Community Partnerships with Duke Gardens

All visits to Duke Gardens that are led by someone must be approved and registered.

Once a semester (for classes) or once a year (for other groups/projects) you must fill out this form to request permission to hold your program in Duke Gardens. We ask that you submit the form at least two weeks in advance. We will try our best to accommodate requests with less notice, but it’s not always possible. We accept requests up to one year in advance.

After you submit that form and your request is approved, if you’d like to add repeat visits for the same group/project, you can email Kati (she/her) at kati.henderson@duke.edu with the additional date & time and the name of the group/project, or any questions you have.

Please note that the garden is always open to the public and spaces can’t be reserved to the exclusion of other visitors.

University visits must follow all Gardens group visit policies. These include staying on paths, not picking any parts of plants, bringing out what you bring in (including trash), and not bringing in any equipment (including tables/chairs, mics/speakers, and games/sports equipment). Exceptions may be possible with a close partnership and training by Gardens staff; please inquire about your particular interests in your request.

If you’d like to request a program led by Duke Gardens facilitators, please see the section below.

Groups can request a program led by our facilitators. Descriptions for our regular programs are below, and we’re also happy to do a custom tour for a particular group’s interest/theme. Groups can also request that one of our staff members lead a different kind of program or one that’s in a location other than Duke Gardens.

Request a Duke Gardens facilitated program here.

In our programs, Duke Gardens facilitators will share information about the garden during a tour, including ways to get involved during your time at Duke. These programs are also designed to incorporate practices of mindfulness & observation, and to build your group’s connections with each other. The program facilitator can incorporate specific content of interest to your group as requested.

Gardens Orientation
We’ll present a brief (15 minute) overview of Duke Gardens – the spaces and other resources available, the work we do, and how you can get more involved or connected during your time at Duke – and then take questions before sending everyone off to explore further. Or, for groups of 25 or fewer, we can follow the overview with an informal tour of garden areas of interest to your group.

    Maximum group size is 150.

Grounding in the Gardens
Build your connection with plants and place, for your personal health and the health of this community. Learn about Duke Gardens and the area we’re situated in more broadly while we reflect on our various relationships with the land as a practice of being thoughtful community members.

•  Length of time is flexible. Full program requires a minimum of one hour and can be up to four  hours; shortened program can be a minimum of 20 minutes.
•  Maximum group size is 25. Larger groups must be split up and would have to attend this program in a rotation.

Queer Ecologies for Community
Learn some concepts and examples from queer ecology, and put them to practical use in finding a personal home within environmental relationships. Build your understanding of the immense diversity and interconnections in the living world while we practice ways to build strong networks with each other and the plants & environment around us.

•  Length of time is flexible. Full program requires a minimum of one hour and can be up to four  hours; shortened program can be a minimum of 20 minutes.
•  Maximum group size is 25. Larger groups must be split up and would have to attend this program in a rotation.

Rooted Responses to Climate Change
Learn about the impacts of climate change and the ways people are taking action to protect their communities and environment, both to address problems they’re already experiencing and stop new ones from occurring. We’ll look at examples of projects here in Duke Gardens and discuss other local and global efforts. You’ll spend time thinking about your connections to this work, individually and together as a group.

Length of time is flexible. Full program requires a minimum of one hour and can be up to four hours; shortened program can be a minimum of 20 minutes.

Maximum group size is 25. Larger groups must be split up and would have to attend this program in a rotation.

General Tours
If you want an overview of Duke Gardens beyond the Gardens Orientation and do not want a facilitated program like Grounding in the Gardens or Queer Ecologies for Community, please see information about our general tours here. We recommend this option for groups looking to have a lighter social experience during their time here, rather than actively engaging with each other and the plants & environment of Duke Gardens.

Approval and registration are required for art activities that are led by an instructor; please see the “Non-Academic Classes, Tours or Other Instructor-Led Programs” section above.

Registration is not required for personal art activities, but you must follow all of our group visit policies. Some highlighted policies are:

• You and all of your supplies, including easels, must be on paths or lawns and not in garden beds.
• You cannot block path access for other visitors.
• Be careful not to get any paint or other materials on any plants, including grass, or on paths or structures. Do not dump paint, water, or other materials onto the ground, including grass or gutters, or into any sinks at the Gardens. Any small materials you drop must be picked up and removed from the garden.