BY MARILYN JONES
From the majestic heights of the Great Smoky Mountains to the tranquil shores of Surf City, North Carolina is a haven for botanical gardens. These living works of art, nurtured by dedicated staff, volunteers and the state’s diverse ecosystems, are a testament to human determination and creativity.
Most Triangle locals already know about the beautiful Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham and JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. Here we describe some of North Carolina’s other magnificent gardens with which you might be less familiar.
MOUNTAINS
Biltmore Gardens and Grounds One Lodge Street, Asheville | biltmore.com
The Biltmore Estate draws many visitors to Asheville every year. In addition to touring George Vanderbilt’s 250-room mansion, visitors should allocate plenty of time to explore the estate’s beautiful gardens.
Frederick Law Olmsted created the Biltmore Estate’s gardens. The landscape artist, who also designed Central Park in New York City, began his work on the grounds surrounding the Biltmore in 1888. This project was the capstone of his impressive career—and an especially impressive achievement since the land at the time was unproductive and overused. His design was a triumph that continues to attract visitors over 130 years later.
Today, guests can explore Biltmore’s 8,000 acres, which include six formal and informal gardens—a walled garden, a rose garden, an azalea garden and more. The grounds also hold a conservatory, and 20 miles of nature trails leading visitors to the French Broad River and through meadows and woodlands.
Admission fees vary depending on season and on the visitors’ planned activities.
Lake Lure Flowering Bridge 3070 Memorial Highway, Lake Lure | lakelurefloweringbridge.org
Originally carrying traffic over the Rocky Broad River, the Lake Lure bridge was built in 1925 and decommissioned in 2011, when volunteers requested permission from the North Carolina Department of Transportation to preserve the structure for a garden. In 2013, they planted 12 raised gardens with distinct themes and varieties of plants. Volunteers continue to maintain this unique garden today.
Since its original design and completion, new gardens have been added to each end of the bridge, including the state’s largest sensory garden for the blind and visually impaired. At the Rainbow Bridge, people who have lost beloved pets can honor them by securing a collar or tag on a garden bridge painted in rainbow colors. The garden is also distinguished by its sculptures, its many themed gardens and its children’s areas.
The garden is wheelchair accessible and open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Admission is free. Please note that damage from Hurricane Helene might affect your visit. To learn about the garden’s current status or to support the organization as it rebuilds, please visit the website.
PIEDMONT
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill | ncbg.unc.edu/ncbg
The North Carolina Botanical Garden is dedicated to education and conservation. Our state’s ecosystems include a massive variety of flora, including many plant species that can be found nowhere else. The North Carolina Botanical Garden educates visitors about these plants and their ecosystems. It features 1,100 acres of garden and conservation areas for rare and endangered plant species. It also offers sculptures and an art gallery, nature trails, and educational programs focused on gardening, local flora and fauna, and conservation.
Habitats at the North Carolina Botanical Garden replicate ecosystems in the Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain and Mountain regions. Other gardens include the Children’s Wonder Garden, Courtyard Garden, Native American Garden, Carnivorous Plant Collection and a poisonous plants garden.
The gardens are run by a unit of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and are wheelchair accessible. Admission is free.
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden 6500 S. New Hope Road, Belmont | dsbg.org
Located near Charlotte, the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont features 30 acres of spectacular gardens, including a children’s garden, a conservatory dedicated to displaying tropical plants and orchids, the Dry Piedmont Prairie, annual and perennial displays, gardens themed around cottages and canals, and fountains and walking trails.
The garden’s popular Butterfly Bungalow is open seasonally. Guests can watch varieties of butterflies in flight, observe them coming forth from chrysalids, and feed them on a feeding sponge. (Be careful not to touch!)
The garden is wheelchair accessible. Admission fees vary, but there is no extra charge to visit the Butterfly Bungalow. Hours vary based on season.
Reynolda Gardens 100 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem | reynolda.org/gardens
Richard Joshua (R.J.) Reynolds founded the tobacco company that bears his name in 1875. He established an estate near Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem in 1915. In addition to his family home, which is now an art museum, Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest University retains some of the estate’s original garden and grounds features, including formal gardens and greenhouses. It also boasts woodland trails and a waterfall.
The gardens are open year-round. There is no admission fee.
Wilson Botanical Gardens 1806 Goldsboro Street S SW, Wilson | wilsonbotanicalgarden.org
From the Children’s Secret Garden to monthly presentations by master gardeners, the botanical gardens in Wilson live up to their slogan: “Growing in Wilson … One Plant at a Time.”
These educational gardens help Wilson residents learn about the plants they can grow in their own yards. The facility includes an arboretum and gardens themed around medicinal and herbal plants, daylilies, flowers, fence and bird gardens, the Heritage Garden, a STEM garden and more. Volunteer master gardeners are the backbone of the organization.
Admission is free except for special events. The gardens are open 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk.
Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh | juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org
Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh has over 10 acres of public display gardens. Its mission is to collect plants from all over the world that can grow in our region. The garden is known for its rare plant treasures, and nurtures an unparalleled diversity of zone 7B cold hardy plants. Gardeners create beds that accent each plant’s best characteristics to create aesthetically pleasing spaces each season.
Guests are encouraged to visit the garden during one of several three-day open house events per year, when the garden’s horticultural staff is available to answer questions and assist visitors with finding plants. Guests can also visit by appointment. The garden only charges admission for groups of 10 or more, and most of the garden is wheelchair accessible.
COASTAL PLAIN
Airlie Gardens 300 Airlie Road, Wilmington | airliegardens.org
Sarah and Pembroke Jones created Airlie Gardens near Wilmington in 1886 as a private garden. Over a century later, this stunning, coastal Southern garden is a regional draw with a particularly beautiful spring azalea bloom. The 67-acre garden is home to the Airlie Oak, a 500-year-old Southern live oak designated the largest in North Carolina by the Live Oak Society. It also features historic buildings, including the 1835 Mount Lebanon Chapel and Cemetery, over a dozen gardens, an extensive outdoor art collection and a seasonal butterfly house.
Several television shows and movies have been filmed here, including Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill and Sleepy Hollow.
Hours and admission fees vary. Some paths are wheelchair accessible, and the gardens provide an accessibility tram.
The Elizabethan Gardens 1411 National Park Drive, Manteo | elizabethangardens.org
During Queen Elizabeth I’s reign from 1558–1603, a particular enclosed and elaborate style of garden was popular. The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, which opened formally in 1960, are designed in this style. They hearken back to the time when the first European colonists lived in Manteo and serve as a memorial to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. The grounds include over 20 gardens, marble statues, picturesque walkways and other attractions. A bronze sculpture of Queen Elizabeth I and a statue of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas, provide continuity to the constantly changing flora.
Hours and admission fees vary. The gardens’ main path is wheelchair accessible.
Winston-Salem Gardens
You could spend days touring the many gardens in and around Winston‑Salem. In addition to Reynolda Gardens, you can visit:
- Old Salem Museums & Gardens, which replicate an 18th-century Moravian village, including its gardens. oldsalem.org
- Historic Bethabara Park, which preserves the area’s historic buildings and grounds and includes woodland walking trails. cityofws.org/1893/Historic-Bethabara-Park
- The Arboretum and Gardens at Tanglewood Park, which showcase and educate visitors about Piedmont flora. forsyth.cc/parks/tanglewood/arboretum.aspx
- The Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, which includes numerous themed gardens and educational programs. cienerbotanicalgarden.org
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