My husband and I are always looking out for nearby locales we can explore together and feed my photography habit. As long-time residents of the city and frequent explorers of local parks, museums, and arboretums, it is hard for us to find previously undiscovered places.
A few weekends ago, we were thrilled to find out about Juniper Level Botanic Garden, a place we’d never heard of before, on our local TV station’s list of top public gardens in the area.
Juniper Level Botanic Garden is a 28-acre research, educational, and display garden, located in the southern part of the county, about 20 miles from downtown Raleigh. Plant Delights Nursery, which funds the garden, is located on the same property.
After making a spontaneous trek out to JLBG, we learned that visits are typically scheduled in advance unless it is an open garden day. We were lucky that there were no other events happening on the premises and the friendly front desk staff accommodated us.
The garden and nursery are quite impressive, with a rock garden, several water features, lots of sitting areas, and a gorgeous array of unique flowers and plants.
It would be generous to call us even beginning-level gardeners, but we both have an appreciation for plants and the hard work it takes to maintain landscapes. We left the premises with a plethora of imagery and a catalog chock full of information to help us learn more about the plants that thrive in our region.
JLBG is committed to expanding knowledge of horticulture through research and classes dedicated to raising awareness of best practices and dispelling gardening misinformation. Many of their lectures are available on the Plant Delights Youtube channel.
