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Community Outreach & Engagement

Duke Gardens plays a vital role in engaging our community with transformative, equitable and accessible experiences.

The Gardens offers a rich, inclusive environment that connects people with nature and with each other, inspiring transformative learning and enduring memories.

 

An adult sits in a wooden chair in an outdoor patio holding a book that four children are looking at as they sit on tree stumps. Several other adults look on, and there's a colorful cabinet in the background.

African American Legacy in Gardening & Horticulture

People of all backgrounds gathered together on March 29, 2025, for the African American Legacy in Gardening & Horticulture symposium. Watch parts 1, 2 and 3 of this transformational event on YouTube.

An adult sits in a wooden chair in an outdoor patio holding a book that four children are looking at as they sit on tree stumps. Several other adults look on, and there's a colorful cabinet in the background.

Self-Discovery in the Story Circle

The Story Circle in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden promotes diversity, representation, belonging and children’s self-exploration.

A large terraced garden with a pergola at the top, cherub fountains in the middle, and a golf cart with people in it at the bottom.

Leveraging Nature to Create Belonging

Partnering with Durham School of the Arts, Duke Gardens creates learning opportunities that allow students with disabilities to feel a sense of belonging in nature.

An adult sits in a wooden chair in an outdoor patio holding a book that four children are looking at as they sit on tree stumps. Several other adults look on, and there's a colorful cabinet in the background.

The New Birdwatchers of Duke Gardens

Duke Gardens is honored to host “Just Us Birding with Naturally Wild,” a series aimed at underrepresented residents to enjoy the birding experience.

A row of immature green gourds with long necks dangling from a trellis.

Southeastern Indigenous Peoples Garden

The Southeastern Indigenous Peoples garden display in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden highlights a selection of plants that have significance and importance to Indigenous peoples of this region.

A group of 8 people out in a woodsy garden setting. One is pointing up toward the trees, and most of the others are looking at where the person is pointing.

An Ice Cream Social with the ‘Chocolate Botanist’

Plant researcher Derek Haynes spills the beans about vanilla, explaining why ‘vanilla is so Black’

A person inside a garden pond, working with the leaves of water lilies.

The Generational Gift of the Gardens

A Duke Hospital employee shares her lifetime love for Duke Gardens.

A large terraced garden with a pergola at the top, cherub fountains in the middle, and a golf cart with people in it at the bottom.

Food Sovereignty in the Catawba Community

Duke professor Courtney Lewis and two members of the Catawba Nation discuss how society shouldn’t rely on outside factors to ensure access to food.

A group of 8 people out in a woodsy garden setting. One is pointing up toward the trees, and most of the others are looking at where the person is pointing.

What Can You Learn in a Garden?

A garden is a place of transformative learning about ourselves and the world around us.

Questions?

Please contact us at gardens@duke.edu.