Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh North Carolina, a part of North Carolina State University, celebrates the arrival of spring with two Garden Party weekends — April 28 through 30 and May 5 through 7, 2023.

Activities include art displays in the garden, a garden hat decorating competition, walks and talks with the experts, self-guided garden tours, and greenhouse plant purchases. There is no admission charge.

“We hope you’ll join the celebration and see all the plants in bloom,” said Tony Avent, founder and proprietor. “Spring is a time to see an incredible diversity of plants grown in this region. Sunday hours will be expanded, and thousands of plants will be available to take home for Mother’s Day and gardening.”

During the first Garden Party weekend, Phillips Garden Art will display pottery and arrange ceramic and stone sculptures into the landscapes.

?Scheduled on both weekends is the garden hat decorating competition. All entries will be photographed upon arrival and posted on Juniper Level social media for voters. The top three vote-getters will receive garden gift certificates.

“I’m thinking this could evolve into something like the Kentucky Derby fashion event for plants,” added Avent.

Spring Garden Party Times

Friday (April 28): 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.

Saturday (April 29): 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.

Sunday (April 30): 9 a.m. through 5 p.m.

May 5: 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.

May 6: 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.

May 7: 9 a.m. through 5 p.m.

Established in Wake County in 1986, Juniper Level Botanic Garden is a not-for-profit, 28-acre educational, research, and display garden with a mission to collect, preserve, and share plants worldwide.

With a collection now exceeding 27,000 types of plants, Juniper Level has shipped more than 3 million plants to all US states and 41 nations – including a recent shipment to war-torn Ukraine.

“The plant collection at Juniper Level Botanic Garden is one of the top five collections in the United States,” said Avent, a participant in 13 foreign and more than 60 domestic plant expeditions.

Open just two weekends each season, “Juniper Level Botanic Garden will open full-time as a public garden when our endowment at North Carolina State University is fully funded,” said Avent.

Fundraising efforts operate under the auspices of The Endowment Fund of NC State University, a 501(c)3 non-profit. Donors receive an official receipt for contributions to the fund.

(Photos courtesy of Juniper Level Botanic Garden: top left, Smokin’ Hot Arilbred Iris; above, Amorphophallus Konjac)