Learning to notice plant family patterns can greatly aid in demystifying the “green wall” of plant species around us. Nearly 350,000 species of flowering plants are known to global science, and these species have been grouped into more than 400 flowering plant families. By learning the top 30 plant families growing around you, you will begin to recognize plants everywhere you go. After an indoor presentation on the major plant families common to the Southeastern U.S., ethnobotanist marc williams will reinforce your plant identification skills on a walk in the Gardens to observe family patterns in leaf, flower and fruit types. Discuss edibility, medicinality, craft, wildlife support and landscape beauty as you gain a more holistic understanding of the major plants comprising Southern U.S. flora and their potential ecological and ethnobotanical applications.
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.
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.
Learn to create strong and beautiful cord from fibers growing in your backyard with Angela Eastman of Flag Mountain Studio. We will cover processing the bast fibers or whole leaves of many plants (such as daffodil, iris, daylily, crocosmia and the inner barks of many vines such as kudzu, wisteria and more) to create cordage, an ancient craft practiced around the world.
Please join us for a pop-up exhibit and artist talk with The Witness about their evolving art practice that centers around themes of identity, belonging, grief and sorrow. The Witness will share how applying images to fresh leaves and paper has allowed them to process the immense reactions and sorrow that emerged from witnessing the suffering and erasure in Gaza. They will share how their nature-based art has changed in response to the seasons and a need for stronger creative expression. This talk offers an intimate view into their art practice and the stories around it.
Join horticulture staff and experienced 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.
Join 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 traditional Japanese tea gathering. Enjoy the aesthetics, poetry and serenity of this rich tradition over an enticing bowl of whisked green tea and a Japanese confection. Guests will meet onsite at Duke Gardens, to be escorted on a 10-minute walk to the teahouse. Seating is on the ground unless a chair is requested during registration by emailing GardensEducation@duke.edu. Capacity of eight; for ages 12 and up.
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.
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.
Walk the Gardens with Blanka Aguero, bryophyte data manager at the Duke University Herbarium, to look for mosses and liverworts, discussing what they tell you about the site. Visit and learn about recent expansions to the moss garden that have increased the variety of mosses you’ll encounter here. You will learn identifying characteristics of these small plants by observing similarities and differences with a magnifying lens.