Make something with plants!
Join us all summer for flower-based art in the Garden!
Workshop and Tour Schedule
Allen Centennial Garden is excited to offer hands-on learning opportunities to deepen your relationship with plants! You don’t need to be a green thumb, but you can expect to improve your love of growing and working with plants. We think there is something here for you whether you like creating art with plants or touring our many different garden spaces for inspiration to take home. These events and tours support the Garden and embody our mission by providing opportunities for our visitors, interns, and staff to continue learning form the many beautiful spaces within ACG.
Starting on May 16, 2026 and on each following Saturday, we will be hosting a bevy of Saturday events which include our build your own bouquet ($10), drop in activities ($10+), tours ($5), and in-depth classes ($20+). All are great ways to meet and possibly work with countless seasonal flowers and plants.
Tours
Our drop-in public tours will be held:
- Saturday, May 16 at 11:30 am
- Sunday, June 21 at 4:00 pm
- Saturday, July 18 at 11:30 am
- Sunday, August 9rd at 4:00 pm
Tours feature Allen Centennial Garden’s many diverse spaces and reveal the gardener-sense behind each. Join the 45 – 60 minute tour as a thank you for a $5 per person donation. Tours will meet by the Southeast corner of the Agricultural Dean’s residence. Friends of Allen Centennial Garden members will be thanked for their previous donation with a complimentary tour.
Build your own bouquet (Saturdays)
May 16 to August 29 | 9:00 to 11:00 am – Seasonal flowers grown by our interns for your creative benefit! For a donation of $10+, we’ll thank you with as many flowers as you can grip. To see our Sunday flower offerings, check out our free concert schedule.
Makers’ Circle
Interested in doing your mending or making in the Garden with others? Join our makers’ circle on selected Saturdays. This meet up is free and open to all craft forms and creative endeavors, with emphasis on fabric and clothing. An experienced mender will demonstrate a different skill at each session, help troubleshoot, and provide inspiration. Basic textile supplies available at each session include recycled cotton swatches, basic mending thread, needles, and embroidery hoops. Dyed fabric and thread will be available for purchase.
Our Makers’ Circle will be held Saturdays 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on the following dates: May 30, June 13 & 27, July 11 & 25, August 8 & 22.
Join us for a workshop ($10+)
Workshops introduce you to plants in the Garden, demonstrate techniques, and provide time to unplug and create. Workshops start at 10am and are designed for those 18+. Registration information is below.
This year Allen Centennial Garden is partnering with Working Draft Brewing and Wheelhouse Studios to offer several workshops. Details below.
Working Draft – Flower Pounding held at 1129 East Wilson StreetMadison, WI, 53703
Working Draft – Dried Flower Wreath held at 1129 East Wilson StreetMadison, WI, 53703
Tie dye with plants. Bring your own fabric item or dye a tote bag or bandana. Indigo is fast, watch the color change.
We grew, fermented, and bottled our indigo plants last year! Now we’re going to dye with it. Bring something you want to turn blue, or use one of our articles. Indigo dips typically last between a few minutes up to ten minutes. Enjoy the Garden and pull your project out to see it change from yellowy-green to blue before your eyes. (It’s a chemical reaction.) This is an awesome opportunity to try out your favorite tie dye techniques as there will be ample rubber bands on hand. Designed for those 18+.
To reserve your spot visit our Eventbrite. Walkups are welcome, but classes are available while supplies last.
Extract color from seasonal plants, create plenty of colors, and practice a few watercolor techniques. Follow our demonstrations or paint a garden scene. Each class is the same but will feature different seasonal plants. This project is a great way to test run early season water color plants, and if you just want to paint, a fun opportunity to unwind. Designed for those 18+.
To reserve your spot on June 6 visit our partners at the Wheelhouse Studios.
To reserve your spot on July 11 visit our Eventbrite. Walkups are welcome, but classes are available while supplies last.
Learn how to make flavorful non-alcoholic beverages from fruits and other botanicals. Make a vinegar shrub and simple syrup.
We’ll meet herbs and other plants used for making craft mocktails! Bring your herb and spice questions and learn how to grow a variety of plants useful for making fun drinks—many are also used in the kitchen or as teas and medicine. We’ll provide a demonstration and then break out into groups to make four plant infused mocktails. BYOCup or mug for tasting. Cheers! Designed for those 18+.
To reserve your spot visit our Eventbrite. Walkups are welcome, but classes are available while supplies last.
Flower pounding is exactly what it sounds like and uses flowers, fruits, and leaves to create floral patterns in fabric. We love flower pounding because it’s easy to make remarkable patterns on your first try.
Participants will hammer on a cotton bandana and small tote bag. Follow our pattern or seek your own flowery-pulpy vision. Designed for those 18+.
To reserve your spot visit our partners at the Wheelhouse Studios.
Walkups are welcome, but classes are available while supplies last.
Have you always wanted to learn how to embroider but didn’t know how to start? Join us for an introductory course on embroidery using the plants of the Allen Centennial Garden! Learn a few simple stitches to create extraordinary florals and plants. We will walk you through some basic stitches to create various plants and then work with you to craft your own amazing project. You will also learn about different plant-based dyes that are grown in the garden and how they can be used to dye thread. We will have a selection of thread to choose from to use for your project as well as some to take home along with your hoop! This 120-minute project was designed for ages 18+.
To reserve your spot visit our Eventbrite. Walkups are welcome, but classes are available while supplies last.
We’re leaving this date open for a student intern to design a fun plant project.
Come and dye with us! Come learn the joy and experimental process of working with natural plant based dyes. Interested in growing these plants? They’re easy to grow or forage. We’ll show you how! This year’s course will feature additional attention to color modification.
As we experience the process, we will discuss the history of dyeing, the difference between plant and animal fibers, and the chemical process making your plant based dye permanent. This is a great introductory course because it works with different techniques for dye extraction and fabric preparation.
Everyone will get to take home 6 fat quarters of cotton (22” x 18”) and our handout which covers all the steps. Use the cotton for future projects like quilting or hem them into a napkin. This 120-minute project was designed for those aged 18 and up. Because the best colors take time to develop, participants are encouraged to pick up their projects after the workshop. ACG will wash these and provide instructions for pick up or delivery at the class. Designed for those 18+.
To reserve your spot visit our Eventbrite. Because this class takes a lot of preparation for each participant we cannot welcome walkups.
With salt, indigo, and elbow grease, dye something of ours, yours, or thrifted fabric. Blue hands optional!
Many types of dyeing happen in a simmering pot, this project happens in a giant salad bowl! Using only salt, indigo, woad, and elbow grease, we’ll teach you how to work the color into fabric. This is the most fun way to make fabric (and hands) blue!
Dye a UW Office of Sustainability tote bag or a 25” x 25” bandana each for $10. Or, kick it up a notch and upcycle a piece of apparel we thrifted because we knew it had a promising second life with a little help from a plant based dye. Apparel starts at $10 and is priced by weight since more fabric means more plants. The cost will start at $10 and depend on the size of apparel you brought it in. Designed for those 18+.
To reserve your spot visit our Eventbrite. Walkups are welcome, but classes are available while supplies last.
Join us for a dried flower buffet. We’ll have all the supplies to create like crazy, a few samples to kick start your imagination, and a guide to help with the tricky parts.
We’ll have many of the classics like strawflower, winged everlasting, and wheat on deck, plus a host more. We’ll have plenty of heavy duty wire, floral tape, floral wire, and hot glue guns. This 120 to 150 minute project includes a wire form for your wreath. Designed for those 18+.
To reserve your spot visit our Eventbrite. Walkups are welcome, but classes are available while supplies last. Walkups must arrive between 10 and 10:15 am since this project takes around 120 minutes to complete.
This two-for-one project demonstrates both flower pounding and embroidery to create floral patterns on fabric.
If you’ve flower pounded with us before, or done our embroidery class, or are looking for a multi-step project this is for you. We will provide a primer on both flower pounding and basic embroidery. We will demonstrate how together these techniques can use pounded flowers to accent embroidered ones and the reverse also. Designed for those 18+.
To reserve your spot visit our Eventbrite. Walkups are welcome, but classes are available while supplies last.