Quarryhill Botanical Garden seeking to train new docents

Sonoma Valley’s Quarryhill Botanical Garden is putting out an open call for volunteers to train as adult tour docents to guide groups through the garden. Docent training begins March 7.

“We’re looking for folks who are interested in learning more about plants and sharing that knowledge with others,” explained volunteer coordinator Eva Corbin. “No botanical or horticulture experience is necessary, just a passion for gardening and a desire to enhance the public’s experience of our remarkable garden.”

Adult tour docent training will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon on six consecutive Wednesdays, March 7 through April 11. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of plant conservation worldwide, in depth information about the plants in Quarryhill’s Asian woodland collection and knowledge of the garden’s unique history.

Docent trainees will enjoy regular educational walks through the garden, learning from seasoned docents and knowledgeable staff, and will acquire the skills and techniques necessary to engage visitors as they tour Quarryhill.

Tour docents give the gift of their time and talents to Quarryhill and provide an essential, much appreciated service to the garden.

In addition, there are many personal and social benefits to volunteering at Quarryhill - making friends, connecting with the community and with people from throughout the Bay Area and around the world and enjoying ongoing enrichment opportunities available to Quarryhill volunteers.

To sign up for Quarryhill adult tour docent training, contact the volunteer coordinator at 707-996-6027 or ecorbin@quarryhillbg.org. For more information, visit quarryhillbg.org/volunteer.html.

Sonoma Valley’s Quarryhill Botanical Garden is home to one of the largest collections of scientifically documented, wild-source Asian plants in North America and Europe, many of which represent ancestors of horticultural favorites found throughout the western world.

The 25-acre wild woodland garden has grown into a world-renowned botanical institution, providing other botanical gardens, arboreta, researchers, conservationists, students and the visiting public with living examples of the beautiful and threatened temperate flora of East Asia.

Quarryhill is not only a ?modern-day ark of rare and beautiful plants, but also a place where education and conservation are at the heart of its mission and run as deep as the tranquil ponds and seasonal waterfalls that surround it.

Entering its 31st year, Quarryhill Botanical Garden is one of the most exotic and biologically diverse places in Sonoma Valley.

For more information on the garden, volunteering or signing up for the training, contact quarryhillbg.org