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Instructors: Shelly SilvaCyanotype, also known as sun prints, is a camera-less photographic process that uses light, chemistry, and nature to create striking blue-and-white images. In this hands-on class, explore how this historic technique invites close observation of plants while celebrating form, texture, and the fleeting beauty of the natural world.
Begin with a brief introduction to the history of cyanotype, then use the sun itself as a UV light source to create your own prints using plant materials harvested from Mt. Cuba’s gardens. As you arrange leaves, stems, and flowers, you’ll learn how composition, exposure, and light interact to produce unique and expressive images—no photography experience required.
You will leave with finished cyanotype prints and a deeper appreciation for the intersection of art, science, and plants. This creative experience offers a new way to engage with Mt. Cuba’s landscape, turning observation into lasting works of art.
All supplies are provided. Please note the use of chemicals may stain, so wear appropriate clothing. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $79 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $71.10
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Instructors: Sara SetzerCreate beautifully patterned silk scarves inspired by Mt. Cuba’s landscape, in this immersive, one-day workshop. Using leaves and other natural materials, explore botanical printing techniques that highlight the subtle relationships between plant form, color, and fabric.
Join Sara Setzer, a local fiber artist, and learn how to bundle and wrap fabric for clear, expressive prints, and discover how color shifts in the dye bath, how mordants influence results, and how different fabrics and techniques shape the final design. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the broader world of plant-based art and natural processes an approach that connects seamlessly with Mt. Cuba’s other offerings in gardening, ecology, and nature-inspired craft.
By the end of the day, you will complete two full-length silk scarves, each reflecting a moment of exploration and creative connection to the natural world. Keep one and gift one! This workshop is ideal for those who enjoy learning through making and are curious to explore nature from an artist’s perspective.
We recommend you bring your lunch, and there are snacks for sale on site. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $105 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $94.50
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Instructors: Sara SetzerCapture the essence of Mt. Cuba’s vibrant pollinator life while learning the foundational techniques of three dimensional needle felting. Local textile artist Sara Setzer guides participants in creating detailed wool sculptures of moths, butterflies, and bees using natural fibers and beginner friendly methods.
This workshop draws inspiration from the keen observations of Mt. Cuba’s Pollinator Watch volunteers—those dedicated community scientists who spend their days moving through the orderly rows of research plants, clipboard in hand, noting every buzz, flutter, and hover. Their careful tracking of which flowers attract the most bees offers a window into the hidden rhythms of the garden, and these real world insights help inform the colors, shapes, and textures you’ll bring to life in your felted artwork.
Leave with your own hoop framed piece of original art, ready to hang and admire. No experience is needed. Bring your lunch and enjoy a relaxed, creative session rooted in both craft and conservation. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $65 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $58.50
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9/20/2026 10:00 AM-1:00 PM
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Instructors: Margaret Saylor September is the moment — the woodland floor at its most generous, brackets and boletes and chicken-of-the-woods each a small architectural event. This workshop is about learning how to look, to see, and to draw.
Drawing is how you truly document what you found — a study that required you to look long enough to understand what you were seeing. Cap shape, gill structure, the particular heft of a stipe — these are the things a sketchbook captures and a memory loses.
The morning begins with a guided fungi walk on Mt. Cuba's grounds, where you'll make field notes and quick sketches in the landscape, including a short exercise drawing mushrooms within their habitat. Studio drawing follows, using wild and cultivated specimens sourced — fresh material you can handle, compare, and observe at your own pace.
You'll leave with a completed sketchbook spread, a practiced eye for fungal form, and skills you can bring back to the field on every future foray.
All skill levels welcome. Some drawing experience is helpful but not required. Please bring your lunch. A materials list will be provided upon registration. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $85 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $76.50
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9/25/2026 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
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Instructors: Judy SimonBeyond being the sole subject of your paintings and drawings, mosses, lichens, and liverworts can also add vital context to your representations of native plants in their environment. Fall is an ideal time to observe the woodland floor at its most intricate, where cushions of moss and miniature forests of lichens form a vibrant, living tapestry.
This workshop is about learning how to look, to see, and to study the subtle beauty of these ancient organisms. Understanding them requires looking closely and long enough to comprehend their complex structures—the velvety texture of mosses, the branching geometry of lichens, and the brilliant color variations of foliose forms are the fine details that reward deep observation. To inspire your process, the instructor will share examples of both modern and historical uses of these organisms in botanical illustrations.
The day begins with a guided morning walk on Mt. Cuba's grounds to observe lichens and mosses within their natural habitats, examining how they cling to bark, blanket rocks, and carpet the soil. Studio study follows, using diverse, fresh specimens that you can handle, compare, and observe under magnification at your own pace. You'll leave with a practiced eye for these miniature ecosystems, a deeper understanding of bryophyte and lichen characteristics, and sharp observational skills to bring to every future field foray.
All skill levels welcome. Some drawing experience is helpful but not required. Please bring your lunch.
Click here to view the required and provided materials list. Because this program takes place on-site while the garden is open to the public, general admission to the gardens is included in the price. Regular Price: $85 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $76.50
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10/30/2026 1:00 PM-3:00 PM
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Instructors: Kathy Elliot, Serah PesceEmbrace the quiet beauty of the season and celebrate the return of the light. In this workshop, you will craft a minimalist, Scandinavian-inspired Solstice wreath designed to bring natural warmth and modern elegance to your home.
Instead of the traditional, over-stuffed holiday wreath, we will focus on texture, asymmetry, and restraint. You will work with a curated selection of fresh, long-lasting greenery—like airy cedar, fragrant pine, and structural juniper—leaving portions of the natural wreath form exposed. Accent your creation with understated, foraged elements like dried seed pods, delicate cones, and a simple linen ribbon for a timeless, organic finish. Hand pruners and garden gloves provided, but feel free to bring your own. Regular Price: $85 Supporter, Advocate & Conservator Member Price: $76.50
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12/12/2026 3:30 PM-5:00 PM
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