ADULT PROGRAMS
The Wildflower Center offers abundant opportunities to learn about Texas native plants, gardening, nature art, photography, writing and more — including our very popular Native Plant Gardening Series.
Classes generally happen during spring and fall, with other programs occurring throughout the year.
Upcoming Events › Adult Programs
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Austin Museum Day
Join us for activities all over the Center with story time, presentations, demonstrations and tours throughout the day. Free admission.
Find out more »Guided Garden Tour
Tour our gardens and trails with a knowledgeable volunteer docent and learn about native plants and the history and architecture of the Center. Each of our docents bring their own special knowledge and interests to the tour, and sites change throughout the seasons. Free with admission to the gardens.
Find out more »Gardening for Newcomers
New to Texas or just new to gardening? Come meet some natives and learn where to plant them and how to keep them healthy!
Find out more »Moonlight Hike
Join us on an after-hours, moonlit hike throughout the gardens and the Texas Arboretum.
Find out more »Series: Drawing I – Short Form
Seven-session course in partnership with Contemporary Austin Art School. You can draw! Practice with a new drawing medium in each session of this course. Throughout the course you will refine your technique while focusing on still-life and found objects in a supportive environment for beginners.
Find out more »Series: Botanical Illustration
Seven-class series in partnership with the Contemporary Austin Art School. Enhance your drafting skills through drawing plant forms. Create detailed illustrations using a variety of papers with graphite, colored pencils, and ink. Enjoy and experience the native plants at the Wildflower Center by sketching flora in and out of the studio.
Find out more »Series: Watercolor — Basics and Beyond
This six-session course is presented in partnership with the Contemporary Austin Art School. All levels welcome. Lessons will include wet-into-wet washes, wet-on-dry washes, color theory, composition, and ways to create glowing color like those you see in our gardens and natural areas!
Find out more »Fortlandia Grand Opening Weekend
Your secret hideouts awaits. Join us for a magical weekend for the first look at our Fortlandia exhibition.
Find out more »The Plants That Shaped Texas (NEW)
Texas landscapes range from lush and fruitful to rough and tumbling, and native plants have shaped life in the Lone Star State from past to present.
Find out more »Guided Garden Tour
Tour our gardens and trails with a knowledgeable volunteer docent and learn about native plants and the history and architecture of the Center. Each of our docents bring their own special knowledge and interests to the tour, and sites change throughout the seasons.
Find out more »Native Bees of Texas
Why are native bees such a buzz-worthy topic? These magnificent, hard-working insects are diverse, fascinating and vital to landscapes. Learn about bee ecosystems, morphology, behavior and society, nesting habits, diets, and how to tell bees from wannabees (mimics). We'll talk conservation too!
Find out more »Landscape Design Studios I & II
This two-class course takes principles from our “Native Plant Gardening: Landscape Design” into a studio environment with guidance from an expert horticulturalist.
Find out more »Texas Arboretum Tour
Get your steps in while exploring the wonders of native trees (plus shrubs, grasses, flowers and more) in our Texas Arboretum, one of the most shaded trails at the Wildflower Center. Walks will focus on native flora and Texas history, and you'll likely see feathered friends along the way.
Find out more »Foraging for Native Edibles
Discover edible native plants you can forage and harvest in Central Texas.
Find out more »Bees, Brews & Beyond
Cheers to pollinators! Grab your smartphone or camera and carpool with an adventure buddy to Vista Brewing where wildflower fields, farms and thoughtfully designed grounds are a perfect place to snap beneficial fauna in action and share to Instagram or iNaturalist for the 2018 Texas Pollinator Bioblitz.
Find out more »Plant ID Walk & Learn
Get to know your natives! Learn how to ID plants using a key and other observational techniques.
Find out more »Fire & Water Walk (NEW)
On this tour of the gardens and natural areas, discover how fire and water are used in managing plants and landscapes at the Wildflower Center. Learn about our impressive rain catchment system and cisterns and visit the research plots where prescribed burns are conducted. Free with admission to the gardens.
Find out more »Kokedama: Art Meets Botany in Japan
Journey to a land of soil and moss (Japan!), where the art of Kokedama originates. This ornamental plant sculpture is a style of bonsai, where plants' roots are bound into a spherical form. Guest lecturer Young Choe will explain how Kokedama and Kusamono similar potted arrangements) are created and teach about their cultural history and significance. Attend lecture, workshop or both.
Find out more »Are You Strong Enough to Be My Plant?
Foot traffic, children at play, dogs with the zoomies and hot, dry summers — what's a yard to do? Find out what plants are tough enough to handle the heat, wear and tear in this new workshop taught by our Family Garden horticulturist. We'll point out low-maintenance plants that can survive and thrive in lived-in Texas landscapes.
Find out more »Series: Nature and Abstract Drawing
Seven-week course In partnership with Contemporary Austin Art School. Learn how to create abstract drawings using natural forms as inspiration. Class will start plant and natural element studies and discover how to transform these representational objects into abstract formal compositions reflecting the individual.
Find out more »Movies in the Wild: Coco
Our Family Garden is transformed into an outdoor theater for Pixar's "Coco." Come early for Day of the Dead activities.
Find out more »Landscape Management for Homeowners
Tailored to those managing 5 to 50 acres of land, this workshop will cover a lot of ground. From seeds to weeds and pollinator-friendly to deer-resistant, Wildflower Center experts will explain how to establish and nurture healthy ecosystems with thriving native flora and fauna.
Find out more »Luminations
Our annual tradition returns when the gardens are illuminated by thousands of luminarias and dazzling lights.
Find out more »Austin Cave Festival
This free, family-friendly event will feature hands-on activities, cave explorations, science and adventure presentations, live music, and more. Visitors will have the opportunity to visit two caves and see how water makes its way to the aquifer and Barton Springs, learn about animals that call Austin's caves home, try on caving gear, and learn how to protect and conserve Austin's water resources.
Find out more »
4801 La Crosse Ave.
Austin, TX 78739
512.232.0100
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OUR MISSION
Inspiring the conservation of native plants