Tour Topics
Upon responding, please list your top two tour preferences, as well as one alternate. At check-in you will receive your two tour reservations based on availability of your selections at the time your RSVP is received.
Newfields Master Plan Updates
Jonathan Wright, Ruth Lilly Deputy Director of Horticulture & Natural Resources
Join Jonathan to learn the highlights and recent developments of the Newfields Master Plan, approved in Summer 2017. This tour includes a close look at Garden Terrace, Lilly Terrace, and activities in the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park: 100 Acres.
Designing with Tulips
Irvin Etienne, Horticulture Display Coordinator
Learn how a horticulturist designs garden beds to showcase seasonal flowers, and preview how the team combines a variety of plants to achieve a layered effect that lasts throughout the year.
New in the Pop-Up Garden
Andrew Pauli, Horticulturist
Glimpse the future of the next pop-up garden by learning how to cleverly use edible plants for their ornamental and culinary value. There’s still time to integrate these tips and tricks into your own annual garden display.
Flourishing Spring Trees
Katie Booth, Horticulturist
Dogwoods, Cherries, and Redbuds, oh my! Talk a walk with Katie, resident tree expert of Newfields, to learn about the care and cultivation of flowering trees. Also, see how our majestic specimen trees were part of the original planting strategy of Oldfields.
Percival Gallagher Papers
Alba Fernandez-Keys, Head of Libraries & Archives
Lydia Spotts, Associate Archivist/Librarian
The IMA Archives at Newfields owns the Percival Gallagher Papers which document the personal and professional life of prominent landscape architect and partner of the Olmsted Brothers firm, Percival Gallagher (1874-1934), who designed many of the original—and now restored—features of the Lilly Gardens at Newfields. Join Alba and Lydia in the Stout Library to view a sample of the collection and discuss the impact of Gallagher’s life and work at Newfields.
Highlights of the Madeline F. Elder Greenhouse Collection
Ian Wilhite, Greenhouse Plant Specialist
Discover the jewels of the greenhouse plant collection, ranging from rare and exotic orchids to desert cacti and potted beauties. Learn how the talented greenhouse team arranges this historic space for seasonal and thematic displays.
Pop Up: Tea House
Joshua Ratliff, Director of Culinary Arts
The resident sommelier of Newfields switches things up with his newest culinary adventure. Pop Up: Tea House will be a celebration of the beverage, with a curated emphasis on the teas of Japan, in harmony with several of the 2019 gallery exhibitions centering on the art, fashion, and history of Japanese culture. This is the first in a series of pop up concepts that incorporate art and nature into one guest experience.
Tips & Tricks of Container Planting
Patty Schneider, Horticulturist
Experience the horticulture team’s planting process from the ground up. On this behind-the-scenes tour, you’ll see how we use containers to expertly curate seasonal pots and containers, and maybe even take a few tips home for your own patios.
Chad Franer, The Tom and Nora Hiatt Director of Horticulture
Japanese Inspiration in Action
Take a stroll through the Garden for Everyone, and gain insight into the plants native to Japan that we use almost every day. View our dramatic tulip display, inspired by a bright red dress in the upcoming exhibition, Fashion Redefined: Miyake, Kawakubo, Yamamoto.