Join us 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 with tea master Chizuko Sueyoshi and members of the Japanese Tea Practitioners of Durham. Enjoy the aesthetics, poetry and serenity of this rich tradition over an enticing bowl of whisked green tea and a Japanese confection. Guests will be escorted on a 15-minute walk to the teahouse, where seating is on the ground unless a chair is requested during registration by emailing GardensEducation@duke.edu. For ages 12 and up.
Participants will explore spices and herbs as a medium to build a practical daily connection with plants. Tapping into intuition, memory and intention, Sufia Ikbal-Doucet (they/them), herbalist & sovereignty doula, will guide participants in creating a Cajun seasoning blend to take home, where you can experience the kitchen as a location of deep plant connection and fundamental mindfulness. This is one of three workshops in the series, Cultivating Mindfulness through Plant Relationships, exploring creativity, deep presence, and deliberate beauty with plants. Register separately for each one.
Mums can be carefully cultivated to produce amazingly large blooms in a spectacular range of flower types and colors. Learn the secrets of display mums as Michelle Rawlins, Ruth Mary Meyer Japanese Garden horticulturist, takes you to see the flowers on exhibit in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum.
This North Carolina State Natural Area is a gem, with a diversity of natural plant and animal communities not found anywhere else in the Triangle region. Join Paul Manos, Duke biology professor and Duke Herbarium curator, and Alec Motten, professor emeritus, Duke University Department of Biology, on a two- to three-mile mountain hike of moderate difficulty. Both Alec and Paul bring a deep expertise in plants and ecology; they will “read” the landscape and give you a unique view of Occoneechee Mountain. Please wear comfortable clothes and good walking shoes. Bring a lunch and beverage to enjoy and continue the conversation after the hike.
Enjoy an explosion of color this fall during A Festival of Fabulous Mums at Duke Gardens. Exhibition mums will create a dazzling floral display outdoors at the Ruth Mary Meyer Japanese Garden in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum. Central Carolina Chrysanthemum Society members will be on hand to highlight the 13 classes of mums and answer questions. Registration is not required for this free drop-in event for all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Enjoy an explosion of color this fall during A Festival of Fabulous Mums at Duke Gardens. Exhibition mums will create a dazzling floral display outdoors at the Ruth Mary Meyer Japanese Garden in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum. Central Carolina Chrysanthemum Society members will be on hand to highlight the 13 classes of mums and answer questions. Registration is not required for this free drop-in event for all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
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 topic related to gardening with native plants. In November we will consider how insects and animals spend the winter months amongst the plants here in the Piedmont.
Join curator Paul Jones on a series of walking tours to learn how the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum has developed over the past 40 years from an overgrown woodland to the enchanting garden it is today. Experience the changing seasons as you hear stories about early landscaping ideas, plant collecting trips to China and Japan and the people and projects that shaped its early years of development. Each date will cover a different aspect of the Arboretum’s history. Topics discussed on this walk include working with Sister Cities International to build the tea pavilion, the magic of moss, the contributions of an incredible horticulturist and the creation of a Japanese garden.
Spend an afternoon learning about woody plants with ethnobiologist marc williams. This in-person intensive class begins with a presentation about major tree and shrub families. Then head outside on a plant walk to learn how to identify woody trees and shrubs by their leaves, bark, flowers, fruit and growing conditions, and learn to spot characteristic clues to determine the plant families to which they belong. Discussion will include common and obscure uses for woody plants that can support overall human health, well-being and sustenance, along with relationships between woody plants and fungi.
Spend your lunch hour with Shannon Currey, education and outreach at Izel Native Plants, getting to know some of the best go-to plants for building ecologically sound landscapes. In the ongoing Native Plant Solutions series, we take a deep dive into a handful of specific native plants, focusing on a landscape situation or plant adaptation that makes them particularly helpful. Native trees are powerful plants in cultivated landscapes. They provide a host of benefits, from reducing ambient temperatures to raising property values and creating habitat for wildlife. However, because the sun exposure and soil moisture vary greatly under the tree canopy, figuring out what to plant underneath trees can be challenging. The default is often turfgrass or mulch. But this default misses an opportunity to realize the full potential of the trees and our landscapes. Soft landings is a strategy that uses diverse native plantings to help support wildlife and add ecological function. Many pollinators start their lives in our native trees. Soft landings provide the critical shelter and habitat underneath those trees that many species need to complete their life cycle. This approach also helps support the trees, improve soil health, and manage stormwater. It’s also much more appealing than mulch or turfgrass! Join us to go beyond the default and use herbaceous, native plants to add life, function, and beauty under your trees.
Scent tells stories and evokes memory. In celebration of Pauli Murray’s birthday month, use your sense of smell to learn about the legacy of this acclaimed Durham-raised civil rights activist, lawyer, feminist, writer, and the first Black person perceived to be a woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. Guided by the scent storytellers of Bright Black, experience the scent of three flowers—marigold, rose and magnolia. Learn how these three botanicals evoke the essence of the Durham neighborhood Pauli grew up in and symbolize the richness of faith, optimism, stability, resilience, hope and strength that Pauli’s commitment to community fully embodied. All participants will make a custom botanical body fragrance inspired by your own stories and the values that Pauli embodied, as well as receive a Pauli Murray mini candle. All proceeds go to Bright Black and the Pauli Murray Center. One scholarship spot based on financial need is available by emailing GardensEducation@duke.edu.