Dr. Cindy Skema, Botanical Scientist, Morris Arboretum & Gardens

Do you hope to install “living systems” or self-sustaining habitats in your garden/landscape designs? To do so, you need to understand the fundamentals of why and how plants evolve and reproduce, as well as how we capitalize on these natural processes to propagate plant materials for our own use. Expand your concept of designing landscapes to include a need to design plants themselves as genetically and evolutionarily unique entities. We will learn what ecotypes are, how they could impact the success of a landscape project, and why plant provenance really matters. You will be introduced to the plant phenotype and learn what underlies it biologically, what plant plasticity is, and how it may show up in your garden. The course format is two in-person lectures. 

This course is open to the public, with priority registration offered to individuals enrolled in Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ Certificate in Ecological Horticulture. Completion of this course counts toward the requirements of the certificate program. This course has been submitted to carry 3 CEUs with LA CES, ISA, PLNA, and the NJ Board of Tree Experts. 

TWO WEDNESDAYS
December 3, 10
6:00 – 7:30 pm

Members: $80 | Non-members: $85

Please go to our Certificate Program in Ecological Horticulture section to register for this course.

SARA ROBBINS, Award Winning Fiber Artist; Educator

Do you have a garden? Do you not have a garden? Either way is fine, because this basket has as many uses as you can think of. For the gardener, it will carry your small plants to be put in the ground, your gardening tools or your harvested flowers and herbs. If you’re not a gardener, this basket can be used as a catch-all, mail basket, and so much more! 

The basket is appropriate for beginners and experienced weavers alike—no experience necessary. Your finished basket will measure about 14"L x 11"W x 4"H (not including the handle). 

Second session added!!  Choose from the 2 dates below.

Friday, November 14 or Friday, November 21
10:30 am – 2:00 pm

Members: $135 | Non-members: $140

HEATHER BISHOP, Horticulturist & Artist, HSB Garden Designs; Calluna Plants & Gifts

Create a festive winter wreath for your home this season! In this 90-minute guided workshop, you will combine fresh cut seasonal foliage along with ribbons and natural embellishments to adorn your greenery wreath. All materials will be 
provided! Please bring a pair of pruners and gardening gloves.

This is a single-session class that will be held twice on the same day, register for the time that works best for you!

Friday, December 5
10:00 – 11:30 am
OR
1:00 – 2:30 pm

Members: $65 | Non-members: $70

Al Paris, Professional Chef/Restaurateur

These demonstration classes will cover the creation of a meal focused on products from Erdenheim Farm. Each class will include a discussion about how the food is raised or grown on the farm, followed by a cooking demonstration by Chef Al Paris, and finish with a chance to eat and savor the creation. Chef Al Paris has owned and created the culture and cuisine of 13 award-winning restaurants—most recently Paris Bistro in Chestnut Hill. He believes that all cooks can create their own distinct cuisine through the clarity of their vision and the use of the freshest seasonal ingredients.

The class meets at the Sheep Barn parking lot at Erdenheim Farm (5051 Flourtown Road, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444).

A different seasonal menu is offered, and typically changes monthly. Please sign up for each session separately.   Registration and menus located below.

NEW MENUS FOR 2026 added below!!

MENU: Pennsylvania yule bread. Farm greens with a honey-poppyseed vinaigrette. Thai basil-basted beef tenderloin with chard, vermicelli cakes, and baby beech mushrooms. For dessert, Chef will serve individual lemon curd and clementine tartlets, with a quick cranberry coulis. The meal features Erdenheim Farm honey, beef, eggs, and greens. 

Saturday, December 13
12:00 – 3:00 pm

Members: $125 | Non-members: $135

MENU: Warm, buttery, homemade buns. Smashed fried potato salad including farm greens and sweet onion vinaigrette. Pomegranate leg of lamb with rainbow chard and garnet yam polenta. For dessert Chef will make a coconut cream tart and quick cherry jam. The meal features Erdenheim Farm lamb, eggs, and greens.

Saturday, January 24
12:00-3:00 pm 

Members: $115, Non-members: $125 

MENU: The class will start with classic cheddar scones. Chef will also make a beet salad with pickled eggs, goat cheese and microgreens. The main course will include beef tenderloin Guinness pies. For dessert Chef will serve fresh lemon fritters with star anise apple raisin compote. The meal features Erdenheim Farm beef, eggs, and microgreens. 

Saturday, February 28
12:00-3:00 pm 

Members: $130, Non-members: $140

Growing Minds at Morris Arboretum & Gardens is a program series for kids and families that inspires a sense of wonder about the natural world within the beautiful setting of the Morris. The classes represented in this section offer children and their caregivers the opportunity to connect meaningfully with nature through a wide variety of creative and educational programs. Parents and caregivers are asked to stay with children for classes.

GINGER MIMMO ROHLFING, Artist and Art Educator 

In this workshop, children (Ages 6-11) will delight in creating festive ornaments from natural materials themselves, no clay this time! Using the beautiful shapes, patterns, and colors found in nature’s treasures, each child will design a one-of-a-kind keepsake. These creations will bring a little piece of the autumn landscape indoors and reflect the wonder of our deciduous world. 

Materials will be provided. Siblings should register as participants, and parents and caregivers are asked to stay with children for classes. Our instructor, Ginger, teaches art to students of all ages at Woodmere, Abington Art Center, and Moore College of Art.

Saturday, November 22
1:00 – 3:00 pm

Members: $40 | Non-members: $45

Anisa George, Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Nationally Certified Health and Wellness Nurse Coach

Shinrin Yoku, also known as Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy, is an ancient practice that is now supported by scientific research. Improved immune function, reduced cortisol levels, increased cognition and memory, and improved mood are just some of the clinical findings from this practice. Facilitated by a trained guide to help support your own relationship to the healing benefits of nature, this experience allows for mindful connection to the “more than human world.” Participants move at a slow pace and are invited to connect in a sensorial way to the beautiful surroundings of the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. Leave the hectic world behind and come explore this ancient wisdom. 

This single session course is held monthly through fall, providing a different experience as the season changes. Choose one or register for all! Meet at the Welcome Center.  The class is all outdoors. Dress for the weather.

Anisa George, Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Nationally Certified Health and Wellness Nurse Coach

Shinrin Yoku, also known as Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy, is an ancient practice that is now supported by scientific research. Improved immune function, reduced cortisol levels, increased cognition and memory, and improved mood are just some of the clinical findings from this practice. Facilitated by a trained guide to help support your own relationship to the healing benefits of nature, this experience allows for mindful connection to the “more than human world.” Participants move at a slow pace and are invited to connect in a sensorial way to the beautiful surroundings of the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. Leave the hectic world behind and come explore this ancient wisdom. 

This single session course is held monthly through November, providing a different experience as the season changes. Choose one or register for all! Meet at the Welcome Center.  The class is all outdoors. Dress for the weather.

Friday, November 21
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Members: $35 | Non-members: $40

JUDE THACHET, School Outreach Coordinator, Morris Arboretum & Gardens

Looking toward the winter holidays, many of us want to build strong bonds and create lasting memories in our families, but how? Looking to the natural world can help us create small rituals that connect to something larger and foster a sense of belonging. For this workshop, we’ll use the approaching winter equinox to explore how we might create family traditions that remind us of our connection to nature and our intentions for each other. 

Jude Thachet, from the education Department at Morris, will lead participants through a fun and joyful process of identifying what’s important in your family, connecting those values to nature, and developing simple but intentional ways to enact and embody them. After some guided and playful exploration and discussion, the group will engage in an activity using beeswax and other natural materials that can aid in your family’s celebrations. It will grow and change with the seasons and reflect your unique family identity. This program is for adults only.

Saturday, December 6
10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Members: $30 | Non-members: $35

LISA ZAHREN, Mindful Dance Instructor

The invitation is to keep moving, warm ourselves from the inside out.  Each week we will combine elements of Open Floor Dance, Nia Technique and mindfulness practices as we explore the hidden gems of The Morris in winter. We will begin indoors to warm up before hiking to a location in the Arboretum to dance and move with the quiet of the season. Several scientific studies have shown that getting exposure to natural light on winter mornings helps improve mental health and sleep. (Read more HERE)
 
These classes are appropriate for all abilities and fitness levels, no experience necessary, just a willingness to explore on a winter adventure. This will be a hybrid indoor/outdoor class so please dress appropriately and in layers. In the case of very cold weather or precipitation, we will spend more time indoors. We will meet at the Welcome Center.

Lisa has been teaching embodied movement and dance since 2011, including in therapeutic settings. She is a certified teacher of Nia Technique and Open Floor Dance Practice. 

We are offering three sessions this Winter. Sign up for one or all three below!

LISA ZAHREN, Mindful Dance Instructor

3 Wednesdays: January 7, 14, 21
10:15 - 11:30 am

Members: $70 | Non-members: $80

**Single-session walk-ins always welcome on fair-weather days $30. Exact change cash payment is required; please arrive 10-15 minutes early. (no member discount)

LISA ZAHREN, Mindful Dance Instructor

3 Wednesdays: January 28, February 4, 11
10:15 - 11:30 am

Members: $70 | Non-members: $80

**Single-session walk-ins always welcome on fair-weather days $30. Exact change cash payment is required; please arrive 10-15 minutes early. (no member discount)

LEE ARMILLEI, Principal, Landscape Designer, APLD

Welcome to the world of ecological design, where environment and art intersect. Get your creative juices flowing as you combine design process & design principles with the ecology you’ve learned in prior certificate courses. Students will design a predetermined site to create a beautiful and immersive space, supportive of people and the planet.

This intensive two-day workshop starts with the basics of understanding the client, analyzing the site and drafting plans, and builds as students shape the landscape using design principles and ecological themes. Students will then develop a site-specific plant palette and apply it to foundation plantings, natural areas, and the spaces in between. Through a combination of lecture, studio-time, and homework, students will gain real time practice and feedback, learning to make informed decisions in ecological design. Although the class will be working on a predetermined site, each design is sure to be unique!

This course is open to the public; with priority registration offered to individuals enrolled in Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ Certificate in Ecological Horticulture.  Completion of this course counts toward the requirements of the certificate program. This course has been submitted to carry 10 CEUs with LA CES, ISA, PLNA, and the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts. 

2 FRIDAYS, January 23, 30
10:00 am – 3:30 pm

Members: $250 | Non-members: $260

Please go to our Certificate Program in Ecological Horticulture section to register for this course.