MNA Spring Garden Tours and Events

Early Season Seedling Swap and Sale at MNA

Calling all Gardening Ninjas! Get a head start on the growing season with Flagstaff's first early season Seedling Swap and Sale at MNA. Bring your extra seed starts to swap or load up on hardy starts grown by Flagstaff farmers. This event will take place from 10am-1pm at the Colton Community Garden at MNA. FREE workshop offered 10am-1pm on self-wicking bed construction. 

Direction from downtown Flagstaff: take 180 North towards MNA. Turn right on Winding Brooke Lane. Park at the "T" in front of Newberry Cabin. Garden just behind and to your left. 

Sponsored by Flagstaff Foodlink, MNA and U of A Cooperative Extension Office.

MNA Horticulture Tours led by Jan Busco

Tours start at 10 am on select Saturday mornings and are limited in size. Tours include an optional 45 minute educational hands-on volunteer activity. Advance tickets can be purchased at  https://shopmusnaz.org/collections/tickets

Jan Busco has worked with native plants for more than three decades and is the curator of MNA’s gardens and grounds. She has written three books on western native plants; Native Plants for High-Elevation Western Gardens (Fulcrum Press 2010, 2004), First Garden: How to get Started in Southwestern Gardening (Cool Springs Press 2005) and First Garden:  How to get Started in California Gardening.  

May 4. Horticulture Tour: Early bloomers & cool season grasses

 Learn about early blooming plants and cool season grasses on this guided tour with MNA Horticulturist Jan Busco. Be ready to walk and spend time outside in the MNA research campus open space and around Coyote Springs. A seedling and plant sale follows. Feel free to bring a picnic lunch.

June 1  Golightly courtyard, Exhibits building

Living Exhibitions like the Life Zones in the Golightly Courtyard take a special kind of care and curation. Learn about the plants featured in and around the museum exhibits building, how they are selected, planted and cared for and their place in the natural landscape. After the tour, participants are invited to stay for a brief 45 minute volunteer activity. Feel free to bring lunch for a picnic.

July 13.  Living roof, ECC, Michael Moore Medicinal Garden. Learn about two of the most unique gardens at MNA. The 14,000 square foot living roof on the Easton Collection was originally planted in native grasses and wildflowers, - now the succession of plants that grow on the roof continuously evolves with our changing weather  The new Michael Moore Medicinal Garden highlights native plants with medicinal properties. After the tour, participants are invited to stay for a brief 45 minute volunteer activity. Feel free to bring lunch for a picnic.

August 10.  Colton House, Coyote Range

Well-established flowers and plantings grace these historic homes. See how perennials and native plants create a harmonious setting beneath the pines; learn about plants deer won’t eat, and see Mary Colton’s greenhouse   After the tour, participants are invited to stay for a brief 45 minute volunteer activity. Feel free to bring lunch for a picnic.  

See link for flyer  LINK