Botanical Gardens

Programs and Events

YOGA (Returning Early November)

yoga in the gardens

A good way to relieve stress and anxiety is through yoga. It provides many benefits, like improving mental health, reducing burnout, promotes self-care and reduces anxiety. 

Plant Festivals

FALL PLANT FESTIVAL

November 9-10, 2024
Open to members at 8:30am

  • $10 Admission

  • Free for Members & USF ID

  • Children under 12 are free!

Fall Vendors

  • 3 seasons growers 
  • Amelia's Garden 
  • Boyce Nursery, LLC
  • Bee Happy Native 
  • Critter Companions by Kenny Coogan 
  • Exotic Palms
  • George Griepenburg
  • Grace's Hydro
  • Greenleaf Worm Farm
  • Island Bamboo
  • Jersey Dogs
  • Jessicas Lovely Garden
  • Kesslers Cacti & Things
  • Louises Salves
  • MAD Plants 
  • Munchies Kettle Korn 
  • The little Adventure Farm
  • Orchids and Tropicals
  • Prana Farms
  • Scully’s Cafe LLC
  • Skoops
  • Spring Lake Tropicals
  • Oh 4 Succ's Sakes
  • Tampa African Violet Society
  • TB Gesneriad
  • The honey couple 
  • Third Insight Design and Nursery
  • Eltings Exotic Plants
  • UF IFAS Extension Hillsborough
  • County
  • Wallace Nursery

SPRING PLANT FESTIVAL

April 12th–13th, 9am- 3pm
Open to members at 8:30am

  • $10 Admission
  • Free for Members & USF ID
  • Children under 12 are free!

Vendors TBA!

plants at the Plant Festival

BEEKEEPING Knowledge

We are restructuring our Beekeeping Program, and will update new information here soon!

2023-2024 Class Topics

Course Outline
Date Lecture Hive
11/4/23 Introduction to Bees First look inside the hive
12/2/23 (Potluck)   Integrated Pest Management (1PM) Reading a Frame
01/06/24 Setting up Your Apiary In-hive Basic Inspection
02/03/24  Hive Building None
03/02/24 Swarm Control Hiving Your Bees
04/06/24 NO LECTURE - Pick Up Nucs Installing Nucs/Re-queening
05/04/23 Q&A, Swarm Control Making splits
06/01/24 Queen Biology Re-queening
07/06/24 Mead Making  
08/03/24 Varroa Destructor

Varroa Counts & Treatment
09/03/24 Honey Extraction, Bottling, and Labeling Honey Extraction 
10/05/24 Winter Preparations, Q&A Inspections and Q&A

MESSER FAMILY BEEKEEPING SCHOLARSHIP 

Anyone can have the opportunity to participate in our course through the Messer Family Award. To become an applicant, submit a personal statement—500 words or less - on why urban beekeeping is important to you and the community. 

This award will assist with course expenses for individuals interested in pursuing beekeeping as well as show a committed effort to increase urban beekeeping in the local community. Expenditures awarded from this fund will be used for but not limited to course registration costs, the purchase of course educational materials and required supplies.