I love the falling snow and those crisp days of winter with the hint of woodsmoke in the air……but toward the end of the winter months, I start to get restless for nature and the verdant green of spring. We still have a couple of months to go before spring is here, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a jump start.

Santa Fe is home to The Santa Fe Botanical Garden, covering more than 14 acres. It is located at 715 Camino Lejo, and during the winter months they are open Wednesday – Sunday from 10am-3pm. What’s wonderful about Santa Fe in the winter is that the sun still shines! So, you can get out and enjoy nature with the warmth of the sun on your face and easily imagine spring.

The Santa Fe Botanical Garden offers many activities and points of interest throughout the year. Here are a few examples:

1. Each month the Botanical Garden highlights a plant or plants to help educate its visitors. This month (January) it is the Yucca plants, often called the Banana Yucca and Spanish Dagger. You see these all over Santa Fe. To learn more about this local Santa Fe plant, you can check it out here.

2. You can volunteer at the Botanical Garden, doing things such as gardening, special events, office work and more. They are always looking for volunteers, so give them a shout.

3. The garden also offers mindfulness activities each week. One example of this is “Lunchtime Yoga.” They say about their lunchtime yoga:

“Come to the beautiful Santa Fe Botanical Garden for stretching, wellness and relaxation. There are few outdoor locations in Santa Fe that can rival the quiet beauty and tranquility of the Botanical Garden at Museum Hill. You will be in a warm enclosed area for this afternoon yoga class where you will relieve stress and quiet your mind in a supportive atmosphere. The format is a vinyasa flow class that is open to all levels, from beginner to expert. Mats will be available at the garden.”

4. Lastly, the garden is full of art, and not just Nature’s art. Sculptures and other art pieces are highlighted throughout the year, and the garden does a fantastic job of integrating those pieces of art throughout the garden. These pieces of art allow places of reflection and wonder as you explore. The gardens can be a wonderful place to get away from it all and re-charge.

Even though Spring is a ways off, take the opportunity to get outside, feel the sun, and explore our local biodiversity in a tranquil setting….it’ll be good for your health!