Friends of the Monarch is a three-part workshop series covering topics necessary to providing a healthy ecosystem for Monarch butterflies. Each workshop program takes place from 1:00-2:30pm, is appropriate for people age 16 and up, and has a registration fee of $20. Register for all three together for $50. For more information on these three programs, or to register for just one, click on the titles below to access their descriptions.

Milkweed! (Saturday April 25) - Introduces the native host plants of the Monarch caterpillar through lecture and garden walk.

Caterpillars! (Friday June 12) - Explains the Monarch lifecycle through informative lecture and observation in our garden.

Pollinator Gardens! (Saturday August 8) - Explores the options for planning and planting species specifically to attract beneficial, beautiful insects to your garden through lecture and garden tour.

Discover the fascinating history of photography while learning to capture the beauty of the Gardens of Old Salem using just your smartphone! Explore techniques such as framing, lighting, and capturing the vibrant details of plants, flowers, and landscapes. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, you’ll gain valuable tips and techniques to taking amazing photos using just your smartphone and creativity.

This particular workshop in our 2026 Smartphone Photography series focuses on summer flowers and flourishing fruits and vegetables on the grounds of Old Salem Museums & Gardens and will include both an indoor (introduction and lecture) and an outdoor (venturing into the gardens) portion. The gardens may be wet/muddy. Weather appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes are recommended if you choose to join us on this summer abundance adventure at the Garden Education Center!

This workshop is suited for ages 12+. Children under the age of 18 registered for this event must be accompanied by a registered adult. Check-in for this program will be at the Garden Education Center within the Single Brothers' Workshop, 10 W. Academy Street (entrance is through the courtyard gate between the buildings, to the right, and up the ramp). Please arrive 15 minutes prior to allow time for check-in!

Botany has been a well-documented passion hobby in Moravian towns for centuries, and both boys and girls were taught relevant botany skills through learning natural history, painting and sketching, and nature walks. If you attended our 2025 program Boys' School Botany, this is the other side of that experience exploring what girls would have been learning!

The Girls' School Botany program explores both the artwork and the botanical successes and failures of notable Moravian women of Salem and Springplace in the 1800s who were botany teachers. We will also try specimen documentation through watercolor in ways that botanically trained girls at Salem Academy would have been accustomed to in the early 1800s. People of all plant knowledge and watercolor skill levels are welcome, as there will be beginner-level instruction, and all program tools and materials will be provided.

This workshop takes place on the grounds of Old Salem Museums & Gardens and will include both an indoor (in the classroom) and an outdoor (venturing into the gardens) portion. The gardens may be wet/muddy. Weather appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes are recommended if you choose to join us for this educational crafting adventure at the Garden Education Center! 

This workshop is suited for ages 12+. Children under the age of 18 registered for this event must be accompanied by a registered adult. Check-in for this program will be at the Garden Education Center within the Single Brothers' Workshop, 10 W. Academy Street (entrance is through the courtyard gate between the buildings, to the right, and up the ramp). Please arrive 15 minutes prior to allow time for check-in!

Discover the fascinating history of photography while learning to capture the beauty of the Gardens of Old Salem using just your smartphone! Explore techniques such as framing, lighting, and capturing the vibrant details of plants, flowers, and landscapes. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, you’ll gain valuable tips and techniques to taking amazing photos using just your smartphone and creativity.

This particular workshop in our 2026 Smartphone Photography series focuses on fall-blooming flowers and the autumnal harvest on the grounds of Old Salem Museums & Gardens. The program will include both an indoor (introduction and lecture) and an outdoor (venturing into the gardens) portion. The gardens may be wet/muddy. Weather appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes are recommended if you choose to join us on this seasonal adventure at the Garden Education Center!

This workshop is suited for ages 12+. Children under the age of 18 registered for this event must be accompanied by a registered adult. Check-in for this program will be at the Garden Education Center within the Single Brothers' Workshop, 10 W. Academy Street (entrance is through the courtyard gate between the buildings, to the right, and up the ramp). Please arrive 15 minutes prior to allow time for check-in!

Spend your morning with us constructing a cornucopia with produce grown in the Gardens of Old Salem and using it as your subject for a still-life painting! You may find our fall harvest to be full of surprises, but this program will include educational elements that dive into our historically authentic plant collection. Plant specimens will include the rare heirloom cultivars and native species our Head of Garden Curation has chosen for our kitchen gardens this year, with important information about these plants shared as you craft your masterpiece! 

This workshop takes place indoors (in the classroom) at the Garden Education Center, although you are welcome to stroll through the gardens on your own after the program concludes. The Cornucopia Painting program is geared towards beginners but is open to all skill levels. All materials and gentle instruction will be provided. In addition to your painting, you will be able to take home the grains, vegetables, and other plant materials used in your subject cornucopia, so that you may use them as seasonal harvest decorations in your own home!

This workshop is suited for ages 18+. Check-in for this program will be at the Garden Education Center within the Single Brothers' Workshop, 10 W. Academy Street (entrance is through the courtyard gate between the buildings, to the right, and up the ramp). Please arrive 15 minutes prior to allow time for check-in!