Events
We are always excited to learn and grow together. We host hands-on workshops for all ages, educational presentations, kids’ discovery workshops, our annual open house and more. Many events are free and some have a fee for materials or a guest presenter. You won’t want to miss our annual Artisan Market that happens each year in September.
EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS
June 13- September 20, 2025
Time
- During Business Hours
- In The Hosta Ravine
Cost
FREE
Porthole Portal in the Heart of the Hosta Ravine
Porthole Portal is an outdoor installation artwork created by Tara Jaggers for the Flowing Connections group exhibition, presented during the 2024 Boneyard Arts Festival in Urbana, Illinois. Commissioned by the City of Urbana, the project invited eight artists each to transform a 4′ x 8′ sheet of plywood into a site-specific artwork for temporary installation along the Boneyard Creek walkway.
Porthole Portal introduces an imagined landscape into the physical one, inviting the viewer to reconsider the boundaries between reality and imagination, and to reflect on how we experience and relate to the spaces around us. Hornbaker Gardens is thrilled to host this temporary art installation. See Porthole Portal in the heart of our Hosta Ravine, beginning June 13th (our Open House and Hosta Walk Weekend.) Porthole Portal will be on site to enjoy through our 12th Annual Artisan Market on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
June 18th, 2025
July 16th, 2025
July 23rd, 2025
Time
9-11am
Cost
$15 includes 3 sessions
Outdoor Expeditions with Dave & Laura Hornbaker
Three Sessions from 9-11am
- June 18 – Sensory Hike
- July 16- Art in the Wild
- July 23- Art in the Wild
Cost: $15 for three sessions (not sold individually.
Scholarships available if needed.
Kids entering K-4 in Fall of 2025. Kids please bring an adult partner to participate in these sessions. We will awaken your child’s senses. Kids will breathe in the fresh air as we explore the natural world around us. Rain or shine. Registration required. Register Online.
JULY 20th, 2025
Time
- Garden Center Open from 9am-2pm
- Meet and Greet with Bob in the Garden Center from 9:30-10:30am
- Bob’s Presentation at The Barn at Hornbaker Gardens 11am
Cost
FREE
Registration is Appreciated
“Living with Hostas: Care, feeding, and collecting them while sharing their joys and sorrows.” Presented by Bob Solberg
Join fellow hosta enthusiasts for a day with hosta expert and hybridizer Bob Solberg. The garden center will be open from 9 am to 2 pm, with a Meet & Greet opportunity starting at 9:30 am. At 11:00 am in The Barn, Bob Solberg will present “Living with Hostas: Care, feeding, and collecting them while sharing their joys and sorrows.”
This is a free event and registration is appreciated so we know how many people to expect. We encourage you to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy eating in one of many shady seating areas within the garden center. Cookies and lemonade will be provided. There are many delicious lunch options in Princeton if you prefer. This Princeton Tourism Guide will give details and locations of places to visit and eat in the area.
All hostas will be $2 off for this one day only.
Bob Solberg is one of the top experts in the country on hostas and is a nationally known speaker on all topics related to hostas. He’s a very personable, laid back kind of guy with a good sense of humor. It’s always a pleasure to hear him speak.
Follow our Facebook Event to stay up to date with announcements and information. Register Now for this event.
August 7th, 2025
Time
8:30am
Cost
FREE
Hot Bloomers Walk
Join a Hornbaker for a “garden tour” highlighting their seasonal favorites. Garden Walks are free and require no registration. Meet in the Garden Center.
Rise, shine, and come see the cool varieties that thrive and bloom during the heat of the summer.
Saturday,
September 20, 2025
Time
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Cost
FREE
12th Annual Artisan Market
Join us in our beautiful country setting for a day filled with 30+ fine artists, craft beer, delicious home baked treats, live music, wine tasting, local produce, local lunch fare, ice cream and more.
We are planning for a fun community art experience where you can paint a small tile that will be part of a larger mural. Stay up to date by following the Artisan Market Facebook page here.
October 3-4, 2025
Time
8am-5pm
Cost
FREE
Customer Appreciation Event with Free Lunch
Join us before we close for the season for our Customer Appreciation Event. 8am-5pm Friday and Saturday. We will fire up the grill and serve free lunch in the garden center from 10:30am-2pm.
October 14th, 2025
Time
4:30pm
Cost
FREE
Fall Arboretum Walk
Here’s your chance to enjoy our fall color at its peak! After we close for the season, Dave will lead an exclusive tour of our favorite fall foliage. You won’t want to miss this! Participants will have the chance to purchase remaining trees or make pre-orders for 2026.
(Rain Date October 21)
Previously Offered Events
June 13-15, 2025
Time
- Friday 8am-5pm w/9am Hosta Hike
- Saturday 8am-5pm w/9am Hosta Hike
- Sunday 12pm-5pm w/1pm Hosta Hike
Cost
FREE
Open House and Hosta Walk
This annual 3-day event offers many items with special pricing including a long list of hostas. There will be refreshments, door prizes, and we will have the gardens looking exceptionally beautiful!
Friday: Lunch options will be available to purchase from the Hornbaker Grill in the Garden Center. We will be grilling from 11am-1pm. We also have Northern Illinois Worm Farm on site to answer questions and introduce our new product, Northern Illinois Worm Farm’s Vermicast. They will be showcasing Worm Casting Tea, Foliar Sprays, and more.
Saturday: Lunch will be available from Wild Ginger Bistro. Cow’s Coffee and Ms Mint’s Pop Shop will be on site. Unwind at Wesclox will be offering mini sound healing sessions in the gardens. Please pre-register for an 11am or 1pm Sound Healing Session via Unwind’s Eventbrite. The only cost is a donation to Unwind for their time. Local Princeton children’s author Susan Pierson will be on site for book signing to celebrate the release of her newest Children’s Book in the series.
View our Sale Flyer for the upcoming event. Open House Hours will be Friday and Saturday 8am-5pm, and Sunday 12pm-5pm. Join one of our three daily strolls to check out our favorite hostas in our Shade Gardens and Hosta Ravine. Those with mobility limitations can view the ravine from above. Hosta Walks begin at 9am on Friday and Saturday, and 1pm on Sunday. Meet in the Garden Center.
June 7th, 2025
Time
10am -or- 1pm Sessions
Cost
$35.00
Leaf Casting “Make & Take” with Ella Maxwell
Ella Maxwell’s WILDLY popular workshop has sold out multiple sessions for the past two years. Create a stunning casted leaf sculpture to have nature inspired decor year-round. Choose the 10am or 1pm session. Bring a friend or COME MAKE NEW ONES!
Flo’s on Pulaski will be in the Garden Center from 9am-3pm serving lunch, and Ms. Mint’s Pop Shop will be here serving amazing fruit popsicles.
May 31st, 2025
Time
10am
Cost
FREE
Restoring Nature, One Garden at a Time with Ellen Starr
Retired USDA Biologist and Pollinator Habitat Advocate Ellen Starr explains the importance of native plants and the history of how and why our landscapes have been altered. Learn more about choosing natives that will work in your garden space. No Registration Required.
May 24th, 2025
Time
10am
Cost
FREE
Getting Over the Fear of Pruning
Join us for a workshop that takes all the guesswork out of how, when, and why to prune your trees and shrubs. Learn about the four families of hydrangea, clematis, and much more. No Registration Required.
May 17th, 2025
Time
10am
Deposit
$10
Total Price depends on your plant and container choices
Spring Combo Container “Make & Take”
We’ll have various containers and plants to choose from as well as provide the soil, fertilizer and step-by-step instructions. Total price depends on your plant and container choice. Register Online.
May 10th, 2025
Time
10am
Cost
$20
Kids’ Mother’s Day “Make & Take”
Bring the kids to paint a 6-inch terracotta pot, then pick out a plant while it dries. Makes a perfect handmade gift for that special someone on Mother’s Day. Register Online.
We will also have Lil Bellas/Big B BBQ here serving lunch from 11am-2pm on Saturday the 10th.
May 3rd, 2025
Time
10am
Cost
$75 includes vermicomposter, live worms, and bedding
$10 includes class and observation only
Easy Worm Composting
Meet local “worm farmer” Annie Nichols from Annie’s Home Farm. Learn to recycle your kitchen scraps to create your own nutrient rich vermicast, which is great plant food! Choose the $75 option to setup your own personal worm bin and take home your own vermicomposter complete with live worms and handmade bedding to get the work started, or choose the $10 option to learn and observe. Register Online.
April 26th, 2025
Time
10am
Cost
FREE
New Plants for 2025
Molly Hornbaker Blogg will share growing tips and specific uses of the exciting new plant varieties we have in stock this season. Meet in the Garden Center. No registration required.
April 19th, 2025
Time
10am
Place
Hornbaker Gardens
Cost
FREE
Early Spring Garden Walk
The first in our installment of 2025 Garden Walks. Garden Walks are free and require no registration. Meet in the Garden Center.
Kick off spring with us as a Hornbaker family member takes us through our gardens pointing out early bloomers, spring clean-up tasks and more!
April 19th, 2025
Time
9-11am
Place
Oakland Cemetery
1013 Park Ave West
Princeton, IL 61356
Cost
FREE
Earth Day 100-Tree Planting
Stop by for a FREE TREE (While Supplies Last)
Join Dave Hornbaker and the Princeton Tree Board as they plant 100 trees in Princeton’s historic Oakland Cemetery. Many old growth species live there, including a State Record White Pine. Free Coffee & Donuts.