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Quilt Garden, North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville
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N.C. Arboretum Society members. All day Tuesday, parking is free.
Other features include a Perennial Allée, a pair of ornamental stone garden cottages, a delightfully irregular fish pond and rock garden. Beyond the pond is a Dawn Redwood, long believed to be extinct and one of the largest specimens in America.
Location: Just outside Asheville, the Arboretum is located next to the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance ramp at Milepost 393.
Culberson Asiastic Arboretum This tract of 20 acres features approximately 550 specimens and cultivars of Asian plants, including special collections of deciduous magnolias and Japanese maples. The arboretum is embellished with stone lanterns throughout, with a popular zig-zag bridge along a lake, a teahouse shelter, rock-rimmed pond, foot bridge and a Japanese entrance gateway.
Upcoming Events:
H.L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants
Orchid Show & Sneak Peek at Spring, Saturday–Sunday, March 25–26. Activities include walks, demonstrations and orchid sale. Horticulturists will be on hand to answer questions.
Situated in a 6.5-acre woodland setting of mature southern yellow pines, it contains more than 900 species and varieties of regional native plants. The focal point is the Blomquist Pavilion, a graceful garden shelter beside a spring-fed pond.
Arbor Day Celebration, Saturday–Sunday, April 29–30. Activities include displays, walks and demonstrations and a tree seedling giveaway.
(828) 665-2492 www.ncarboretum.org S A R A H P. D U K E G A R D E N S , D U R H A M Sarah P. Duke Gardens, spoken of as the “Crown Jewel of Duke University,” occupies 55 acres. It is renowned for landscape design and the quality of horticulture, each year attracting more than 300,000 visitors. During spring, see blazes of colorful redbuds, cherry, crabapple and dogwood trees, hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, peonies, camellias and wisteria at the gardens. Petunias, daylilies, begonias and other annuals and perennials flower through the summer, with hundreds of rose bushes and azaleas providing glorious banks of color. In the fall, gardens glow with more than 7,000 chrysanthemums. Winter displays dramatic barks, berries and evergreens. For adults, the gardens offer innovative programs including lectures, classes, guided walks, workshops, off-site tours, symposia and trips. A schedule of classes is published twice a year. For children, special programs and guided tours reveal the interconnections between plants, animals and people. Kids can participate in scavenger hunts, sensory walks, games, story times and more. Visitors can explore three major sections of Sarah P. Duke Gardens, which offer five miles of pathways and allées (walks specially bordered by a graceful grouping of trees or clipped hedges):
Visitor Information Café: Housed in one of the Terrace Garden’s attractive stone cottages bordered by low stone walls, the “Terrace Café” sells sandwiches, salads, snacks, ice cream and drinks. Wheelchair Access: Much here is suitable for the physically challenged, and there are resting benches. But note there are many changes in slope, some loose gravel on paths, and some steps. For $25, trolley tours are available Monday to Friday if scheduled in advance. Call (919) 668-1705. Hours of Operation: The Gardens are open daily 8 a.m. to dusk. The Doris Duke Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission: The gardens are open free. During certain hours, visitors pay for parking usually set by the hour. Location: The gardens are in Duke University’s West
Terrace Gardens Most first-time visitors start by strolling the Linden Allée to the Rose Garden.
Bog, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham Carolina Country MARCH 2006 15