Events Calendar

This season, big changes are underway! As we embark upon construction of the transformative Garden Gateway Project, a range of engaging education programs will continue but will feel slightly different during this period of exciting growth. You’ll find plant-inspired programs to engage your mind and body that take place onsite, offsite and virtually.

Please click the blue rectangles on the calendar for event and program information.

Upcoming Adult Education Programs

The Earthen Door: Recreating Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium

The Earthen Door: Recreating Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium

February 6, 202612:00 pm-1:00 pm Free

“This Earthen Door” re-imagines Emily Dickinson's herbarium—a 66-page book of pressed plants she made as a teenager—using plant pigments grown by the artists in their gardens. A renowned Ameri...

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Design Thinking

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Design Thinking

February 14, 202610:00 am-12:00 pm Free

This course will introduce the student to the steps involved in the landscape design process. Guided by a registered Landscape Architect, participants will explore topics ranging from Deep Observation...

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

February 17, 20262:00 pm-4:00 pm $22

While gardens sleep, winter is the busiest time for North Carolina’s salamanders. Join Dr. Ron Grunwald, Duke Department of Biology, to look for these “cool” amphibians in Duke Forest, where you...

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

February 21, 20269:30 am-11:30 am $22

While gardens sleep, winter is the busiest time for North Carolina’s salamanders. Join Dr. Ron Grunwald, Duke Department of Biology, to look for these “cool” amphibians in Duke Forest, where you...

A woman in a kimono points out features of the Japanese teahouse to a group of bystanders

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

February 27, 202611:45 am-1:15 pm $68

Join tea master Chizuko Sueyoshi and members of the Japanese Tea Practitioners of Durham for a moment of respite in the Duke Gardens teahouse, where you will experience the centering calm of a Japanes...

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Garden Design with Native Plants

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Garden Design with Native Plants

February 28, 202610:00 am-12:00 pm Free

Learn about why native plants are an important part of the urban environment. We will cover some basic concepts on how to make your home garden a habitat for birds and bees and other creatures. This ...

A Japanese garden with a teahouse and trees and a man in a kimono pouring water into a basin

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

February 28, 202611:45 am-1:15 pm $68

Join tea master Chizuko Sueyoshi and members of the Japanese Tea Practitioners of Durham for a moment of respite in the Duke Gardens teahouse, where you will experience the centering calm of a Japanes...

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

February 28, 20261:45 pm-3:15 pm $68

Join tea master Chizuko Sueyoshi and members of the Japanese Tea Practitioners of Durham for a moment of respite in the Duke Gardens teahouse, where you will experience the centering calm of a Japanes...

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Vegetable Gardening Symposium

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Vegetable Gardening Symposium

March 14, 20269:30 am-12:30 pm Free

For this special half-day symposium, we’ll feature three speakers with a little something for everyone, from beginner to experienced veggie growers. This program is part of the Hattie Meadows Garden...

Plug and Play: A Guide to Planting Perennial Plugs (virtual)

Plug and Play: A Guide to Planting Perennial Plugs (virtual)

March 17, 202612:00 pm-1:00 pm Free

Most gardeners are familiar with planting container-grown perennials, but using plugs requires a shift in mindset and technique. These young starter plants, grown in trays instead of pots, offer disti...

Mosses of Duke Forest

Mosses of Duke Forest

March 24, 20263:00 pm-5:00 pm $22

Spend an afternoon in Duke Forest with Blanka Aguero, bryophyte data manager at the Duke University Herbarium, learning about the common mosses of North Carolina woods. Learn about the biology of moss...

Midday Meander

Midday Meander

March 26, 202612:15 pm-1:00 pm Free

Join Kavanah Anderson, director of learning and community engagement at Duke Gardens, for a conversational stroll in the garden that deepens your relationship with plants. Swap plant stories, dig int...

Spring Botanizing at Penny’s Bend

Spring Botanizing at Penny’s Bend

April 1, 20269:30 am-12:30 pm $28

Penny’s Bend, an 84-acre preserve, has a unique geology and therefore distinct soils that support rare plant species. Join Alec Motten, professor emeritus, and Paul Manos, professor of biology, Duke...

A wooden garden gatehouse with pink flowering shrubs around it.

Walk on the Wild Side

Walk on the Wild Side

April 2, 202611:00 am-12:00 pm $10

Join horticulture staff and experienced volunteers on a walk around the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants to learn about connections between people, plants and place. Each month will feature a differe...

A crevice garden featuring bright orange California poppies

Botany by Plant Family: The Key to See

Botany by Plant Family: The Key to See

April 5, 20261:00 pm-4:30 pm $32

Learning to notice plant family patterns can greatly aid in demystifying the “green wall” of plant species around us. Nearly 350,000 species of flowering plants are known to global science, and th...

Midday Meander

Midday Meander

April 29, 202612:15 pm-1:00 pm Free

Join Kavanah Anderson, director of learning and community engagement at Duke Gardens, for a conversational stroll in the garden that deepens your relationship with plants. Swap plant stories, dig into...

Birding for Beginners

Birding for Beginners

May 2, 20268:00 am-9:30 am $10

Build your bird observation skills on a slow stroll through Duke Gardens with Bella Insignares, education staff at Duke Gardens, as you gather a list of different birds that use the Gardens. If you ha...

Making Cordage with Backyard Plants

Making Cordage with Backyard Plants

May 2, 20269:30 am-1:00 pm $65

Learn to create strong and beautiful cord from fibers growing in your backyard with Angela Eastman of Flag Mountain Studio. We will cover processing the bast fibers or whole leaves of many plants (suc...

Bearing Witness with Nature-Based Art: A Grief Journey with Gaza

Bearing Witness with Nature-Based Art: A Grief Journey with Gaza

May 3, 20263:00 pm-5:00 pm Free

Please join us for a pop-up exhibit and artist talk with The Witness about their evolving art practice that centers around themes of identity, belonging, grief and sorrow. The Witness will share how a...

A wooden garden gatehouse with pink flowering shrubs around it.

Walk on the Wild Side

Walk on the Wild Side

May 7, 202611:00 am-12:00 pm $10

Join horticulture staff and experienced volunteers on a walk around the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants to learn about connections between people, plants and place. Each month will feature a differe...

Mosses of Duke Gardens

Mosses of Duke Gardens

May 12, 20262:30 pm-4:30 pm $24

Walk the Gardens with Blanka Aguero, bryophyte data manager at the Duke University Herbarium, to look for mosses and liverworts, discussing what they tell you about the site. Visit and learn about rec...

Making Herbarium Specimens for Science and Art

Making Herbarium Specimens for Science and Art

May 16, 20269:30 am-11:30 am $44

This interactive program led by Scott LaGreca, Paul J. Kramer Plant Collections Manager at Duke Gardens, will combine the scientific and artistic aspects of plant specimen preservation. Participants w...

Create Your Own Herbal Cooling Face Mist

Create Your Own Herbal Cooling Face Mist

May 17, 20262:00 pm-4:00 pm $42

Develop your relationship with some well-known plants by creating an herbal face mist with Sufia Ikbal-Doucet (they/them), herbalist & sovereignty doula. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll uncover the...

Plein Air Watercolor: Exploring Greens in the Landscape

Plein Air Watercolor: Exploring Greens in the Landscape

May 20, 20269:30 am-1:00 pm $58

Join us for a watercolor plein-air painting workshop set amid the lush beauty of the public garden with artist Ryann Carey. This class focuses on capturing the many shades and subtleties of gree...

Forest Bathing Walk

Forest Bathing Walk

May 21, 20263:00 pm-5:00 pm $32

Come discover the regenerative power of mindful engagement with nature with certified forest therapy guide Stephanie Campbell. The Japanese tradition of Shinrin-Yoku, forest bathing, is a practice usi...

Painting Collections: Flowers in Art

Painting Collections: Flowers in Art

May 23, 202610:00 am-11:30 am $36

Gardens with botanical artist Julia Einstein. Be inspired by botanical still lifes, floral motifs and natural forms in the decorative arts. You will be guided to "paint" with pencil and use techniques...

Botanical Linocut Printmaking

Botanical Linocut Printmaking

May 30, 202610:00 am-12:00 pm $36

Gather inspiration from the gardens in this introduction to linocut printmaking, a relief printing technique where an image is carved into a linoleum block, with Bella Insignares, education staff at D...

Close-up of delicate yellow flowers on a shrub, with green leaves and more shrubs in the background.

Native Plant Solutions: Fall Forward Perennials

Native Plant Solutions: Fall Forward Perennials

June 2, 202612:00 pm-1:00 pm Free

Does your landscape look tired near the end of summer? Give yourself and the wildlife around you a boost with fall-forward perennials. At their peak during late summer and fall, these species have uni...

A wooden garden gatehouse with pink flowering shrubs around it.

Walk on the Wild Side

Walk on the Wild Side

June 4, 202611:00 am-12:00 pm $10

Join horticulture staff and volunteers on a walk around the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants to learn about connections between people, plants and place. Each month will feature a different seasonal ...

Almost Summer Tree Trek

Almost Summer Tree Trek

June 6, 20269:00 am-10:30 am $24

Join tree expert Matt Archibald, ISA board-certified master arborist at Leaf & Limb, for a walk to wonder at the beauty of trees and learn fascinating facts about various species, their ecological imp...

A group of people in a garden setting stand in a circle and talk.

Midday Meander

Midday Meander

June 24, 202612:15 pm-1:00 pm Free

Join Kavanah Anderson, director of learning and community engagement at Duke Gardens, for a conversational stroll in the garden that deepens your relationship with plants. Swap plant stories, dig into...

Triangle Bonsai Society Expo

Triangle Bonsai Society Expo

July 11, 202610:00 am-4:00 pm Free

Enjoy an amazing array of these carefully pruned plants, created and exhibited by the Triangle Bonsai Society. This two-day exhibit will include more than 50 bonsai created in multiple styles, and you...

Beginning a Bonsai Workshop

Beginning a Bonsai Workshop

July 12, 20269:00 am-1:00 pm $75

Begin the process of creating a bonsai tree to take home while you learn about the art and science of this ancient practice. The skillful members of the Triangle Bonsai Society will introduce you to a...

Triangle Bonsai Society Expo

Triangle Bonsai Society Expo

July 12, 202610:00 am-4:00 pm Free

Enjoy an amazing array of these carefully pruned plants, created and exhibited by the Triangle Bonsai Society. This two-day exhibit will include more than 50 bonsai created in multiple styles, and you...

The Earthen Door: Recreating Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium

The Earthen Door: Recreating Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium

February 6, 2026 @ 12:00 pm- @ 1:00 pm

“This Earthen Door” re-imagines Emily Dickinson's herbarium—a 66-page book of pressed plants she made as a teenager—using plant pigments grown by the artists in their gardens. A renowned American poet, Dickinson was better known as a gardener and avid botany stu...

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Design Thinking

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Design Thinking

February 14, 2026 @ 10:00 am- @ 12:00 pm

This course will introduce the student to the steps involved in the landscape design process. Guided by a registered Landscape Architect, participants will explore topics ranging from Deep Observation, Problem Identification and Developing Design Intent, to examining th...

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

February 17, 2026 @ 2:00 pm- @ 4:00 pm

While gardens sleep, winter is the busiest time for North Carolina’s salamanders. Join Dr. Ron Grunwald, Duke Department of Biology, to look for these “cool” amphibians in Duke Forest, where you might see woodland red-back salamanders in the woods and two-lined an...

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

February 21, 2026 @ 9:30 am- @ 11:30 am

While gardens sleep, winter is the busiest time for North Carolina’s salamanders. Join Dr. Ron Grunwald, Duke Department of Biology, to look for these “cool” amphibians in Duke Forest, where you might see woodland red-back salamanders in the woods and two-lined an...

A woman in a kimono points out features of the Japanese teahouse to a group of bystanders

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

February 27, 2026 @ 11:45 am- @ 1:15 pm

Join tea master Chizuko Sueyoshi and members of the Japanese Tea Practitioners of Durham for a moment of respite in the Duke Gardens teahouse, where you will experience the centering calm of a Japanese tea gathering in the Urasenke tradition. Enjoy the aesthetics, poetr...

The Earthen Door: Recreating Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium

The Earthen Door: Recreating Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium

February 6, 2026 @ 12:00 pm- @ 1:00 pm

“This Earthen Door” re-imagines Emily Dickinson's herbarium—a 66-page book of pressed plants she made as a teenager—using plant pigments grown by the artists in their gardens. A renowned American poet, Dickinson was better known as a gardener and avid botany stu...

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Design Thinking

Hattie Meadows Gardening School: Design Thinking

February 14, 2026 @ 10:00 am- @ 12:00 pm

This course will introduce the student to the steps involved in the landscape design process. Guided by a registered Landscape Architect, participants will explore topics ranging from Deep Observation, Problem Identification and Developing Design Intent, to examining th...

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

February 17, 2026 @ 2:00 pm- @ 4:00 pm

While gardens sleep, winter is the busiest time for North Carolina’s salamanders. Join Dr. Ron Grunwald, Duke Department of Biology, to look for these “cool” amphibians in Duke Forest, where you might see woodland red-back salamanders in the woods and two-lined an...

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

Salamander Studies in Duke Forest

February 21, 2026 @ 9:30 am- @ 11:30 am

While gardens sleep, winter is the busiest time for North Carolina’s salamanders. Join Dr. Ron Grunwald, Duke Department of Biology, to look for these “cool” amphibians in Duke Forest, where you might see woodland red-back salamanders in the woods and two-lined an...

A woman in a kimono points out features of the Japanese teahouse to a group of bystanders

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

Japanese Tea Gathering: First Breath of Spring

February 27, 2026 @ 11:45 am- @ 1:15 pm

Join tea master Chizuko Sueyoshi and members of the Japanese Tea Practitioners of Durham for a moment of respite in the Duke Gardens teahouse, where you will experience the centering calm of a Japanese tea gathering in the Urasenke tradition. Enjoy the aesthetics, poetr...

Questions about upcoming events?

Please contact us at 919-668-1707 or GardensEducation@duke.edu.