Every April, communities, organizations, and individuals nationwide celebrate gardening during National Garden Month. Gardeners know, and research confirms, that nurturing plants is good for us: attitudes toward health and nutrition improve, kids perform better at school, and community spirit grows. Join the celebration and help to make America a greener, healthier, more livable place!

101 Ways to Celebrate
National Garden Month

Dig Deeper and Branch Out

Plan to grow this year’s gifts (e.g. herbal teas or vinegars, dried flower arrangements, wreaths, homemade jam, pesto).
Just sit in your garden and quietly observe the activities of wildlife and insects for half an hour.
Take a class in botanical illustration.
Learn about the seed-saving movement and save some seeds from your garden to share and replant. For a primer on seed saving, click here.
Learn about houseplants that clean the air, and introduce them to your home or workplace. Click here for a brief article on the topic.
Start a garden journal.
Join a botanical garden and take some classes. Find one near you via the Web site of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.
Learn about rooftop gardening and “greenroofing.” Click here for an introduction to greenroofing.
Delve into a gardening style or technique you’ve always wanted to try, such as topiary, bonsai, or water gardening. Water gardening basics can be found by clicking here.
Become an informed consumer by learning about invasive plants.
Go on a sniffing tour of your neighborhood when bloom is at its peak, and try to match an aroma in the air to a specific flower.
Press flowers and frame two-dimensional bouquets for gifts.
Go on a bug safari; learn the names and habits of 5 invertebrates (e.g., insects, spiders, slugs, sowbugs, centipedes) that frequent your garden. Click here to identify these creatures.
Set up various types of bird feeders stocked with different foods and a birdbath, and see who they attract. For bird feeder basics, click here.
Join a Master Gardener’s program. Find one in your area by clicking here.
Learn some basic botanical Latin.
Learn how to take stunning photos of your plants and gardens. Click here for some guidance.
Take an armchair garden tour: Spend a few hours in the bookstore poring over gardening books.