Beautiful retreat that often makes lists of top public gardens in the U.S. to visit, and absolutely deserves it!
I love this garden! TBG is not a large botanical garden, at just under 6 acres, but it is full of wonderful and unique plants and sculptures, and each space is very well cared for, most of the plants are labeled, and there are lots of "pocket" gardens with unique themes or areas of focus. The gardens also contains a large gift shop and cafe that serves homemade food with local ingredients.
I found the staff to be helpful and knowledgeable, and everyone I spoke with, from the Executive Director to the gardeners, seemed to have a passion for what they do.
Memberships, admission, and event tickets are reasonable in price and there is clearly a lot of effort put into making the public welcome there.
I find that the time I spend at the Gardens as a Docent/Volunteer is truly a wonderful experience. The staff are great to work with, fellow volunteers are delightful people. I spend a great of my time with school groups and it is wonderful to watch their eyes light up when they experience a "getting connected with nature moment". The adults that visit are also often spellbound with what TBG can offer. The Gardens are truly my "run away from home place".
I volunteered at the Butterfly Magic exhibit in the spring of this year and it was awesome. All of the volunteers and staff were friendly and excited about what they do. We worked together to run the exhibit and events that educated many members of the community. With school groups coming through the butterfly exhibit almost every day, we definitely made a lot of kids happy and excited about the environment. The Tucson Botanical Gardens are a bastion of ecology and calm in the middle of the city, and I love it.
My husband and I moved to Tucson almost one year ago from the Midwest where I was an avid gardener. Since gardening in the desert is so very different from gardening in a non-desert setting, I decided volunteering at the Tucson Botanical Gardens would be a good way to learn about all of the plants, cacti, trees, and shrubs that are native desert dwellers. I've been volunteering at the gardens since June and I have learned a great deal. It is also wonderful for body, mind, and soul to be in such a beautiful place right in the middle of the city. I have found much peace of mind being among the beautiful vegetation. I've also met many lovely people who work and volunteer there. Even my dog enjoyed going to the gardens during the Dog Days of Summer!
My husband and I recently moved to Tucson from Phoenix. We had been members at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens for many years. One of the first things we did upon moving to Tucson was to become a member of the Tucson Botanical Gardens and also signed up to volunteer. We are both recently retired and wanted to get more involved. We are interested in learning about the upper Sonoran Desert so we can apply this information to our new home. So far we have attended a docent talk, which was informative and most helpful. We also have gone to the Lego exhibit twice, once with our Grandson. We have found all the staff to be most welcoming and helpful. We are looking forward to becoming more active to support this beautiful and valuable public garden. We are proud to be a member of this garden.
I don't have much time to volunteer being a Mom and a student but what bit of time I have left, I give to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. It's a beautiful place to volunteer, the staff highly appreciates its volunteers and the events offered are varied and so much fun to volunteer for!
I have actively volunteered for multiple non-profits across the US for the past 13 years. Tucson Botanical Gardens is without a doubt the most enjoyable organization I've had the pleasure to work for. The staff is well organized and most appreciative of their volunteers; and the grounds are a shady, lush oasis in the desert. I work on the garden grounds every week for a few hours and as a docent leading tours. Both provide plenty of interesting interactions with garden visitors and learning opportunities. There are regular volunteer work days as well as other opportunities.