Oak Spring Garden Foundation

10/20/2026

Celebrate the season’s bounty with us at our 6th Annual Celebrating the Harvest: A Farm-to-Table dinner. 🍽️🌾

Join us for a special evening at the historic Nora Mellon House at Oak Spring Garden, featuring a seasonal menu thoughtfully crafted by Chef Jason Neve.

Each course will highlight heirloom crops grown at Oak Spring’s Rokeby Farm alongside locally sourced meats, celebrating the flavors of the harvest and the people who make it possible. 👩‍🌾🌽🐓

The evening will begin with libations and hors d’oeuvres on the terrace, followed by an intimate multi-course culinary adventure paired with local wines.

We look forward to gathering around the table with you on Friday, November 20 from 5-9PM. Reserve your seat at the link below:
https://www.osgf.org/programs-and-events-calendar/2026/11/20/6th-annual-celebrating-the-harvest-a-farm-to-table-dinner

10/16/2026

Last night we celebrated the opening of Painting the Tulip: Beauty, Science, and Speculation, an exhibition honoring the late Ruth A. Stiff, a prominent curator and author who previously curated Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Oak Spring Garden, and the Rory McEwen Estate. Ruth dedicated her career to expanding appreciation for botanical art and illustration. 🌷

It was especially wonderful to welcome former Oak Spring Artist in Residence Sarah Horowitz back to Oak Spring! Her beautiful watercolors and etchings, created through her study of rare historic Dutch tulip varieties at Bayntun Flowers in England, are at the heart of this exhibition. Alongside rare books, manuscripts, and works of art collected by Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, they tell the fascinating story of the tulip and its enduring influence on art, science, and culture.

The evening also offered an opportunity to celebrate Ruth’s legacy and share news of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation Residency and Award in Botanical Art, established in honor of Ruth A. Stiff and Rory McEwen. In 2027 and 2028, this special award will recognize outstanding botanical artists with a $5,000 grant and a three-week residency at Oak Spring.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a lovely evening celebrating botanical art, the beauty of the natural world, and those who have dedicated their lives to bringing the two together.

10/14/2026

OSGF Garden Apprentice, Jacob, shares Descending, an original flute composition he wrote while studying at Boise State University. 🎼🪈

The piece reflects on slowing down and the season coming to an end, making the Formal Greenhouse a particularly lovely setting for a quiet moment of music. And as Jacob shares, hopefully the plants enjoy it too! 🌱🎶

10/13/2026

In this month's episode of the Oak Spring Podcast, we sit down with botanical artist and plant ecologist Lara Gastinger to explore the deep intersection of art, science, and nature observation. From her early days exploring Virginia’s landscapes to illustrating over 1,300 species for the landmark 'Flora of Virginia,' Lara shares her journey into becoming a full-time botanical artist. She dives into the origins and philosophy of her signature "Perpetual Journal" practice – a simple, weekly ritual of documenting the changing seasons over 25 years. Lara offers practical advice on overcoming the pressure of perfection, building a sustainable sketching habit, and using nature journaling as both a tool for personal mindfulness and a form of advocacy for local biodiversity.

Later in the conversation, Lara takes us behind the scenes of her recent Supertrees Expedition to the American West, where she served as the official traveling artist documenting ancient Bristlecone pines, massive Sequoias, and towering Redwoods. She reflects on the creative challenge of capturing the immense scale, age, and beauty of these living giants using a custom accordion-style sketchbook. Whether discussing the vibrant sap on a pinecone or the joy of recognizing repeat seasonal shifts in your own backyard, Lara inspires us to pause, look closely at the natural world, and start recording the beauty around us today.

Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-seeing-nature-journaling-ancient/id1732771406?i=1000796141527

You can also subscribe to download our monthly episodes on your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

10/13/2026

10/08/2026

10/06/2026

Step behind the scenes of Oak Spring’s latest Gallery Exhibition, ‘Painting the Tulip: Beauty, Science, and Speculation.’

Join us on October 16th from 3-5pm for an exclusive afternoon exploring the fascinating world of tulips through the Oak Spring Garden Library’s rare collections and the eyes of featured artist Sarah Horowitz.

Guests will enjoy a guided tour of the Oak Spring Garden Library, featuring a special curated display of rare tulip-related materials from our collection that are not included in the main exhibition. They will also get insights from Sarah Horowitz into her delicate watercolors, copperplate etchings, and fieldwork documenting historic tulip cultivars from Bayntun Flowers in Wiltfordshire, England.

We’ll also explore how Rachel “Bunny” Mellon brought her love of tulips into the landscape at Oak Spring, creating sweeping, tapestry-like plantings. The afternoon will conclude with a seasonal fall drink, casual conversation in the Gallery, and time to browse the Oak Spring gift shop.

📅 October 16
🕒 3–5 PM
📍 Oak Spring Garden Foundation

More information and tickets: https://www.osgf.org/programs-and-events-calendar/2026/10/16/painting-the-tulip-behind-the-scenes-tour-and-conversation-with-artist-sarah-horowitz

Photo 1: Six studies of tulips, by Gerard van Spaendonck (Dutch, 1746-1822)
Photo 2: Artist Sarah Horowitz
Photo 3: Etching of Tulipa “Archeron” 1913 from Historic Tulips, by Sarah Horowitz
Photo 4: Two tulips and two irises, by Johanna Helena Herolt (German, 1668-1723)

10/05/2026

A day spent creating with plants is a good day. As one of the the winners of our Summer Solstice Auction, Trish and her friends joined our LEO team for a special natural dye party in the Biocultural Learning Garden.

We made paint palettes from plants, created flower pounded artwork, and experimented with cyanotype prints (with a little help from UV light when the clouds kept the sun at bay). After lunch, the afternoon continued with indigo-dyed Shibori scarves and custom leather journals.

From garden to artwork, every part of the day is offered a new way to see, and make something, with the natural world around us. We had such a wonderful time hosting Trish and her friends!

10/02/2026

We are honored to announce that in 2027 and 2028, Oak Spring Garden Foundation will be granting a Residency and Award in Botanical Art in Honor of Ruth A. Stiff and Rory McEwen. These awards will recognize outstanding botanical artists whose career and artworks have contributed meaningfully to the fields of botanical art and illustration, and will include a $5,000 individual grant and a three-week residency at Oak Spring. The award is named for two key figures in the field of botanical art: Ruth A. Stiff and Rory McEwen.

Ruth A Stiff was a prominent art curator, author, and Curator of International Exhibitions for the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew – as well as a dear friend of Oak Spring. She was instrumental in the development of ‘Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature,’ a major exhibition which toured the United States in 2024 and 2025.

Rory McEwen was a ground-breaking Scottish artist and musician whose innovative botanical works pushed the boundaries of the field. Through his botanical art Rory McEwen explored new ways to celebrate the inspirational beauty of the natural world.

Applications for the 2027 award are open from now until November 11th, 2026. Visit osgf.org/stiff-mcewen-award or see the link in our bio to learn more and apply.

Photo 1: Group of Allwoods Carnations, 1961-1962, by Rory McEwen.
Photo 2: Ruth A. Stiff at Marchmont, Edinburgh.
Photo 3: Rory McEwen

10/01/2026

Did you know your garden could become your palette? In the Biocultural Learning Garden (BLG), Garden Manger Megan Larson grows plants that do more than fill a garden bed–they become sources of color for artists and local youth and seniors.

From marigolds and cosmos to Japanese indigo, eucalyptus, and madder root, Megan shares some of her favorite dye plants and a few tips for growing, harvesting, and transforming them into natural color.

Swipe through to see the plants alongside the fabrics and yarns they helped dye. We hope this inspires you to do a bit of plant dye research and grow your own! Also check out osgf.org/youth-education or visit the link in our bio for free local programming utilizing these plants for crafts and more!