Join a conversational stroll through Duke Gardens that will deepen your relationship with plants.
Join horticulture staff and volunteers on a walk around the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants to learn about connections between people, plants and place
Did you know fall is a great time to plant perennials? As the weather cools down, time your planting to allow perennials to establish their roots over the winter and maximize spring growth. Learn more about selecting plants, timing your planting and other tips for fall planting with Bobby Mottern, Duke Gardens’ director of horticulture.
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. The September walk will focus on the aster family.
This program is designed as an affinity space for BIPOC participants with any level of birding experience. Whether this is your first time, or you are an experienced birder, join Naturally Wild LLC to meet the birds that call Duke Gardens home. Led by bird guide Deja Perkins, participants will learn how to identify various birds, help contribute to the NC Bird Atlas and learn how to monitor birds in their own neighborhoods using Merlin and eBird.
The practice of haiku encourages us to bask in seasonal change, observing and recording our sensory experiences with words. Haiku, closely tied to Zen and meditation, helps us focus on what is internal. Each season brings its own predictable patterns and conditions. The shorter days of fall leave us with less light. As seasons change, we change, and while we often marvel at autumn oaks or spring red buds, transitioning can also trigger melancholy. In this workshop, we will review the aesthetics of contemporary haiku and compose haiku on a traditional ginko walk through the gardens. A ginko walk is a haiku poet practice to feel a deeper understanding of the connection between the mind and body as part of nature. All haiku experience levels are welcome, beginners too. This workshop is for everyone interested in delighting in observations of the seasonal nature of a garden.
Plan your visit to include a stop in the Discovery Garden for this special opportunity to meet the keepers of the bees, chickens and incredible edible plants. Stop by to meet and learn from staff members who specialize in caring for this engaging garden area beloved by learners of all ages.
Ecosomatics draws on our felt senses and the power of the imagination to challenge the idea of separation between humans and nature. This workshop will engage your senses with a series of prompts, reflective exercises, and movement practices to explore how to open up your perception in new and surprising ways in interaction with plants and other life. You will be guided to think and feel beyond the limits of your own bodily boundaries and consider the ways that we are in interaction and relationship with other living beings around us.
Join us for the members' preview of the fall plant sale, where you'll find an array of plants ideal for this region, including Duke Gardens plants, trees, shrubs, vines, bulbs and air plants, as well as expert gardening advice from Duke Gardens' staff and volunteers.
We hope you'll join us at our fall plant sale, where you'll find an array of plants ideal for this region, including Duke Gardens plants, trees, shrubs, vines, bulbs and air plants, as well as expert gardening advice from Duke Gardens' staff and volunteers.
Join The Chocolate Botanist, Derek Haynes, for an engaging talk about vanilla’s botanical origins, highlighting pivotal contributions of Black people in vanilla cultivation, addressing historical complexities surrounding Black communities’ relationship with vanilla, sharing aspects of vanilla’s cultural significance in Mexican and African cultures and offering insight into vanilla’s global culinary role. Samples of a special Madagascar vanilla ice cream flavor will be provided by Auntie’s Ice Cream with additional African-influenced flavors available for sale.
Spend an afternoon with the trees of Duke Gardens. Learn the language of trees, and gain insight into the fascinating interactions between trees, the world and us!
This workshop invites participants to explore the multifaceted world of herbs. Discover their medicinal properties, aromatic benefits and creative uses beyond cooking. This workshop offers practical insights into growing, harvesting and integrating herbs into everyday wellness routines, fostering a deeper connection to nature's remedies. Participants will make an herbal tea blend to take home.
Join us for a conversational stroll in the garden that deepens your relationship with plants. Swap plant stories, dig into horticultural history, question what you know and practice multisensory observation on a playful amble through the Gardens that delights and disrupts your understanding of what a garden can be. Expect to learn from each other, share what you know and leave with more questions than you started with.
Plan your visit to include a stop in the Discovery Garden for this special opportunity to meet the keepers of the bees, chickens and incredible edible plants. Stop by to meet and learn from staff members who specialize in caring for this engaging garden area beloved by learners of all ages.
Build your bird observation skills on a slow stroll through Duke Gardens as you gather a list of different birds that use the Gardens. If you have ever found yourself wondering about the birds that are flying or singing around you, bring those questions with you to learn together as a group. Bring your own binoculars if you have them (not required) and a sense of curiosity.
Forming a land-based relationship with place is an ongoing process, whether you live and garden on your own land, in an apartment or another setting. Together you’ll explore what it means to arrive in an ecosystem, become a part of it and take responsibility for your shared future. This workshop will focus on the first year of being in a new place.
Spend your lunch hour getting to know some of the best go-to plants for building ecologically sound landscapes. We'll take a deep dive into a handful of specific native plants, focusing on a landscape situation or plant adaptation that makes them particularly helpful. The October session will highlight native perennials for shady parts of the garden. Few plants grow in the full shade underneath evergreens, but there are many native perennials that thrive in less than full-sun conditions. Join us for a look at a range of options that will add beauty and ecological benefits to your landscape.
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. The October walk will focus on native grasses.
This program is designed as an affinity space for BIPOC participants with any level of birding experience. Whether this is your first time or you are an experienced birder, join Naturally Wild LLC to meet the birds that call Duke Gardens home. Led by bird guide Deja Perkins, participants will learn how to identify various birds, help contribute to the NC Bird Atlas and learn how to monitor birds in their own neighborhoods using Merlin and eBird.
Come discover the regenerative power of mindful engagement with nature. The Japanese tradition of Shinrin-Yoku, forest bathing, is a practice of using all of your senses to connect with nature. Many studies have found it to be helpful in decreasing stress, increasing immune system functioning, and improving concentration, creativity and mood. In a slow-paced two-hour session, certified Forest Therapy Guide Stephanie Campbell will offer a sequence of gentle invitations designed to help you immerse yourself in deeper connection with nature, ending with a forest-based tea.
Plan your visit to include a stop in the Discovery Garden for this special opportunity to meet the keepers of the bees, chickens and incredible edible plants. Stop by to meet and learn from staff members who specialize in caring for this engaging garden area beloved by learners of all ages.
Calling birders of all skill levels to build your observation skills on a slow stroll through Duke Gardens as you gather a list of different birds that use the Gardens, in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day. If you have ever found yourself wondering about the birds that are flying or singing around you, bring those questions with you to learn together as a group. You’ll leave with an appreciation for the global communities of life that migration facilitates. Bring your own binoculars if you have them (not required) and a sense of curiosity.
Participants will confirm the relationship they hold with plants that brings life to mind, body, and soul. This workshop will provide the opportunity to explore the benefits of garden herbs commonly used in the kitchen and reflect on the intuitive wisdom gained from interacting with them. This program is designed specifically for BIPOC adults (18+ years old). Participants will receive a garden kit that includes herbs, soil, one planter, seeds, journal and herbal guide to take home.
Between television commercials promoting green, healthy lawns and online influencers trumpeting climate-savvy lawn alternatives, the average gardener or homeowner would need a bushhog to cut through the noise. Join us for a stroll through the gardens to learn how we develop turfgrass and groundcover solutions that balance our commitment to climate-resilient gardening and our passion for high-impact beauty – and how you can too!
Join tree expert Matt Archibald from Leaf & Limb for a walk to wonder at the beauty of trees and learn fascinating facts about various species, their ecological importance and their role in our environment. Matt Archibald is a huge nerd for trees and nature. He is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, Tree Risk Assessment Qualified and a veteran in the industry for 10 years and counting. Coming from a rock climbing background, Matt discovered his passion and purpose in life when he started learning about trees and their ever-expanding universe of information. The more we learn, the more we realize how little we know!
