Lots of stuff going on at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Here’s the calendar of events through January. For more info, go to bbg.org.

I. PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Gallery Exhibit: Portraits of a Garden IV
Through Sunday, November 30
The fourth biennial exhibition of all new work by Florilegium Society artists features more than 40 paintings and drawings of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s living collections. From signature spring blooming magnolias, Kanzan cherries, and tree peonies to the cola tree, camellias, and green ixia that bloom in the conservatories in winter, Florilegium Society artists have captured the essence of these plants and many more through the seasons in the Garden. Free with Garden admission.

Ghouls and Gourds
Sunday, October 26 | Noon–6 p.m.
Let the “wild rumpus” begin! Bring costumes, instruments, and silly attitudes and prepare to be charmed by one of New York City’s wackiest Halloween extravaganzas. Enjoy performances by renowned groups like The Revolutionary Snake Ensemble and John Carlin and the Kid’s Music Underground. Kids can also meet local children’s book authors and illustrators, join junk-instrument-making workshops, create masks, and much more. The afternoon culminates with a Halloween costume parade led by drummers from the Brazilian percussion corps Maracatu NY. Visiting ghouls and goblins can march to the beat of hundreds of zany percussion instruments, carry an assortment of larger than-life puppets, or just show off their own costumes for all to see! Free with Garden admission.

Starting a Children’s Garden Program
Tuesday, October 21 | 6–8 p.m.
Ever wanted to begin a new children’s garden in a school, block
association, or neighborhood organization? This workshop will provide tips for adult leaders who want to organize a children’s gardening program. for how to plan it, and what tools and plant materials are needed. Participants will receive a free activity booklet and get a chance to visit our children’s education greenhouse for hands-on activities. Free, but registration is required; call 718-623-7220.

Special Theme Tour: Chase Away the Winter Blues
First Sunday of every month: November 2, December 7, January 4, February 1, March 1 | 1 p.m.
As many as half of the people living in the middle and extreme latitudes experience a dip in their moods during the winter months. Exposure to daylight, even on a
cloudy day, can help restore energy, alertness, and contentment. Join Lynne
Spevack, L.C.S.W., a licensed psychotherapist and veteran Brooklyn Botanic Garden tour guide, for this hour-long free outdoor narrated wintertime walk designed to chase away the winter blues. Learn how to maintain a sunny outlook through dark, cold winter days, and discover the plants and animals that enliven the garden landscape even in the “dead” of winter. Free with Garden admission. Tour is held rain, snow, or shines.

Healing with Horticulture
Thursday, November 6 | 6–8 p.m.
Why is gardening therapeutic? There is an increasing interest within the health and human service fields about what most gardeners know intuitively: Time spent planting, potting, pruning, observing, or harvesting is restorative. This class is for institutions and individuals interested in starting a therapeutic horticulture program.
or wanting to learn about the profession of horticultural therapy. Research and theories about the benefits of contact with the natural world will be reviewed and therapeutic horticulture activities will be demonstrated. No charge, but registration is required; call 718-623-7220.

Brewing Compost Tea
Sunday, December 2 | 6-8 p.m.
Compost tea not only inoculates plants against certain diseases by introducing an abundance and diversity of microorganisms, but also contains nutrients vital to plant health. Come learn more about how to make and apply this amazing brew, which can be used along with other organic gardening techniques to improve the health of your garden. Free, but registration is required; call 718-623-7220.

The Garden at Night
Sunday, December 2 | 6-8 p.m.
Come and enjoy a lecture by Linda Rutenberg highlighting her newest book, The Garden at Night. Linda will touch on the challenges of photographing at night, the art of garden photography, and the stories behind the creation of her book. This exclusive one-hour presentation features Linda’s captivating photographs, including published and unpublished images from BBG. The lecture will be followed by a casual reception and book signing. Fee and registration is required; call 718-623-7220.

Holiday Greens
Saturday, December 6 | 2-5 p.m.
Create beautiful holiday decorations for the home! Fashion wreaths, swags, and centerpieces of pine and fir, and then decorate them with a variety of natural materials, bright balls and beads, ribbons, and bows. In Section A, beginners learn how to create their own holiday decoration. Students who’ve taken the beginner’s section or have previous experience decorating with holiday greens can get right to it in Section B. Taking both classes ensures double the seasonal spirit! Bring scissors, pruning shears, and holiday spirit! Section A: December 1, 2-5 p.m., Section B: December 13, 2-5 p.m. Fee and registration required; call 718-623-7220.

Tree Recycling and Mulch Giveaway
Saturday, January 10 | 10 a.m. -2 p.m.
When the holiday season comes to a close, bring your Christmas tree (free of lights and ornaments) to recycle into wood chips and a bag and shovel to pick up free wood chip mulch! BBG’s Master Composters will be on hand to answer questions. Location: Green-Wood Cemetery (5th Avenue & 25th Street entrance, Brooklyn).

Eating Local in the Big Apple
Sunday, January 11 | 12 – 3 p.m.
Have you made a resolution to live a greener life in 2009? Wondering how to eat local foods in the urban jungle? Join expert locavore Leda Meredith for tips and insights from her 250-Mile Diet Plan (eating only foods grown or raised within a 250-mile radius of her Brooklyn apartment). Learn where to source local ingredients, how to eat local on a budget, eating local in the city in winter, and how to handle time and space shortages. Class includes a cooking demo (and tasting!) from Leda’s new book, Botany, Ballet, & Dinner from Scratch: A Memoir with Recipes. Fee and registration required; call 718-623-7220.

Composting in the City
Thursday, January 15 | 6-8 p.m.
Leaves, kitchen scraps, garden trimmings, and weeds can all become garden gold through composting. Making dark, rich, crumbly compost doesn’t take much time, work, or space. This class covers the essentials: the composting process, how to compost even in small city yards, using finished compost, avoiding and solving problems, and helpful equip.m.ent and tools. Participants receive a copy of the BBG handbook Easy Compost: The Secret to Great Soil and Spectacular Plants. Also Feb 26. Free, but registration is required; call 718-623-7220.

Lunar New Year Celebration & Flower Market
Sunday, January 25 | 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
In China, Korea, and Vietnam, flowers are said to bring luck and prosperity in the New Year. Luxuriate in the lavish colors and scents of peach blossoms, citrus trees, flowering quince, and other seasonal flowers at BBG’s flower market in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Families will enjoy stunningly beautiful costumes and extraordinary musical and dance performances. Kids can join in hands-on workshops. Chinese brush-painting sessions for adults and special Lunar New Year tours in Chinese or English will highlight BBG’s impressive collection of plants native to China, Korea, and Vietnam. Free with Garden admission.

13th Annual Plant-O-Rama
Tuesday, January 27 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Co-hosted with the Metro Hort Group (MHG), this exciting horticultural trade show features the Northeast’s leading specialty nurseries, wholesale growers of unusual plants, and suppliers of cutting-edge products. Attend lectures and panel discussions featuring leading horticultural personalities and take home catalogs from native and ornamental seed and plant growers. Admission: Free to MHG members, BBG staff and BBG volunteers; all others $25 at door. For more information visit www.bbg.org or call 718-623-7298.

II. CHILDREN’S GARDEN

It may appear that plants and animals are resting through the winter, but Children’s Garden participants know that many things are happening outdoors and inside at BBG! Children work in the greenhouse, plant in cold frames, and explore the magic of the Garden in winter. The Independence Community Foundation Scholarship Fund for the Children’s Garden provides limited scholarships for all age groups based on need. For information, call the Registration Office at 718-623-7220.

KinderGarden: Seedlings
For Pre-K through 1st Graders (Four-, Five-, and Six-Year-Olds)
Includes four-year-olds for winter! The Seedlings explore BBG’s winter wonderland as they learn about how plants survive in the cold season. We plant in the greenhouse, read garden stories, and create nature-inspired arts and crafts projects with some cooking projects too. Fee and registration required; call 718-623-7220.
4 Saturdays: January 10, 24, 31; February 7 | 10:30 a.m. –Noon

City Farmers
For 2nd through 7th Graders
Winter City Farmers work in the greenhouses and garden outside (yes, outside!) in cold frames and under row covers. Winter-related nature crafts, cooking projects, and science investigations round out a morning of garden fun. Oh, and if it snows, City Farmers might even make a few snow-gardeners! Fee and registration required; call 718-623-7220.
4 Saturdays: January 10, 24, 31; February 7 | 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

III. DISCOVERY GARDEN

Frolic throughout the fall in the fun-filled Discovery Garden, for families with young children. This outdoor exploration and adventure garden is designed to provide an atmosphere where plants and nature come alive for children. Use all the senses to explore plants, discover garden creatures, hide under a weeping tree, or hike a nature trail! The Discovery Garden includes safe areas designed for toddlers to experience plant life firsthand and have fun, and free drop-in workshops for families to enjoy. Visit often!

Discovery Tuesdays!
Tuesdays in October | Drop-in time: 2–4 p.m.
Tuesday is Discovery Day for young children interested in exploring plants
up close! These 15-minute, drop-in plant workshops allow children and families to
be plant detectives and discover new parts of the Discovery Garden. Hands-on activities are educational and creative; they include nature explorations, plantings, and garden arts for kids to take home. Discovery Garden; canceled in case of inclement weather.

Worms on Weekends
Saturdays in October| Drop in between 2–4 p.m.
Kids examine garden creatures big and small in the garden’s worm bin. Plus, they can learn about how worms live underground and why they are so important in the garden. Discovery Garden; canceled in case of inclement weather.

Leaf Out in November!
Sunday, November 9 | Drop-in time: 2–4 p.m.
Jump into a pile of leafy activities this month with leaf pressings, leaf art, and leaf hunts. How do leaves change color in the fall? Why do some leaves fall and some stay forever green? Learn why and how through hands-on experiments, ga.m.es, and crafts. Discovery Garden Toddler Lawn; free with Garden admission.

Wonderful Winter Greens!
Sunday, December 7 | Drop in between 2-4 p.m.
Come enjoy an afternoon of creative winter crafts using winter’s bounty of natural objects. Create seasonal displays or winter wall hangings using plant materials collected from the great outdoors. Free with Garden admission.

Discovery Workshop: Winter in the Garden
Saturday, January 10 | 2 – 4 p.m.
Plants and animals have many ways of keeping warm all winter long! In this free workshop, explore how creatures big and small survive winter in the Garden. Learn about winter from a plant’s perspective and discover how some plants survive the cold and dry days, plus make and take home a birdfeeder to feed the feathered friends in your neighborhood!