Spend your lunch hour getting to know some of the best go-to plants for building ecologically sound landscapes. In the 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. This session explores a group of plants whose survival strategies give them an edge when there’s open space. Uncovered ground in a landscape is an invitation for something to grow there. Often, what grows is a plant we don’t want (i.e., a weed). Gaps show up in new plantings before the plants have matured and in established plantings when they are disturbed. In this session, we’ll focus on dynamic fillers—desirable species that can be used to close those gaps, fill any new ones that arise, and provide seasonal color. Learn how to use these plants to reduce the need for weeding and mulching, and to create beautiful, resilient, lower-maintenance plantings.
Explore different facets of transformation through the lens and practice of ecosomatics in a series of five workshops designed around a central theme that can also be taken as stand-alone classes.
The May 22 session will conclude our ecosomatics series with a class exploring the Cycles of Life. Through movement, reflection and sensory practices, we’ll attune to the rhythms of beginnings and endings, and the threads that carry forward through time. Drawing inspiration from the more-than-human world, this class invites participants to consider what it means to end well, honor transitions and nurture continuity within change. Together, we’ll explore how cycles in nature and our own lives offer wisdom for living with intention and grace. Join us for this reflective and grounding experience in the beauty of Duke Gardens.
Come discover the regenerative power of mindful engagement with nature. The Japanese tradition of Shinrin-Yoku, forest bathing, is a practice of using all 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.
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.
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.
Stay connected to the most recent garden updates and seasonal highlights by learning directly from Duke Gardens staff on a casual stroll. While construction for the transformative Garden Gateway Project is underway, enjoy special access on this monthly walk. Use your members' free code or become a member today! Visit the Pocket Prairie, a special project in a parking lot adjacent to Duke Gardens and learn about the pollinator research underway there.
Join Dr. Neeti Bathala for an engaging lecture on the vital role of pollinators in sustaining ecosystems and food production. Discover native plants and flowers that attract and nourish a variety of pollinator species and gain practical insights into designing year-round blooming gardens—even in small spaces or containers. Participants will also learn how to take actionable steps for conservation and participate in citizen science by reporting pollinator observations.
Did you know a prairie can grow in a parking lot? Southeastern native prairie plants can be an attractive, low maintenance alternative to sod in underutilized urban areas such as parking lots. Additionally, unlike sod, these pocket prairies can also be beneficial to pollinators such as birds and butterflies. Visit a Duke Gardens pocket prairie project in a nearby parking lot for a show-and-tell demonstration of the way the ecological benefits of prairies can coexist with a built environment. You’ll leave with a plant list and an appreciation for the power of prairie plants.
Join us for a timely webinar about Ukrainian botanical gardens and their critical role during the ongoing war with Russia. Since the Russian invasion in early 2022, Ukraine’s botanical gardens have been serving as centers of respite, recovery, environmental education, and nature healing. Leaders from several Ukrainian gardens will describe their current focus on Therapeutic Horticulture, utilizing US expertise provided primarily by North Carolina Botanical Garden to assist the traumatized population of their country, including veterans and displaced families. Ukrainian botanical garden leaders will provide vivid images of their gardens and their work and will discuss the crucial support from US partners. The webinar will conclude with a question-and-answer session and will explain how you can assist these efforts.
