The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks Arkansas Gardening School is a horticultural symposium for beginner home gardeners, featuring expert-led programs by horticulturists, garden designers, and landscape architects. Through interactive talks and Q&A sessions, participants will learn to create beautiful, sustainable, and successful gardens in the Ozarks.

This year’s event will focus on the connection between gardens and well-being, offering practical tips for creating low-maintenance gardens, accessible design strategies, and tools to make gardening easier for all ages. Attendees will leave inspired and ready to start or enhance their home gardens for greater happiness and health.

This event will be indoors, please bring materials if you would like to take notes. This program is geared toward attendents aged 16 and up.

You are welcome to bring your own lunch, go offsite for lunch, or buy a catered lunch onsite.

MARCH 1 | Agenda & Speakers

Keynote: "Human Nature"

Meredith Mashburn, Photographer

What happens when art and nature intersect? Artist Meredith Mashburn discusses her most recent series, “Human Nature,” her artistic process, and how she finds inspiration in the natural world around her.

Introduction to Sustainable Practices

Learn how to garden sustainably with tips on leaving leaves for wildlife, water-wise techniques, and pruning to support pollinators. Discover how natural mulches and healthy soils can enhance your garden while conserving resources and boosting biodiversity!

What's That Plant?

Berni Kurz, BGO Director of Horticulture & Pamela Steider BGO Horticulture Manager

Join us for an engaging session on plant identification and environmentally responsible management. Learn how to recognize common plants in your landscape and understand their role in the ecosystem. This session will cover practical tips for identifying native species, invasive plants, and garden favorites, as well as best practices for sustainable care and management.

Tackling Invasive Species

Learn how to identify, manage, and prevent the spread of invasive plants in your landscape. This session covers practical strategies to protect native ecosystems and promote biodiversity in an environmentally responsible way.

Lunch & Learn

Illinois River Watershed Partnership & The Diana Project

Meet & Greet BGO Community Partners

Bringing Garden Plants Indoors

Berni Kurz, BGO Director of Horticulture & Pamela Steider, BGO Horticulture Manager

Discover which garden plants thrive indoors and how to care for them year-round. Learn the best times to move plants between indoors and outdoors, along with tips for ensuring their health and happiness in any setting.

Ask an Expert

Berni Kurz, BGO Director of Horticulture, Dr. Curt Rom, Associate Professor of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas, Eric Fuselier, Project Scientist at Olsson Engineering Firm, Stephen Black, Westwood Gardens Owner & Alex Royce, White River Nursery General Manager

Panel discussion for troubleshooting common garden challenges

Grow Your Own Native Garden

Pamela Steider, BGO Horticulture Manager & Kitty Sanders, BGO Butterfly House Lead Volunteer

Make & Take: Stratification