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 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.
Every Durham gardener knows the frustration: clay (or sometimes sandy!) soils that are difficult to work with. But beyond their bad reputation, Durham’s clays can provide a great foundation for edible and ornamental gardeners, provided you know how to balance drainage, organic matter, nutrients, and pH. This presentation will also touch on soil selection for raised beds and containers. This program is part of the Hattie Meadows Gardening School, a free community learning project to spread knowledge and love of gardening.
Join tree expert Matt Archibald, ISA board-certified master arborist at Leaf & Limb for a walk to wonder at the beauty of trees in winter. Learn fascinating facts about various species, emphasizing their ecological importance and their role in our environment.
Growing a garden from seed can be exciting. This presentation will help you build a successful indoor seed starting setup that can be used for edible or ornamental plants and share tips on how to get your homegrown seedlings ready to go outside. This program is part of the Hattie Meadows Gardening School, a free community learning project to spread knowledge and love of gardening. Classes will take place at the Stanford L. Warren Library from January through June 2026.
“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 student than as a poet during her lifetime. To honor the poet's nearly 200-year-old efforts, the artists Leah Sobsey and Amanda Marchand remade Dickinson's flower sampler with an early plant-based photo process known as anthotype. Join the artists for a virtual presentation about this collaborative photo project at the intersection of art, science and literature.
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 the concepts of Landscape Scale, Materiality and Movement to, from and within a site. The goal of this course is to fundamentally alter the way we look at the process of manipulating our outdoor spaces through the process of crafting a landscape story which flows through the space and informs all aspects of your design. This program is part of the Hattie Meadows Gardening School, a free community learning project to spread knowledge and love of gardening. Classes will take place at the Stanford L. Warren Library from January through June 2026.
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 and dusky salamanders in the stream. Learn about ongoing salamander studies and the habitats different salamander species rely on for their life cycles. Be prepared for a walk on the forest floor and to dip your toes in a rocky creek.
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 and dusky salamanders in the stream. Learn about ongoing salamander studies and the habitats different salamander species rely on for their life cycles. Be prepared for a walk on the forest floor and to dip your toes in a rocky creek.
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, 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 floor unless a chair is requested upon registration by emailing GardensEducation@duke.edu. For ages 12 and up.
Bundle up and 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 have ever found yourself wondering about the birds that are flying or singing around you, join us to learn more together as a group. Bring your own binoculars if you have them (not required) and a sense of curiosity.