Jubilant June

Saturday, June 1
10 a.m. to Noon
Put Some Zen in Your Yard
This is our last free lecture of the season so don't miss out! Asia has one of the richest horticultural histories in the world, and gardens have played an important role in the shaping of different cultures. Learn the symbolism and secrets of the Far East gardens Min Lum Mossman, a Professor at FIU, Asian Studies Program, Architecture, Landscape Design and published author on Asian garden symbolism and philosophy. Mrs. Mossman will cover the history, typology, and symbolism in the Japanese Garden, essential Chinese/Japanese garden concepts such as walking and centering meditation, and religious and philosophical concepts of the garden such as Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, and Shinto.

Wednesdays, June 12 through August 14
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Free! Summer Eco Arts Camp
Join Educator Winsome Bolt and the Sunflower Society this summer for our Eco Art Camp, held in the Banyan Room every Wednesday. This year’s projects will focus on international art with different themes presented from countries such as Mexico, Spain, China and Jamaica. Once a week, students ages 8-12 can explore, play, and create one-of-a-kind crafts from recycled and repurposed materials. Get out from behind the TV screen and step into the Garden this summer for hands-on creativity and learning. A one time $10 enrollment fee is suggested to help cover the cost of art supplies.

REGISTRATION: Click here for quick online registration, call the Garden at (305) 673-7256 ext. 201, or email your contact info to membership@mbgarden.org. For more information on class curriculum, call Winsome Bolt at (305) 305-9141.


Wednesdays in June
12:30 to 1:45 p.m.
Hatha Yoga Classes
These 45 minute sessions are FREE for members with a suggested $10 donation for non-members. The classes encompass a blend of strengthening, stretching, and relaxation. The instructor, Kiki Fries, is known for her versatile classes which cater to individual interests, levels, and requests. Whether you have never practiced yoga before or you are an advanced practitioner with an area of injury, Kiki will ensure that you leave her class feeling refreshed, revitalized, and harmonized. A yoga practitioner for 14 years, Kiki trained at Ayama Yoga in Aventura, FL and teaches a variety of yoga classes throughout Miami. Trained and certified in Holistic Health Counseling, Integrative Nutrition, and Reiki, Kiki helps students to strengthen the body and the spirit while relaxing the mind.


Wednesday, June 26 / Sunday, June 30
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. / Noon to 10:30 p.m.
Miami Performance International Festival '13
This exciting four-week program of performance art, video screenings, talks and workshops provides an opportunity for the public to come face-to-face with the breadth and depth of performance art. The festival offers visceral and challenging performance works by artists from 19 countries as well as more than 40 national and local artists. Catch a glimpse of the creative process across a range of media, as you are presented with cross-disciplinary works that speak to high levels of innovation, critical thinking, and social engagement. Events are free but availability is limited.

Unlike theater and dance, all MP ‘13 performances have no designated areas nor are they presented on a stage, but rather on the floor, dissolving the boundary between the artists and viewers. Click here for a schedule of artists and events at the Garden and other venues.

Thursday, June 27
4 to 8 p.m.
Outdoor Poetry Slam
From Tigertail Productions. More information coming soon. www.tigertail.org.

Friday, June 28
7 to 10 p.m.
Million Dollar Murder: A One-Woman Murder Mystery Play
Mystery on the Menu cordially invites you to a murder mystery featuring Barbara Fox. Members of the audience will receive lines to read during the presentation, participate, investigate, examine clues, share information, and solve the crime! (Hint: It wasn't Professor Plum!) Your $21 ticket includes the mystery show, wine, cheese and chocolate appetizers. Advance reservations required. Call 786.683.6078 to reserve your space.  

Read moherep://events.miamiherald.com/miami_beach_fl/events/show/327565863-put-some-zen-in-your-yard#storylink=cpy

Magical May

Tuesday, April 30 
5:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Annual Meeting “Flavors of South Florida”

This annual meeting of the Miami Beach Garden Conservancy is free and open to the public, with a members-only reception starting at 5:30. The general meeting will begin at 6:30 where Board Members will be elected. At 7:00 the program begins. This year’s theme is “Flavors of South Florida” with guest panelists Gary Feinberg-Co-Founder of the Little Haiti Community Garden, John Richards-Director of the Miami Culinary Institute, Laura Lafata “La Diva”-Culinary Entertainment Expert, and Melissa Contreras-Founder of the Urban Oasis Project. Zak the Baker will be there too, along with local authors signing their books on gardening in South Florida. Click here to see the invitation. 

Wednesdays in May
12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Hatha Yoga Classes

These 45 minute sessions are FREE for members with a suggested $10 donation for non-members. The classes encompass a blend of strengthening, stretching, and relaxation. The instructor, Kiki Fries, is known for her versatile classes which cater to individual interests, levels, and requests. Whether you have never practiced yoga before or you are an advanced practitioner with an area of injury, Kiki will ensure that you leave her class feeling refreshed, revitalized, and harmonized. A yoga practitioner for 14 years, Kiki trained at Ayama Yoga in Aventura, FL and teaches a variety of yoga classes throughout Miami. Trained and certified in Holistic Health Counseling, Integrative Nutrition, and Reiki, Kiki helps students to strengthen the body and the spirit while relaxing the mind.

Friday, May 3
8:30 p.m. to Midnight

Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

This night is a two-part feature, with the movie I Am Divine starting at 8:30 p.m. and the High-Heel High Hair party starting at 10 p.m. The synopsis of I Am Divine: Young Harris Glenn Milstead liked musicals, was drawn to feminine pursuits, and was bullied. He was privately playing dress-up games in his mother's clothes. By 1963, Glenn was brave enough to show up at a party dressed as an astonishingly passable Elizabeth Taylor. After meeting a crowd of gay hipsters, Glenn starts camping it up, and meets the man who changed his life, John Waters. Click here for tickets, or see the movie’s trailer.

Saturday, May 4

10 a.m. to Noon

Birds, Butterflies and Wildlife Walk & Talk

Nature enthusiasts are invited to explore the Garden’s natural and landscaped environments in search of local wildlife, especially native butterflies and birds. Gil Pettigrew will lead the group through the Garden after a brief discussion in the Butterfly Room beforehand. Participants will be observing the habits, habitat, and behavior of the animals they find, as Mr. Pettigrew discusses each species’ basic ecological significance and evolutionary origins. Dress comfortably to be outside for up to 1.5 hours. Dr. Pettigrew is a naturalist, science, educator, scientist, creative writer, and photographer based  in Miami, Florida. He is currently a biology instructor at Nova Southeastern University’s Kendall Campus, and Volunteer Steward of Rare Butterfly Habitat Creation with Miami’s Urban Paradise Guild, where he heads the Atala butterfly monitoring project at Oleta River State Park. He holds an M.S. in biology, focusing on ecology and organismal biology, especially butterflies, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and is a published poet and photographer.

Saturday, May 4

1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Rain Barrel Workshop

The Miami Dade Cooperative Extension Service will be giving a free rain barrel making workshop after the Wildlife Walk & Talk. Florida receives an average of 52 inches of rainfall per year. Learn how you can reuse this water to benefit your home and garden by making a rain barrel to store runoff from your roof and other impermeable surfaces. The first 50 participants will also receive a FREE rain barrel made from repurposed Coca-Cola syrup containers. In addition to the workshop, residents will be able to exchange three old light bulbs for energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs, and exchange up to two water-wasting showerheads for water-efficient models. Email patriciabocio@miamibeachfl.gov to register.

Tuesday, May 7

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Point Foundation Cornerstone Fundraiser

The Miami Cornerstone event is an opportunity to join the Point Foundation’s Cornerstone Society ($500 annually), a group of dedicated individuals who are revolutionizing the face of the LGBTQ community through the impact of education. Point Foundation empowers promising LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential with these funds. Tickets for the event are $30 and can be purchased at www.pointfoundation.org/Miami. At the Cornerstone Fundraiser, you’ll hear amazing stories of courage, promise, and potential from Point Scholars and Alumni while enjoying complimentary cocktails and appetizers.

Friday, May 10

National Public Gardens Day
Public gardens are a fun activity for families, couples, and enthusiasts, providing a low-cost, entertaining, and beautiful community outing while providing important resources, education and research on environmental stewardship and conservation. National Public Gardens Day is a national day of celebration to raise awareness of America’s public gardens and their important role in promoting environmental stewardship and awareness, plant and water conservation, and education in communities nationwide. Visit www.nationalpublicgardensday.org for more information.

Sunday, May 12

4 to 6 p.m.

Mother’s Day Chamber Music Concert

Join the South Beach Chamber Ensemble for a relaxing session of classical string music in the Garden.  This concert’s theme is “Scandinavia Explored”, with guest soprano Anna Hersey, a recent Fullbright fellow, singing songs by Grieg, Frumerie, Nystroem, Alfvén, and others, arranged with string quartet accompaniment. Click hereto purchase tickets and for more info.

Tuesday, May 14

Miami-Dade County Special Elections

The Garden is a polling place for precinct 034 in the Miami-Dade County Special Elections. Voting is the most impactful way to have a say in important issues that affect our community. This is an opportunity for Miami-Dade voters to cast their ballot regarding the modernization of Sun Life stadium. Click here for more info and a sample ballot. 

Tuesday, May 14
Noon to 2 p.m.

Green Book Club Discusses American Canopy

American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation, (2013) by Eric Rutkow discusses the many captivating stories of trees throughout our country’s history: the Liberty Trees, where colonists gathered to plot rebellion against the British; Henry David Thoreau’s famous retreat into the woods; the creation of New York City’s Central Park; the great fire of 1871 that killed a thousand people in the lumber town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin; the fevered attempts to save the American chestnut and the American elm from extinction; and the controversy over spotted owls and the old-growth forests they inhabited. The Green Book Club reads and discusses environmentally-themed books chosen and read during the month preceding each meeting. This will be the last meeting for this season until November. Newcomers are always welcome. Contact Benjia Morgenstern at benjiamo@the-beach.net for more info.

Friday, May 31
8 p.m. 

Dance Under the Stars 
Be prepared to be wowed by performances throughout the Garden by Dance NOW! Miami’s internationally acclaimed dancers and a special performance from past Summer Intensive talented scholarship recipients, 25 and counting… $75/Single, $100/Couple, this Gala Fundraiser is held in honor of Mayor Matti Bower, and benefits the Dance NOW! Summer Intensive Scholarship Fund. Click here for tickets.