Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Sarah P. Duke Gardens Stroll through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens to discover colorful seasonal plantings, a prairie garden and fruits and vegetables that grow well in the South. Sarah P. Duke Gardens Durham, North Carolina

This horticultural treasure tucked into the campus of Duke University was the inspiration of medical faculty member and avid gardener Dr. Frederic M. Hanes in the 1930s. It now includes a diverse collection of plants tended by a staff of 17 and lots of volunteers.

Director of Horticulture Bobby Mottern calls the 52-acre property a “strolling display garden”. Approximately 5 miles of pathways lead you through woods, an Asiatic arboretum with a moss garden and Japanese tea house, a rose garden, a white garden and much more.

The oldest part of the garden is also one of the most popular spots for visitors. The Terrace Gardens, designed by well-known landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman, opened in 1939. The terraced walls of this 12,000-square-foot Italianate-style garden are made from locally quarried stone and hold eye-popping seasonal plantings.

In the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden you can learn all about organic vegetable gardening and see which fruits and vegetables grow best in North Carolina’s climate. It showcases an orchard, bee hives and a chicken coop, and houses the Burpee Learning Center, which was reconstructed from two historic tobacco barns.

Elsewhere at Sarah P. Duke, you can learn about other plants in the garden. Take the Midday Meander, a stroll through the garden focusing on stories and our relationship with gardens; or join a Botany Spotlight course, which focuses on a specific plant found in the gardens.

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