Welcome to the Garden…
The Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum (KBGA) is located on 44 acres of former Howell Nurseries, featuring walking trails, display gardens, unique & historic horticulture and over two miles of distinctive stone walls and timeless buildings, just five minutes from downtown. KBGA is a privately owned and operated Garden supported through donations and membership. Thanks to our members and local supporters we are able to offer these beautiful gardens to the public for free!
Upcoming Events
Visit with friends, family and colleagues while sipping champagne and enjoying a seated lunch in our beautiful Dogwood Center. Hats in Bloom features milliner Patricia Frankum’s designer hats and lunch by Holly Hambright of Holly’s Gourmet’s Market.
Join us for our monthly version of Story Thyme! Our preschool program features engaging stories, nature exploration, hands-on gardening, crafts and other activities that nurture the youngest gardeners and their grownups.
Learn the long-standing practice of pressing plants for both artistic and scientific purposes and find out about the work being done by the University of Tennessee Herbarium. Participants will gain hands-on experience pressing plant specimens, learn how to mount pressed plants on paper for preservation, and go home with a mini specimen to display.
Join Board Member & Master Gardener Susan Kiss for an exploration of the garden landscape through the lens of pollination. Come learn about what makes a landscape prime for pollinators while you take a stroll through the gardens.
Join Plant Curators for a hands-on class learning how to create a kokedama, using beautiful houseplants with unique foliage that thrive in your home year round. Participants will learn about kokedama maintenance and a bit about the Japanese art of kokedama. All materials will be provided and each participant will take home their own creation.
Join Kristin Webber, the Chicken Librarian, as she guides participants on a walk around the gardens to forage for plants and materials to make a festive holiday wreath. Kristin will not only show students how to create a wreath using found materials, but she will help them identify plants along the way. Each student will leave with one handmade wreath. Please plan for walking outside and standing during the class.
Join us for our monthly version of Story Thyme! Our preschool program features engaging stories, nature exploration, hands-on gardening, crafts and other activities that nurture the youngest gardeners and their grownups.
Join Board Member & former KBGA staff, Dan Steinhoff, on a special, extended tour of KBGA’s unique & historic tree collection. The group will stop to enjoy a bring your own picnic lunch at 11:30am, then continue on to see more of the remarkable trees across the property. Please bring water, a hat, and your picnic lunch!