This page will be updated as events are added. Come back often to see what new programs we have coming up!
Events will meet in the garden near the garden pond unless otherwise noted.
Deep Rooted Tour Series
Multiple Dates
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum
Dates:
February 8, 2025
March 15, 2025
April 12, 2025 (Register)
May 10, 2025 (Register)
What can art tell us about the relationship between plants and humans? Join Maeve Bassett, Applied Ethnobotanist and Education Director of the Beal Botanical Garden, for an immersive tour unearthing the historical, social, and political narratives growing within works of art from the MSU Broad Art Museum’s collection. Registration for this free tour is encouraged.
Deep-Rooted is an ongoing tour collaboration between the Beal Botanical Garden and the Broad Art Museum, where art and plants intertwine in a conversation about the extraordinary ways our natural world has influenced art and human societies throughout history. This event takes place at the MSU Broad Art Museum, in The CORE.
Photo credit: Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum
Wellbeing Wednesdays
Every Wednesday in April 2025
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Library courtyard near main garden gate
Join us every Wednesday in April leading up to finals. Take a short break on your way to and from the library with drop-in activities and crafts.
Dates:April 2 - Cancelled due to predicted severe weather
April 9
April 16
April 23
Beal Botanical Garden Tour: Sensing Spring
April 10, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Botanical Steward and Horticulturist Mackenzie Hiatt to learn about the science of nature exposure benefiting physical and mental wellbeing and how plant communities support each other plus some ways we can be supportive in return. Meet at the garden pond.
Beal Footprints Walking Tour Series
4th Wednesday of each month, April - October, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum for lunchtime guided tours on the the fourth Wednesday of each month, April through October, exploring conservation, ecology, and sustainability. These will be walking tours around campus and will always begin at the Beal Pond.
Schedule:
- April 23 - Spring Ephemerals; Carolyn Miller, Arboretum & Invasive Species Coordinator
- May 28 - Plant identification for everyone; Alan Prather, Director
- June 25 - Plants in the eyes of pollinators; Jennifer Apland, MSU Herbarium Collections Coordinator
- July 23 - Topic TBD; Bethany Troy, Botanical Lead & Head Horticulturist
- August 27 - Topic TBD; Katie Fry, Collections Manager
- September 24 - Topic TBD; Katie Fry, Collections Manager
- October 22 - Riverbank restoration and clean-up; Carolyn Miller, Arboretum & Invasive Species Coordinator
Where the Light Gets In Closing Reception
April 25, 2025
8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Location: Installation site, NE corner of Trowbridge Rd. and Harrison Rd. (west of Holden Hall)
Part of MSU Science Festival, Where the Light Gets In is a public art installation in which LED tube lights are mounted on 43 trees marked for removal for a future construction project. The lights are positioned such that they appear to be piercing the heart of the tree, creating a symbolic death ritual, allowing the community to honor the trees and reflect on changing landscapes. This art installation is on view at the Northeast corner of Trowbridge and S. Harrison Roads, and will be illuminated daily April 1‒30 from dusk to dawn.
There will be a closing reception and workshop on April 25 from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. at the installation site. This will be a choose-your-own-adventure style workshop where participants will be given a series of ways to interact with the art through sound, movement, drawing, and more. Hot beverages, snacks, and supplies will be provided. No experience with forestry is required. There will be limited seating, so we recommend bringing a blanket or camping chair if you would like to sit amongst the installation.
Beal Botanical Garden Tour: Spring Ephemerals
May 8, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Arboretum and Invasive Species Coordinator Carolyn Miller for a garden walk exploring the spring ephemerals that are so brief in their floral display. Bring binoculars, we may catch some early spring birds migrating north! Meet at the garden pond.
Beal Botanical Garden Tour: Summer Solstice - Celebration and Care
June 12, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Botanical Lead and Head Horticulturist Bethany Troy for a garden walk learning about the plants used in celebrating the summer solstice, and how to grow and care for them. Meet at the garden pond.
Garden Edition: Deep-Rooted Tour Series
Multiple Dates
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Dates:
June 15, 2025 (Register Here)
July 13, 2025 (Register Here)
August 10, 2025 (Register Here)
What can art tell us about the relationship between plants and humans? Join us for the summer garden edition of this popular tour series as we gather in the garden with Maeve Bassett, Applied Ethnobotanist and Education Director. Together, we’ll unearth the historical, social, and political narratives growing within plants in the garden and artworks from the MSU Broad Art Museum’s collection. Registration for this free tour is encouraged.
Deep-Rooted is an ongoing tour collaboration with the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, exploring where art and plants intertwine in a conversation about the extraordinary ways our natural world has influenced art and human societies throughout history.
Photo credit: University Communications and Marketing
Beal Botanical Garden Tour: Etymology and the Naming of Plants
July 10, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Education Director Maeve Bassett to explore where plants get their names, including the stories of the good, the potentially problematic, the downright weird, and debate common vs. scientific names! Meet at the garden pond.
Beal Botanical Garden Tour: Forest Bathing
August 14, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Community and Sustainability Coordinator Angelica Bajos for a summertime rest. Take time to connect with the garden and indulge your wellbeing through forest bathing invitations. Meet at the garden pond.
Beal Botanical Garden Tour: Gardening for a Better World
September 11, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Collections Manager Katie Fry for a lunchtime tour exploring plant resiliency and their potential to mitigate climate change. This tour will include ways Beal Botanical Garden and MSU are contributing and practices to be more sustainable. Meet at the garden pond.
Beal Botanical Garden Tour: Taking a 'Peak' of Fall
October 9, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here
Join Botanical Steward and Horticulturist Mackenzie Hiatt for an autumnal garden tour engaging all five senses and embracing seasonal changes. Meet at the garden pond.
