Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina (part of North Carolina State University), announces eight Open Garden weekends during 2023 for self-guided tours, talks with experts, enjoyment of seasonal blooms, and plant purchases.

“Two weekends are scheduled each season,” said founder and proprietor Tony Avent. “Our Winter Open Garden is scheduled today through February 26, 2023 and March 3 through 5, 2023.”

“There are so many incredible plants in the garden in the winter, for form, for texture, and in bloom. Wonderful plants from broadleaf evergreens to conifers to evergreen perennials. A garden does not have to be a flat pallet of mulch in the wintertime. This is what your landscape can look like.’

With a collection exceeding 27,000 types of plants, the mission of Juniper Level Botanic Garden is to collect, preserve, and share plants with the world. To date, the Garden has shipped more than three million plants to all 50 states and 41 nations.

“Plant it for the planet,” Avent advocates. “Almost 40 percent of global plant diversity is threatened with extinction.”

Adjacent to Juniper Level Botanic Garden in southern Wake County, Panther Branch Rosenwald School will open for public tours during the Winter Open Garden weekends. The Colonial-style school, constructed in 1926, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Wake County Historic Landmark.

Panther Branch Rosenwald School (pictured, above) was restored by Juniper Level Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Jeffrey B. Robinson. The school was one of more than 5,000 built in the southern United States to improve education opportunities for African American children. The Rosenwald Project was a massive initiative by Julius Rosenwald, Chairman of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and Booker T. Washington, the first leader of Tuskegee Institute.

“We are fortunate to have Panther Branch Rosenwald School within walking distance of the Garden,” said Avent. “We are thrilled to work with Pastor Robinson and his team to enhance the landscaping of this newly restored, nationally significant landmark.

2023 Open Garden dates

Winter
February 24, 25, and 26
March 3,4, and 5

Spring
April 28, 29, and 30
May 5, 6, and 7

Summer
July 14, 15, and 16
July 21, 22, and 23

Fall
September 15, 16, and 17
September 22, 23, and 24

About Juniper Level Botanic Garden

Juniper Level Botanic Garden is a not-for-profit, 28-acre educational, research, and display garden. Established in 1986, the Garden is an institutional member of the American Public Gardens Association.

“Juniper Level Botanic Garden will open full-time as a public garden when our endowment at North Carolina State University is fully funded,” added Avent. Fundraising efforts operate under the auspices of The Endowment Fund of NC State University, a 501(c)3 non-profit.

(Photos courtesy of Juniper Level Botanic Garden)