Join knowledgeable guides for a walking tour highlighting natural and man-made water features throughout the Morris. Water features, an integral part of the landscape, offer visual, auditory, and tactile appeal. Cascading waterfalls, natural streams, and the striking Morris Pond become essential to the beauty of the Morris. Free with general admission.  

This tour focuses on evergreen and deciduous shrubs for the home gardener. Shrubs provide showy foliage, vibrant blooms to attract pollinators, and structures to be used as natural screens. Come and discover new and old-time favorite shrubs. Free with general admission. 

Members: $25 • Non-members: $30 

Explore some of the best spots for autumn birding at the Morris! We will visit the Morris’s natural areas including wetlands, meadows, and the woodlands along Wissahickon Creek. These areas provide great habitat for a wide variety of birds year round. 
 
We will see resident birds as well as migrating raptors, warblers, and sparrows. If time permits, we will also have a chance to look for birds in other Morris habitats. These sessions are for beginning or experienced bird watchers. Bring binoculars. Each single-session class will meet at the Morris Wetland. Park in the meadow next to the entrance kiosk and meet Sharon there. 

Choose one date or sign up for all three! Pricing is per session. 

Wednesday, April 22 
7:30 – 9:30 am 

Wednesday, May 6 
5:30 – 7:30 pm 

Wednesday, May 27 
7:30 – 9:30 am 

Members: $35 • Non-members: $40

Join Gayle E. Maloney Director of Horticulture Vince Marrocco to learn how to skillfully prune shrubs and small trees to achieve a natural shape and abundant flowering. After an in-door lecture, you will have the opportunity to see demonstrations designed to help you master pruning concepts and gain confidence. Formative pruning for young trees and proper pruning techniques for larger, older trees will be covered, as well as naturalistic techniques for creating attractive hedges and methods for reducing the size of overgrown shrubbery.

We will meet in the Welcome Center.  Please bring hand pruners and a small pruning saw to the class. 

Members: $35 • Non-members: $40

Let your imagination run wild as we create whimsical fairy houses together! We will use a combination of found natural materials, clay, and other special bits and bobs in this magical, hands-on experience for all ages. We will start indoors and use tools to construct our bases and create some one-of-a-kind accessories for our fairies. From there, you are free to join us in bringing your creations down to the enchanting Whimsical Woods and continuing to decorate with found natural materials! Each child should be registered as a participant.  

Plants in our region are facing new challenges to their survival, growth, and reproduction due to a variety of threats, including land use change, habitat loss, climate change, and more. Invited speakers will address new research in plant science that can help us understand the challenges at hand in our wetland and coastal regions, including mechanisms of plant resistance and adaptation, and possible solutions.

Speakers will include: 

Morgan Gostel, Director of Plant Science, Morris Arboretum & Gardens
LeeAnn Haaf, Director of Estuary Science, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
Dr. Jay Kelly, Co-Director, Center for Environmental Studies, Raritan Valley Community College
Erin Lacour, Biologist, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
Patrick Megonigal, Associate Director for Research, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Catherine Seavitt, Chair, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Pennsylvania

The program will be held in person at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens; live virtual attendance is also available. Please indicate ‘In-Person’ or ‘Virtual’ attendance at registration. Lunch is provided to all attendees.

In-person fee: $155
Students: $80
In-Person Registration →

Virtual fee: $125
Students: $80
Virtual Registration →

Members: $25 • Non-members: $30 

Come join us for an all-ages program all about fireflies, bats, and other creatures of the night! 

Did you know that fireflies are not flies, but are actually beetles? Or that our planet is home to over 2,200 firefly species, and that over 30 species can be found in PA? Or that “glow worms” are actually firefly larvae, and can be found lighting up the soil all around us at night if we only know where and how to look?   
  
In this program, we will explore the natural history of fireflies, ways of observing and telling them apart, and what we can do to make our gardens more “glowing.” Then, representatives from the Penn Vet Wildlife Futures Program will tell us about the work that they do to help our state’s wild species thrive, and about some of our nighttime neighbors that come out when the sun goes down!  

The program will conclude with a short night walk in the garden where we will look for these nocturnal neighbors, and see some light-flash conversations in person.  

One registration covers one adult and one child. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Additional adults will require additional registration.