north carolina botanical garden

These gardens have a little of everything. Every kind of indigenous plant you can imagine, and then a whole lot more. There is an amazing cabin belonging to Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Green, and a vine sculpture that has to be seen to be believed. And it's only a few minutes from Franklin Street. Well worth the time.

I very much enjoyed the gardens. There were several areas that were designed to represent the mountains, the piedmont and the coast. I loved the carnivorous plants. At the gift shop, I was able to purchase several native plants to take home. I am interested in their classes, but have been able to get anyone to return my calls. :( Maybe next visit, I will track someone down! If you love natives, this is a worthy visit.

What a great place to relax and enjoy some of nature's finest offerings, all displayed in a most marvelous way. My husband and I are from out of state and here on business. Having a day off, we decided to try the gardens here and were not disappointed. In fact, we ended up spending more time there than we first planned because there were so many cozy places to rest and just view the gardens. The staff was so informative and helpful,and, though it was winter and plants not blooming, there was still much beauty around us. Arbors and walkways were well cared for and inviting. There is even a giant chess set and a branch maze. Being a Granma of seven, I right away was drawn to the Childrens Wonder Garden and imagined how lovely it must be in full bloom.There is a gift shop which we did not get to see(hey,we enjoyed the outside so much we forgot to go inside). I know there are many things we probably missed, such as the Education Center and the garden shop but I feel our visit was full enough for us.What a great place and it is FREE.

I visited in March - when things were just starting to bloom. Amid the brown, there were gorgeous daffodils sprouting up in the most vivid whites, yellows, and greens.

It is definitely one of the finest Botanical Gardens in the country and gets better every year. As a garden club member many years ago, my interest was in herb gardening and I did a lot of research into herbs their cooking enhancement and source of organic and natural healing properties. I gave a number of herb cooking demonstrations to various organizations. The garden has now exploded in every area of interest: herbs, saving endangered plant species, lectures on preservation, enhancing individual gardens using native plants, environmentally, etc. It's a wonderful, peaceful place to visit or learn.

Love walking in the woods. Love the plant sales. Love walking and musing in the gardens. Haven't made a purchase in the gift shop but it is well stocked.

This is a great garden, and I was impressed at both how large and quite it is. I was thinking that it would be loud since it is lose to 54, but it is not. Also I didn't think it would be as big as it was. Depending on the season, the flowers change. Going there a couple times a year is common with the locals.

Although it was winter, we enjoyed walking around the various gardens. I especially enjoyed seeing the carnivorous plant collection. It also has nature trails, a reference library, and classrooms to educate all ages. I look forward to returning in the spring or summer.

Had a lovely time, even in winter, with 50 degree weather and a nice place to walk and be outside. Great time of year to get great ideas for the mechanics of your garden ( boxes, beds, trellises, fountains, outbuildings, bridges, ponds, etc.) - all the structures that are the foundation of a well designed garden!

It's easy to drive right by but once you're there, take a couple of hours to explore. Even though it's right off the highway, it's peaceful. You'll find yourself relaxing as you walk around the gardens.

Don't miss the Sculpture in the Garden (until December 7, 2014), the hiking trails, or the many wonderful exhibits housed in the beautiful Education Center. There's so much to see, and so much to learn.

We spent a warm fall North Carolina morning strolling through the gardens. Very enjoyable. We loved the herb garden and were amazed at how many different types of rosemary were growing there and how they each had a slightly different scent. Since it was November, many of the plants along the walks were no longer blooming, but it was still very interesting to see the various categories of labeled plants in the gardens. We even saw two large preying mantis on the beautiful pitcher plants. And the sculptures in the gardens were beautiful. A morning well spent!

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Very well laid out and labeled. Can only imagine how beautiful it is here in spring. Loved seeing all the sculptures throughout the gardens. Ample parking and FREE admission. Definitely worth checking out.

Went back for the first time in many years and was pleasantly surprised at the changes. Nice trails, lots of signage of plant names, well maintained and until December 1, lots of sculptures on exhibit within the trails. It was especially beautiful this time due to the fall leaf color. We also went over to the Mason Farm property and again had a very nice surprise. A road (no vehicles) formed the 2.2 mile loop trail with plenty of benches to sit and look for birds (bring binoculars!). The only issue was finding the place! directions are very unclear. You must go behind the UNC Finley golf course club house and keep going down a narrow road until you see a concrete bridge on the right. If water is up, there will be some water running over the bridge, but drive on across (if not too deep after a big rain) and park in the parking lot. There is a nice map at that point as well as an emergency phone. We saw several people walking both for exercise and for observations. You MUST get a permit at the Botanical Garden information desk before you can park.

A beautiful place with North Carolina native plants and trees. It is not a large garden - we found it very manageable and a great way to spend a morning. We enjoyed the trails - they are natural and the plant identification is done well - self educating. I enjoyed the Fly Traps. They have a nice system to collect rain water for recycling. They also have an area where daily, they sell potted plants.The Botanical Garden is a true gem.