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Donor Spotlight
Celebrating the Meinders Garden Grant
The Myriad Gardens Foundation is thrilled and delighted to report a major grant award of $400,000 from Herman and LaDonna Meinders/Meinders Foundation.
Funds will be used to complete the planting plan for the Meinders Garden, which occupies the northeast corner of the Myriad Botanical Gardens, and serves as an entrance to the Gardens from the intersection of Sheridan and Robinson Avenues. The Meinders Garden constitutes approximately 20% of the 17-acre Myriad Gardens. The Junior League of Oklahoma City awarded a two-year grant totaling $34,000 to The Myriad Gardens Foundation for the “Bringing Books to Life” program. For children ages Pre-K through middle school, books will come alive through various art projects, hands-on demonstrations and interactive programming including storytelling, science and cooking demonstrations. In addition, funds will be used to create “book nooks” in the children’s garden for children to discover and have a quiet place to read. Exciting design enhancements planned for the Meinders Garden include a new terrace area for weddings and other events as well as a lovely, shady site for all to enjoy. Features include a rustic, wooden trellis and a charming stone fountain.
Funds will also be used to increase the Garden’s endowment fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation specifically for the long-term maintenance and sustainability of this unique
Junior League Awards “Bringing Books to Life” Grant and Celebrates 85 Years
garden of native plant species that thrive in Oklahoma. this significant anniversary with a distinctive and lasting community project as we wrap up our focus area of ‘Changing Lives Through Literacy’,” said Junior League President Cristi Reiger.
The JLOC has a history of commemorating significant anniversaries with distinctive projects. Past signature projects have included the Jungle Gym at the OKC Zoo and The Zone at the Children’s Hospital. The 85th Anniversary grants to the YWCA and The Myriad Gardens will add to this legacy.
A fantastical storytellers chair, made possible by a generous gift from Gail and Bill Beals, will add volumes to the storytelling program at the Gardens!
Kids & Family
ever y Wed nesd ay in Apri l 10 – 11am Reading Rainforest In the Crystal Bridge Best for ages 2-5 Free for members; Non-members pay Crystal Bridge admission Children will listen to a story, dramatically read by a staff member, in the comfort of the balmy Crystal Bridge, then enjoy working on a craft related to the story. Afterward, everyone will go on a hike through the rainforest of the Crystal Bridge. Books read will be: April 3, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom; April 10, Rainbow Fish; April 17, Earth Day, Birthday!; April 24, Leaf.
Sat urd ay, Apri l 20 Noon – 1pm Boys and Girls, Meet the Sensitive Plant Children’s Garden Best for ages 7-10 $2 members; $5 non-members Learn about this amazing drought-tolerant plant and how it got its unusual nickname. Hint: its Latin name means bashful. This little perennial grows right here in our Oklahoma fields and produces little round pink flowers. At the end of the class we will pot some seeds from the tiny, fuzzy pods so you can grow your own Mimosa pudica at home.
Tuesd ay, Apri l 23- Sund ay, Apri l 28 Festival of the Arts Oklahoma City’s rite of Spring returns to the Gardens with visual, performing and culinary arts. Visit artscouncilokc.com for details.
Sat urd ay, Apri l 27 1 – 2pm Children’s Spring Flower Arranging Children’s Garden Pavilion Best for ages 7 and up (younger children are welcome with the help of an adult) $12 members; $15 non-members Fresh, vibrant and fragrant. Come and have a great time making a colorful flower arrangement to brighten up your weekend! Participants will enjoy creating a bloomin’ masterpiece to take home. All supplies are provided.
Adults
SA TURDAY , Apri l 20 Noon Great Greens for your Garden Terrace Room $5 members; $7 non members Lettuce enlighten you! Join the Gardens’ Director of Horticulture Casey Sharber as she demonstrates how to grow a variety of tasty greens in a container or in the ground. Topics: pest control, garden design/layout, and crop selection.
SA TURDAY , Apri l 20 1 – 3pm Rain Gardening at Home Terrace Room $5 members; $7 non-members Led by Dr. Jason Vogel, a stormwater and low impact development specialist. Rain gardening is beautiful and eco-friendly, and captures runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs and driveways. It is slowly released into the surrounding soils for happier plants and healthier streams and rivers! Heck, we’re even going to raffle off a few plants to get you started!
Sat urd ay, Apri l 20 Chef’s Dinner Cocktail Hour 6 – 7pm; Dinner 7 – 9pm Gardens Restaurant $65 per member; $75 per non-member See complete details on page 2.
Sat urd ay, Apri l 27 1 – 4pm Rustic Willow Trellis or Obelisk Building Children’s Garden Amphitheatre (inside in bad weather) Best for ages 14 and up $45 members; $55 non-members Give your neighbors a case of obelisk envy! Build your own willow plant tower/obelisk or trellis that will look great in your garden or yard. In the process, learn some basic basket weaves and rustic construction methods. Participants should bring hand clippers/ pruners and work gloves.
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Kids & Family
ever y Wed nesd ay in May 10 – 11am Reading Rainforest In the Crystal Bridge Best for ages 2-5 Free for members; Non-members pay Crystal Bridge admission Children will listen to a story read by a staff member in the comfort of the balmy Crystal Bridge, then enjoy working on a craft related to the story. Afterward, everyone will go on a hike through the rainforest of the Crystal Bridge. Books read will be: May 1, The Tree; May 8, Where the Wild Things Are; May 15, The Giving Tree; May 22, The Great Kapok Tree; May 29, The Hungry Caterpillar.
Sat urd ay, May 4 11am – Noon Butterfly Gardens Children’s Garden Best for ages 7-10 • $2 members; $5 non-members Brightly colorful butterflies are an added attraction to any garden. Learn about the local plants that you can grow to attract more of them to your garden. We will decorate a terra cotta container and pot up some seeds for you to grow your own.
Tuesd ay, May 7 9am – 2pm Bug Out Lady Bug Release Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory All Ages Welcome Members pay $1 per container of lady bugs • Non-members pay entry fee into the Crystal Bridge, and $1 per container of lady bugs Participants will release thousands of these polka-dotted hungry helpers so they can chow down on pests that are bugging our plants! There will be games, crafts, hands-on learning activities and more. Ladybugs will be available for release on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 9am.
Frid ay, May 10 – Sund ay May 19 Okla-Gnoma 9am – 5pm Monday – Friday 9am – 7pm Saturdays & Sundays Best for ages 3 and up $5 per non-member child; free to member children See page 2 for details.
Sund ay, May 12 10:30am – Noon Mother’s Day Brunch Restaurant Adults $35; Kids 5-12 $15 Take mom out for a delicious brunch in the blooming gardens. Brunch to include: smoked salmon and Remoulade sauce, homemade red bell pepper and artichoke quiche, brown sugar caramelized bacon, gorgeous seasonal fruit, flaky croissants and mimosas. Please register in advance. May 14 – 28 10 – 11am Tasty Tuesdays Children’s Garden Best for ages 4 – 10 Members Free; Non-members $5 Each Tuesday children will learn about specific vegetables, plant seedlings and seeds, then take them home and watch them grow. Plants include cherry tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, sunflowers, beans, corn, herbs and more!
Sat urd ay, May 25 10:30am – Noon Pizza Gardening Children’s Garden Ages: 7-10 • $7 members; $10 non-members Bring your brood down to the Gardens to learn what goes into (and onto) their pizza: from wheat to pineapples to basil and more. After a little learning, kids will make pizza dough and sauce from scratch, add garden toppings and take home to bake.
Adults
Wed nesd ay, May 1 Day Tripping: Visit Wichita Botanica Gardens Depart 7am; return 6pm, traffic permitting Members $75; Non-members, $85 See page 12 for details.
Tuesd ays: May 7, 14, 21 and 28 5:30 – 6:30pm Zumba Outdoor Pavilion or Water Terrace Room $5 members; $10 non-members See inside back cover for details.
Th ur sd ay, May 9 Noon Brown Bag Speaker Series: Sustainable Gardens and the Employee Garden Concept Crystal Bridge 2nd Floor Conference Room Free to the Public Hear from Kathryn Gant, Chesapeake Employee Garden Coordinator as she shares the successes and challenges of sustainable and employee gardening.
Adults
Frid ay, May 10 – Sund ay May 12 Plant Sale and Garden Festival Open to the public Take home a bit of the gardens at the Spring Plant Sale and Garden Festival. Check out blooming plants, garden pop-up shops, and tasty treats. For a complete schedule of presentations, classes, shops and more, see page 4 or visit myriadgardens.org.
Sat urd ay, May 18 10am – Noon Love the Orchid! Terrace Room • $10 members; $12 non-members What is the name of that orchid? Why can’t I get it to flower? Which orchid is right for my home? These and many other questions will be answered in our Orchid Essentials class, which includes a Crystal Bridge orchid tour. Orchids available for purchase.
Sat urd ay, May 18 8 – 10pm Public Star Party Great Lawn • Free to the public The Oklahoma City Astronomy Club will bring out a selection of powerful telescopes for an evening of discovery. Star gazers of all ages are welcome to come learn about the night sky from the experts. These scopes are so strong that the ambient city light won’t bother us at all!
Sat urd ay, May 25 9:30 – 11:30am Hypertufa Container Workshop West Activity Pavilion Best for ages 13 and up • $30 members; $35 non-members Hypertufa is a man-made version of a natural rock known as tufa, a very porous rock that was once used for stone watering troughs. Hypertufa pots or troughs can be used for anything from cacti and succulent displays to rock gardens and beautiful bonsai. Participants will make their own rustic, stone-like hypertufa containers to take home.
Sat urd ay, May 25 10 – 11pm Full Moon Bike Ride Suggested donation $5 per rider. See details on back cover. Meet at the bandshell.
Sat urd ay, May 31 8 – 10pm Wise Guys Concert Great Lawn • Free to the public; suggested donation $5 per person Get your groove on with the Wise Guys, voted Oklahoma City’s favorite band of 2012. Bust out your dance moves or just enjoy all your favorite 70s and 80s hits at this upbeat, outdoor concert. Food Trucks and Hot dog guy will sell treats. Taste of Soul Egg Rolls will be parked at Sheridan to serve treats during the concert. Presented by Prodigal, LLC.
Kids & Family
Sat urd ay, June 1 Furry, Scaly, Slimy Saturday! 10am – 3pm, Children’s Garden 10am – 1pm Puppy Corral, Early Bird Acres mini-petting zoo, and animal crafts 1pm Jungle Jim Wild Encounters $5 per member child; $10 per non-member child Learn all about Jungle Jim Wild’s reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods. Cuddle with pets at the Central Oklahoma Humane Society puppy corral. Early Bird Acres will bring ducks, chicks, bunnies and more to the Children’s garden mini-petting zoo. Kids of all ages are invited to get creative with animal crafts.
Sat urd ay, June 1 2 – 3pm Spaghetti Eddie Concert presented by Devon Water Stage • Free to the Public See page 2 for details.
June 17-21 9:30am – 3:30pm Junior Master Gardeners Camp Water Plaza Room and Children’s Garden Best for ages 7-12 • Registration Deadline: June 11 Members $100/week; Non-members $150/week As a part of our Junior Master Gardener camp children will learn to appreciate the environment and plant world around them. The learning adventures throughout the week will see many aspects of gardening; from plant growth and ecology to soils and insects. This exploration will not only be educational but the children will have a blast getting involved. Full details at myriadgardens.org.
Adults
Sat urd ay, June 1 7 – 8:30pm Lyric Theatre Concert Great Lawn Free to the public Lyric Theatre celebrates 50 wonderful years with a free concert on the lawn. Guests will get a sneak peak of all that Lyric will offer at the Civic Center with a summer series preview followed by a country style concert by Julie Johnson. All ages are welcome.
Adults
Sat urd ay, June 8 1 – 4pm Beginners Basket Weaving Class Terrace Room Ages 14 and up • Registration Deadline: April 3 $35 members; $40 non-members In this hands-on workshop, you will build your own Gathering Basket to take home. Artist Marcia Balleweg, owner of Oklahoma Basket Supply, will be teaching this class. Max 12 students.
Tuesd ay, June 11 6 – 8pm Lecture: Native Wild Mushrooms of Oklahoma Terrace Room $10 members; $12 non-members Dr. Clark Ovrebo, Professor of Biology and mycologist at the University of Central Oklahoma, and general fungi (ha!) will give a talk and lead a local field trip. Clark will introduce you to the collection and study of wild mushrooms of Oklahoma and illustrate some of the more interesting species with colored photos. On Saturday, June 15, which you may attend at no charge, he will lead a two hour walk at Lake Thunderbird State Park. Learn more at myriadgardens.org.
June 13 Noon Brown Bag Lunch Speaker Series Plant and Invasive Pests Crystal Bridge 2nd Floor Conference Room Free to the public Jeanetta Cooper with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture’s Plant Protection Program will share with the group her extensive knowledge of all manner of garden pests and what we can do to thwart them.
Th ur sd ay, June 20 Splendor in the Gardens 25th Anniversary Gala VIP Reception 6:30; Dinner 8pm Gardens Restaurant and Great Lawn Individual tickets start at $125 See page 3 for details.
Sat urd ay, June 22 10 – 11pm Full Moon Bike Ride Suggested donation $5 per rider See details on back cover. Meet at the bandshell. Sat urd ay, June 29 1 – 4pm Photography Workshop Class begins at 2nd Floor Conference Room $25 members; $35 non-members OCU photography professor Sarah Hearn teaches experienced and new photographers alike the secrets of getting the perfect shot. The class will feature both practical instruction and hands on experience. This intimidation-free environment is the perfect place to hone your skills or try something new. Bring a camera!
presents
FREE SUMMER MOVIE NIGHTS
Join us on Wednesday nights from July 3 – August 14
for fresh air and PG-rated family fun on the Great
Lawn thanks to our friends at SONIC, America’s
Drive-In. Movies will begin at 9pm, when it’s cool
enough to enjoy being outdoors and dark enough to
see the big screen. Food trucks and vendors will be on
hand for snacking or a late dinner. Selections include:
Back to the Future, Despicable Me, Shrek 2 and more!
Come early to enjoy the Children’s Garden and Thunder
Fountain, then spread out a blanket, relax and enjoy!
Become a Member and Save
Three Easy Ways To Register
1. Visit myriadgardens.org 2. Call 405.445.7080 3. In person at the Crystal Bridge
