A Gardening Brown Bag Lecture at Albuquerque's Rio Grande Botanic Garden

By Amy Landers

Albuquerque, NM - If you are like most gardeners, January has found you wistfully looking out the window at the vacant garden outside waiting for the first days of spring when you can joyfully return your fingers and toes to the soil.

To alleviate your gardening midwinter blues, the January Brown Bag Lecture will focus on indoor gardening projects. On Thursday, January 7 and Saturday, January 9, from 12:45 – 1:30pm, at the Aquarium/Garden Education Building, BioPark Education is pleased to host Maria Irving, Assistant Curator at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden, as she demonstrates three indoor winter projects that are rewarding for gardeners at any age:

· How to force blooming tree and shrub branches for indoor arrangements

· How to force summer bulbs for an early start

· How to plant a terrarium

There will be a discussion period following the three topics, although questions at any time are always welcome.

Since 1994, informal Brown Bag seminars have been offered on a monthly basis at the Albuquerque BioPark to BioPark visitors, employees, and volunteers. Topics include plant and animal themes relevant to the BioPark, and presenters may be BioPark staff or field experts. The same monthly seminar is offered twice, on different days, to give as many people as possible the opportunity to attend. When the Brown Bag lecture is held at the Albuquerque Aquarium and Rio Grande Botanic Garden, admission is not required. When the lecture is held at the Rio Grande Zoo, it is included with regular zoo admission.

Albuquerque Biological Park hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. Admission is $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for seniors 65 and older and children 3-12. Same day combo admission to all facilities is $12 for adults; $5 for seniors and children. New Mexico BioPark Society membership confers free general admission to all BioPark facilities and discounts to many special events. (No member discounts to River of Lights.) Find out more about becoming a BioPark Society member at nmbioparksociety.org.

The Albuquerque BioPark is an accessible facility and a division of the City of Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department. For special assistance in visiting the BioPark, please call 311 locally or (505) 768-2000 (Relay NM or 711).

The Albuquerque Biological Park is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (www.aza.org). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.

The Rio Grande Botanic Garden is a member of the American Public Garden Association, an organization founded in 1940 that has emerged as the premiere association for public gardens. Today, APGA’s 500 member institutions are located throughout North America and beyond. The APGA serves and strengthens its member gardens by supporting and promoting their work, value and achievements in horticultural display, education, research and plant conservation.

To view Rio Grande Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-94-Rio_Grande_Zoo