Fall Retreat: Yoga & Art Journaling in the Garden

Saturday, November 9; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. •  $60
Join us for a relaxing, restorative retreat focused on yoga and art journaling. Enjoy the beautiful fall landscape of the Garden while experiencing gentle yoga, art journaling, and mindfulness sessions with skilled instructors. For participants 18 years of age or older; registration is required before noon on Friday. Tickets include class instruction, art supplies, yoga mat rental, and healthy snacks. Register now >

Winter in the Garden Holiday Festival

Saturday, December 7, 5-9 p.m.
Celebrate the holiday season at the Garden with lights, native plant greenery, holiday music, food for purchase, and good cheer. Enjoy a kids’ craft, Rameses decked out in his Santa suit, shopping at our craft market, and more. Read more and buy tickets >

Members' Holiday Party and Preview Night
Friday, December 6, 5-8 p.m.
Join us as we celebrate the season at our annual holiday party. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, festive entertainment, and a preview of Winter in the Garden. Members only, but you can become a member at the door!

Garden Treasures

The Chapel Hill Historical Society has announced its 2019 Community Treasures, honoring those who have generously served our community with kind hearts and good deeds. The Garden is excited to have several of our very own treasures on the list! Congratulations!!!
 

LYNN KNAUFF

Lynn Knauff is a member of the Greenbiers at the Garden, a small group of volunteers who take up special projects. She can be found frequently at the Garden, pitching in and supporting the Garden in a variety of ways. She received a fellowship from the Carolina Population Center in 1967 to study maternal and child heath at UNC’s School of Public Health. She’s developed training programs for nurses and midwives and continues to be a mentor for medical students.
 

SANDRA AND STEPHEN RICH

Stephen served as treasurer of the North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation for many years, and both Sandra and Stephen continue to be steadfast supporters of the Garden. They created walking tours for Preservation Chapel Hill and have served on numerous local boards, including the Carolina Center for Public Service, North Carolina Hillel, Carolina Center for Jewish Studies and the Chapel Hill Historic District commission.
 

MARSHA WARREN

Marsha Warren became the director of the Paul Green Foundation in 1991 and continues to support his legacy. The Garden works closely with Marsha to keep up the Paul Green Cabin and celebrate his legacy. Look for the Paul Green Foundation in the cabin at our Winter in the Garden Holiday Festival! Marsha has a long history in childcare and education, including starting several childcare programs and teaching music. She will continue to teach this fall, as a tutor in the Learning Trail after-school program.        

Final Month: Sculpture in the Garden!

Don't miss your chance to see this year's sculpture show! Sculpture in the Garden is free and open to the public during normal Garden hours through Sunday, December 8. Come see this year's 44 installations by 32 North Carolina artists!

Stop in at the front desk to pick up a free map and guide to the show, then come back to the exhibit hall at the end to vote for your favorite! Voting for the People's Choice Award is open until Friday, November 15! The winning artist receives a $1,000 award. We'll announce the winner at our Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, November 15.

Pictured: #41, To Live and Thrive, Let Spider Run Alive
Logs inoculated with shiitake mushroom spawn
Greg Bender, Asheboro, NC

Build-a-Birdhouse - for Families

Saturday November 9; 1:30-2:30 p.m. •  $15 ($13.50 Members)
For ages 6 and up with accompanying adult. Learn all about the tiny but mighty brown-headed nuthatch and how to build the perfect birdhouse for this cavity-nesting songbird that needs our help. All supplies included. Register now >

2020: Year of the Wildflower

In 2020, the Garden will celebrate and advocate for biodiversity through a year-long exhibition of native wildflowers. The year will be filled with classes, outings, lectures, exhibits, and community events. The exhibition will kick off with a lecture by Tom Earnhardt, writer, TV producer and host of Exploring North Carolina, and past president of the North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation, Inc.

2020 VISION: SEEING AND UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF OF WILDFLOWERS AND NATIVE PLANTS IN THE LIFE OF NORTH CAROLINA 

January 16, 2020, 7-8:30 p.m. •  Free; registration required
with Tom Earnhardt

In this kickoff lecture, Tom will share his 2020 VISION for North Carolina and how finding a cure for the epidemic of plant blindness can have a positive impact on biodiversity worldwide. Join Tom on a journey through North Carolina as he shares a vision of healing through the power of wildflowers and native plants that can lead to reclaiming biodiversity in our neighborhoods, towns, and the state, one lot at a time. Register now >

In the DeBerry Gallery

November-December

GIFTS OF NATURE

Works by members of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators-Carolinas

Exhibit Reception: Sunday, November 10; 2-4 p.m.

 

In the News

STAYING ON MISSION WITH RESTORATION

Fort Bragg stretches across 251 square miles of the North Carolina Sandhills, and is the home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces. The bustle of the base is made up of contractors, military families, civilian support staff, and, of course, over 50,000 active duty personnel. As one of the largest military bases in the U.S., this bustle of activity is hardly surprising, but the base’s importance for rare plants may be. Three federally endangered plant species also have a home on the base, as do a host of plant species at risk of becoming federally listed. Luckily, for these special plant species, the Garden and the Army take protection of their natural resources and endangered species very seriously. Read more in this article in the Center for Plant Conservation newsletter >

Holiday Hours

Planning to visit the Garden over the holidays? If so, please note:

• The Garden is closed on university holidays, including Thanksgiving and the day after, November 28 & 29. We will be open that weekend, November 30 & December 1. 
• The Garden will also be closed for the university's holiday break, December 24 - January 1. 
• The Garden is closed on Mondays.
• Coker Arboretum, Battle Park, and the Piedmont Trails will remain open as usual, dawn to dusk every day. 

Free Garden Tours

A WINTER LANDSCAPE

Saturday, December 7, 10-11 a.m. 
The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination. ~ Terri Guillemets

Bundle up and walk with us as we explore the patterns and colors of nature as winter moves in on the Garden. Free, but please preregister. Space is limited! Register now >

COKER ARBORETUM TOURS

Saturday, November 16, 11 a.m. 
Did you know we offer a free tour of Coker Arboretum on the third Saturday of every month from March to November? Tours begin at 11 a.m. and last 1-2 hours. Meet in the gathering circle on the south side of the Arboretum, next to the arbor along Cameron Avenue. Come learn about the unique history and composition of this wonderful garden in the heart of the UNC campus. Registration is encouraged but not required. Register now >

Let's Have Lunch Together!

Upcoming Youth & Family Programs

BLUETS: PRESCHOOLERS EXPLORING NATURE - WINTER SERIES

Wednesdays, Jan 22 – Feb 19, 2020 (no class Feb 12; 4 sessions) 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. •  $80 ($72 Members)
For ages 4-5. Learning comes naturally during this fun-filled series that fosters a sense of wonder for nature and science. Preschoolers will learn about owls, winter weather, and how plants and animals survive the cold through hands-on activities, nature walks, stories, crafts, and group play. Healthy snack provided. Note: This is a drop-off program. Register now >