Volunteer

Volunteer at Beal

Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum relies on dedicated volunteers like you to help accomplish the many tasks throughout the garden.

Why Volunteer?

Become a part of history as you contribute to our 150+ year old botanical garden.
Work with our expert staff and learn about gardening, botany, and horticulture in a fun and casual setting.
Spend time outside connecting with nature and getting your hands dirty in our campus oasis and natural areas.
Earn hours toward Master Gardener Certification.
Take part in exclusive workshops and fieldtrips to explore the many ways people, plants, and place are connected.
Join a community of fun and hardworking volunteers, students, and staff to keep our garden healthy and beautiful!

Volunteer Opportunities

There are many ways to get involved and these opportunities change seasonally. Below are some of our current volunteer projects, but contact our Volunteer Coordinator, David Price, if you have questions.

Volunteer Sign Up

Weekly Garden Volunteering

Seasonal, May-October

Join us in the garden any (or every) Wednesday, May - October from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. to help care for our collections and our space. Help weed, water, plant, and prune as we chat, learn, and grow together. No experience needed.

three people kneeling by a garden bed weeding

Natural Areas Workdays

Check Events page for dates

Join Arboretum and Invasive Species Coordinator, Carolyn Miller, for a workday in one of our Campus Natural Areas removing and treating invasive plants. No experience needed. These events are typically during early spring and early fall/winter.

a group of people dressed in warm clothes sitting on a log in a forest

Office Volunteering

Year-round, Flexible Schedule

Not the outdoorsy type? Dive through the garden's history in digital photos. Parse through old, handwritten plant records to pull crucial historical information into a new digital database. Delve into our archive of physical records to organize our design sketches, project notes, and other important historical documents. Help us clean and prepare seeds for the next round of propagation. These are just a few of our indoor projects, and we need your help!

files and file folders fanned out on a table

Connect People & Plants

Weekends & Event-based

Do you enjoy spending time in the garden talking to visitors about 100-year old trees? Maybe you like to teach people about succulent propagation or edible plants with fun, hands-on activities? Or enjoy showing children how to use microscopes to discover the tiniest details of leaves and seeds? We're looking for enthusiastic individuals to help us connect people, plants, and place and we hope that's you! You don't need to be a plant expert, only excited to learn. Training and activities provided.

group of college students of various ethnicities and genders gathered around a table making a craft in a garden

Group Volunteering

Have a group of friends, coworkers, or classmates that are looking for fun, friendly volunteering activities to do together? Reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator to find a volunteering project that's right for you!

group of volunteers posed for a photo in front of a newly planted garden hillside

How to Get Started

The best way to start is by choosing a project above and signing up! Don't see the right project for you? Join our newsletter to keep up to date about the latest volunteering projects and adventures. You can also email our Volunteer Coordinator, David Price, with any questions.

Volunteer Sign Up

Photos courtesy of Leah Ferenczi (left), Arula Sadalage (center), and Jennifer Hunnell (right).