Past Events
Below are some examples of typical past and on-going events at the Linnaeus Teaching Gardens.
SENSE-sational Science
Teachers converge on one of the work stations at the TU SENSE-sational Science program.
Pre-school and elementary teachers are given indoor instruction.
The Linnaeus Garden is pleased to be a partner in the SENSE-sational Science program sponsored by Tulsa University. The goal of the program is to provide teachers with the tools to incorporate science into the classrooms in the pre-school through 5th grades.
A large group of pre-school and elementary teachers spent a full day at the Linnaeus Garden in June. We set up teaching stations on topics such as soils, the water cycle, composting, edible parts of plants and beneficial insects. Each station provided the teachers a wealth of ideas on ways they could use our garden to incorporate science in their classrooms. We incorporated an aspect of the Oklahoma PASS standards for elementary science into each workstation.
The day was very rewarding, and we look forward to participating again next year.
Anniversary Celebrations in June
Many visitors turned out to help us celebrate our 5th anniversary in 2011.
Each year in early June everyone is invited to help the Linnaeus Garden celebrate our anniversary.
Our nearly 2-acre garden was created in 2006 through private donations to educate the public about plants, flowers, vegetables and herbs that grow in this climate.
"Organizers had no idea if they really could pull off an entirely volunteer-run community garden that depended soley on donations," said Barry Fugatt, director of horticulture at the Tulsa Garden Center and Linnaeus Teaching Garden.
But local and national support from the industry quickly jumped on board. "Our donor base is over 1,000," Fugatt said. "And we've almost 250 volunteers that go through 12 weeks of training and give hours of their time each year to the garden."
Over 500 people typically come out to help us celebrate our unique garden on our anniversay day. "It's beautiful," said one young visitor. And that sentiment is what the Linnaeus Garden is all about.
Grandparents' Day - early September
Grandparents enjoy spending time with their grandson in the Linnaeus
Vegetable Garden.
The Linneaus Garden Seniors Committee sponsors Grandparents' Day annually in early September. Look in the Upcoming Events calendar for the exact date.
Grandparents share their love of gradening and nature with their grandkids and great grandkids.
The Seniors Committee tries to have something special for all. In 2012, the Tulsa Herb Society presented Grandmothers with nosegays of fresh herbs and roses. A professional photographer gave each visitor a complimentary photo of them and their grandchildren, placed in a beautifully designed holder. Boy scouts and girl scouts helped welcome visitors to the garden and even served as surrogate grandchildren if needed.
Grandparents' Day is a wonderful time for seniors to spend a special day with their grandchildren, pass along their knowledge of gardening, and share their love of the outdoors.
Tours
Children enjoy a guided tour of the Linnaeus Vegetable Garden.
We provided tours of the Linnaeus Gardens for groups of all ages, from professional organizations to children, church groups, seniors, teachers and more.
If you are interested in a tour, please call the Tulsa Garden Center at 918.746.5141 to make arrangements.
Little Green Thumbs, April through September
Little Green Thumbs plant vegetables in May.
With sessions every third Saturday April through September, Little Green Thumbs (ages 4 to 11 years) offers fun gardening projects for kids.
Taught by Linnaeus Gardeners and Tulsa Garden Center volunteers, the sessions start out with the children planting vegetables in their own Children's Garden.
Programs offered have included topics such as Butterflies, Birds and Toads, Pollinators and Bee Houses, Vegetables and Herbs, and Art in the Garden. We close out the season with a Children's Garden Harvest Party in September.
The children learn about the food chain, recycling, composting, and insects and other garden creatures. They make their own butterflies to take home and enjoy a range of other exciting activities.
Seminar Examples: Successful Gardening, Nature’s Way
Jeff Lowenfels, garden writer, speaker, humorist, and past president of American Garden Writers and founder of the nationally successful program "Plant a Row for the Hungry", and Lorelei Hill, an exciting speaker from Los Angeles with over 30 years of garden industry experience, lectured on "Controlling Insects with Insects". Our speakers explained how urban gardeners can help create and maintain healthy garden conditions that allow beneficial insects (lady bugs, praying mantis, mason bees, etc.) to flourish. They also explained where beneficial insects (or egg cases) can be inexpensively purchased and where and when to release them into the garden. Introducing beneficial insects into your garden is so much more exciting and environmentally friendly than using poisonous chemicals. It’s how we do it at the Linnaeus Teaching Garden. And it works.
Working Toward Veggie Perfection
Nobody grows veggies better than Burpee, the world’s largest distributor of veggie seeds and plants, and on a beautiful Saturday morning in March two Burpee horticulturists joined our own Barry Fugatt in teaching a practical, information loaded, how-to program on growing the finest varieties of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, melons, salad crops and scores of other delicious produce. Variety, selection, fertility, organic pest control, ideal planting dates and even a few cooking tips were shared. Seminar participants were given six of Burpee's hottest new tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Participants left this program with a much better understanding of what it takes to grow healthy, premium veggies in the Tulsa area.
