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Terrace Gardens

The Terrace Gardens are the historic heart of Duke Gardens. 

The Italianate-style gardens were designed by noted landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman and dedicated in 1939. Topped by a wisteria-covered pergola, the Terrace beds are filled each season with marvelous combinations of bulbs, annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses, trees and shrubs. Container plantings complement the landscape designs. The Fish Pool, located at the bottom of the Terraces, is filled with koi as well as hardy and tropical water lilies in the summer. The recently created crevice gardening along the side of the Terraces utilizes spaces between rocks as planting nooks, creating microclimates that accommodate plants that might otherwise be impossible to grow in this climate.

Terrace Gardens Highlights

a black and white archival photo of a garden with a metal pergola structure at top and reflective pond at bottom.

History of the Terrace Gardens

A fountain with multi levels and a crane on top, with a courtyard and lush garden surrounding it.

Cindy Brodhead Pegola

a black and white archival photo of a garden with a metal pergola structure at top and reflective pond at bottom.

Fish Pool

A fountain with multi levels and a crane on top, with a courtyard and lush garden surrounding it.

Crevice Garden

Questions about the Terrace Gardens?

Please contact us at gardens@duke.edu.