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.
