our leading experts in horticulture!

Upcoming Botanical Garden Events

Perennial Plant Association’s Fall Virtual Symposium

October 15th

10:00 AM – 4:30 PM ET

Speaker Bios

Calling all gardeners! The Zoo is a proud partner of the upcoming Perennial Plant Association’s Fall Virtual Symposium on October 15th. Featuring 5 great speakers, including the Zoo’s Scott Beuerlein!

Please use the code CZBGFVS when registering:

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Perennial Professionals at Work and Play: Canada and Great Lakes Edition is looking at the success of horticulture experts in these regions for inspiration! The idea is to explore the coolest topics going on in perennial professionals’ careers then dive in for a bit of personal connection as they share the favorite parts of their private home or work gardens. Trust us, more than gardens will be shared as they pull back the curtain and give you a glimpse of the what and why behind their chosen designs and plants! A huge bonus to this event is a top ten perennials plant list from each presenter!

Schedule of Events

10:00 AM Jon Peter, Curator & Manager of Plant Records at Royal Botanical Gardens

11:00 AM Stacey Hirvela, Marketing Manager at Spring Meadow Nursery

11:30 AM Scott Beuerlein, Botanical Garden Outreach Manager at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

12:45 – 2:15 PM Lunch Break

2:15 PM Todd Boland, Research Horticulturist at Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Gardens

3:00 PM Elliott Duemler, Native Perennials Manager at Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries

3:30 PM Rodger Tschanz, Trial Garden Manager at University of Guelph

4:30 PM Closing

Questions? Contact [email protected].

Plant Trials Day

November 19, 2021

8:00am – 6:00pm

Speakers & Bios

Purchase Tickets

Live, in-person symposiums are back and Plant Trials Day 2021 will be an incredible return to form! Legendary plant hunter, nursery owner, author, and gardener Dan Hinkley will anchor the program (via video). We will also feature two up-and-coming young guns we know you’ll really enjoy—Paul Westervelt from Saunders Nursery in Virginian and Jared Barnes from Stephen F Austin University in Texas. In addition to being incredibly knowledgeable and dynamic speakers, both have won the prestigious “Young Professional of the Year Awards” from the Perennial Plant Association and the “40 Under 40 Award” from Greenhouse Product News. More speakers to be announced. Coffee and pastries 8:00am-8:50am. Symposium runs 8:50am-5:00pm with a lunch hour and two breaks. Social Hour with a cash bar from 5:00pm-6:00pm. Registration at: www.cincinnatizoo.org/horticulture/horticulture events/

$129 covers the symposium, Zoo entry, parking, breakfast and lunch. CEUs for ONLA, ISA, APLD, ASLA, and PGMS pending. Student discounts and sponsorships are available. Contact [email protected] for details.

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Native Plant Symposium

November 20, 2021

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Be sure to mark your calendars for this exciting event. Always a sellout. A very exciting group of speakers with more announcements to come! Enjoy hearing from the renowned garden writer, Thomas Christopher; Sam Hoadley, Horticultural Research Manager, Mt. Cuba Center; and Michael Dosmann from the Arnold Arboretum and Brian Jorg of the Cincinnati Zoo. More info to come!

Symposium runs 8:50am-5:00pm with a lunch hour and two breaks. Social Hour with a cash bar from 5:00pm-6:00pm.

$119 covers the symposium, Zoo entry, parking, morning pastries, and lunch. CEUs for ONLA, ISA, APLD, ASLA, and PGMS pending. Student discount and sponsorships available. Contact [email protected] for details.

Native Plant Sale at Bowyer Farm 2021

9am – 1pm

Bowyer Farm: 2210 N Mason Montgomery Rd

Reserve Your Spot

We have expanded the schedule for our 2021 Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s popular Native Plant Sales! Sponsored by the Klosterman Baking Company and located at the Zoo’s Bowyer Farm (2210 Mason Montgomery Road, Lebanon, OH), these sales offer a wide selection of reasonably priced, well-grown, hard to find, and ecologically important native plants.

Important! Slots are set to promote social distancing. Assistance by staff will be limited. There are no public restrooms at the farm. To ensure your safety and ours, please wear a mask and maintain safe distance from others. Payment will be by credit card only. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation until pandemic conditions allow for less stringent measures.

Native plants, including ones found throughout the Bowyer Farm ecosystem, will be for sale. The preferred payment for all sales is credit card.

2021 Plant Sale Dates

September 11 – Plant for Pollinator Kits Available
September 25 – Fall Plant for Pollinator Kits Available
October 9 – Fall Plant for Pollinator Kits Available

Kits are limited and first-come, first-serve

General Events

Zoo Blooms

The saturated colors and sun-catching glow of masses and masses of tulips in bloom is a truly spectacular experience. Zoo Blooms delivers not only the region’s largest tulip display, but also hundreds of trees and shrubs in full regalia. Magnolias, cherries, crabapples, serviceberries, viburnums, other bulbs, loads of perennials, and more all in their spring glory! Generally the best tulip display is around the middle of April, but the peak varies somewhat according to the weather. Each week all through spring the landscape continuously changes as the many plants of our extensive collection come into bloom. You need to visit several times to experience the fullness of the season!

Garden Tours/Need a Speaker

Garden Tours

Schedule your own garden event at the zoo! Industry groups, Master Gardener groups, garden clubs, plant societies, private companies, families, and others frequently schedule their own garden tours and/or parties. You can too! Email us at [email protected] to schedule a tour.

Need a Speaker?

Need a speaker for your academic, Master Gardener, garden club, or other event? Contact us at [email protected] for one of the zoo’s expert horticulturists to speak.

Native Plant Symposium

The annual all day symposium about native plants. Great outside speakers along with the zoo’s Native Plant Program Manager, Brian Jorg. CEUs available. Affordably priced. Includes lunch.

Plant Trials Day

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden horticultural staff and volunteers, in conjunction with several other organizations, conducts plant trials on annuals, grasses, and perennials in accordance with regimented protocols. Such trials enable us to develop useful data for gardeners, other public gardens, plant producers, and others in the green community. For more information regarding our Plant Trials programs, please contact us at [email protected].

Sustainable Landscapes Day

The concepts of “going green” have come down on the green and building industries in a big way in recent years and a lot of argument over the meaning of sustainability and the means of achieving it has ensued. This program is designed to sort out fact from fiction regarding such issues as soils, irrigation, and the very best low input plants for landscape applications. CEUs available. Affordably priced. Includes lunch.

Home Landscapes Lecture Series

A late winter ten week series of lectures regarding all aspects of landscaping for the homeowner by one of the region’s top horticulturists and the zoo’s Director of Horticulture, Steve Foltz. If you are planning on garden renovation or a new installation in your landscape these classes provide great insight on design, preparation and plant selection with emphasis on plants that do best in the Tri-state area. A different aspect of landscaping is covered each week such as perennial design and tree care, but one way or another everything is covered! Sign up for individual classes, or for the entire series and save! Very affordably priced.