Coker Arboretum Celebration
at the Dead Mule Club

Sunday, June 23; 4-7 p.m.
Dead Mule Club
303 W Franklin St., Chapel Hill
Join us for the annual celebration of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Coker Arboretum at the Dead Mule Club. Enjoy live music from Andrew Dykers, with plenty of food and drink for all! Garden director Damon Waitt will discuss current and future projects, highlights of student internships, and the planning process for the replacement of the iconic arbor.
 
Our hosts, Matt & Rosemary Putnam and Dave Robert, are known for their hospitality, great food, and music. Food contributed by Jamil Kadoura's Mediterranean Deli and Big Sam's BBQ, with beverages provided by Carolina Brewery, Wine Without Borders, and Country Vintner.
 
Register online, or RSVP to Stephen Keith by June 17 at 919-962-9458, skeith@email.unc.edu. $50 each ($35 is tax deductible).  Register now >

Unable to attend? Donate to the cause.

Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast Book Signing

Tuesday, July 2, 6-7:30 p.m. 
Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast is a new field guide for hikers, naturalists, gardeners, and anyone wishing to learn more about the region’s diverse flora.

• Describes and illustrates more than 1,200 species commonly encountered in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Washington D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. 
• Easy-to-use and organized by flower color, this guide includes perennials, annuals, and bulbs, both native and naturalized. 
• Introductory information on natural communities of the region and how and where to explore for wildflowers. 
• More than 1,300 color photographs and over 1,200 range maps.

All three authors are affiliated with the Garden, and they will offer a presentation from 6-7 p.m., on July 2, followed by light refreshments and a book signing.
 
You may purchase one copy of Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast when you register. Additional copies of the book will be available at the Garden Shop. You may also call the shop at 919-962-0547 to pre-order additional copies. The presentation is free, but registration is required. Space is limited! Register now > 

Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast is available June 25 everywhere books are sold! Profits from the sale of this book support the NC Botanical Garden's efforts to inspire understanding, appreciation, and conservation of plants, including research on the flora of the Southeast.

Heading to Washington, D.C.? Stop by our garden!

In mid-May, several staff accompanied by volunteer Jim Fickle drove to Washington D.C. in a box truck filled with lumber, plants, dried perennial stems for wattle fencing, and vintage farm implements to create a vignette of the North Carolina Botanical Garden outside the conservatory of the United States Botanic Garden next to the Capitol.
 
Our display is one of 20 gardens featured in their Gardens Across America exhibit, which runs from now through October 1. Our display uses a wide variety of native Piedmont plants and demonstrates how to garden with local plants in a way that nurtures biodiversity by providing food and shelter for wildlife throughout the year.

Carolina Moonlight Garden Party

Thank you to the Event Hosts, Corporate Sponsors, and those of you who attended the Carolina Moonlight Garden Party for making this a memorable and enjoyable evening. We are looking forward to next year's celebration!  See photos >

New Lunchbox Talks!

FIREFLIES: HARBINGERS OF SUMMER

Thursday, June 13; 12-1 p.m. • Free, preregistration required
The first light of fireflies in the spring sparks joy for many with reminders of childhood, chasing these winged beetles of the glowworm family. But what do we really know about these bioluminescent creatures that are one of few that live on land? How do they make their light? Where, specifically, do they live? What do they eat? Dr. Clyde Sorenson will share about the natural history of these special insects, including past and current species distributions and opportunities to help track these critters. Register now >

WHERE WAS SCOTT'S HOLE? A CHAPEL HILL/MORGAN CREEK MYSTERY

Thursday, June 27; 12-1 p.m. • Free, preregistration required
Scott’s Hole was a well-known Chapel Hill fishing and swimming place in the 1800s, but knowledge of it has all but disappeared today, and no physical description or exact location is known. According to Kemp Battle, the hole was named “for a man who drowned in it." Its importance today is as a landmark near where several rare plants and a number of Herbarium samples were found. Come find out what we know so far and perhaps contribute to solving the mystery. Register now >

BioBlitz and Pollinator Count with Bee Campus UNC

Saturday, June 22, 9-11 a.m.
Battle Branch Park, Chapel Hill
Join the UNC Bee Campus during National Pollinator Week for a BioBlitz and Pollinator Count. Your observations can help scientists better understand the distribution, abundance, and seasonal timing of living things around the world. More information (PDF) >

UNC Bee Campus and the Garden were recently featured in an article in the University Gazette. Read more >

Congratulations, Alan!

UNC Herbarium director Alan Weakley was honored this past weekend during the 2019 Native Plant Conference at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. For many years, Alan has made significant contributions to the study, understanding, appreciation, and conservation of the Southeast’s distinctive native flora and its habitats. From his childhood through the present day, the native plants of the Southeast have been an important part of his life, and he has big plans for the future, too. Read more >

“What do you say about the contributions of one of the most gifted botanists of our time, someone who knows and continues to refine the taxonomic tapestry of thousands of vascular (and non-vascular) plants of the Southeast, who through his work has helped protect thousands of acres of critically important lands, and who has unhesitatingly shared his deep passion and insights into our remarkable flora with so many? One thing you can call him is one in a million and a godsend to those who share his passion and even perhaps more importantly to those that don't. It is through his work and the others he inspires that we may hope to ultimately decipher the complexities of our regional flora and conserve it for future generations. We all look forward to Alan continuing this incredibly important work for many years and to see what he does next."—Latimore Smith of Southern Wild, formerly of The Nature Conservancy in Louisiana 

In the Garden Shop
 

GIFT CERTIFICATES

For those of you thinking of gifts
The garden is here to uplift.
Come in for a gift card
(They’re 25 dollars so you aren’t caught off guard)
And while you’re here, volunteer for a shift!
 

WILDFLOWERS OF THE ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST

Get your copy of the new Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast book at the Garden Shop! Pre-order your copy when you register for the book signing, or call the Garden Shop at 919-962-0547. Books will be available to pick up at the book signing event on July 2 or anytime after that. 

Free Garden Tours

POND, PUDDLE, AND POOL

Saturday, July 6, 10-11 a.m. 
Water is the driver of Nature. ~ Leonardo da Vinci

Learn about the plants and animals that love to have their “feet wet” in some of our standing water aquatic habitats – the Salamander Pool, Turtle Pond, and Water Gardens. Free, but please preregister. Space is limited! Register now >

COKER ARBORETUM TOURS

Saturday, June 15, 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 >

Conservation Gardening 101: Landscaping with Native Plants

Tuesdays, August 20, 27, September 3, 10, 17, and 24, 6-9 p.m.
This series is designed to provide home gardeners and emerging landscape professionals with foundational concepts of landscape design, species selection, implementation and maintenance of compellingly beautiful and ecologically productive native plant gardens based on conservation principles.
 
Register for the six-class series, and receive 10% off of your registration fee compared to the total fee for individual classes! Series registration includes a certificate of completion provided to participants attending all six classes. Learn more and register >

NCBG = Certified Green Travel Business

The Garden was recently certified by the NC Green Travel Initiative (a program of the NC Department of Environmental Quality) as a Green Travel Business!

In the DeBerry Gallery + Pegg Exhibit Hall

May-June

TAKE A HIKE

Paintings by Jude Lobe and Tekla Frey

June-July

POLLINATORS UNDER THREAT

Art by Chapel Hill and Durham homeschoolers, art instructor Beverly Dyer.




Coming in July...

UPSIDE DOWN: ACCIDENTAL COSMOS

Photographs by Michael Galinsky

Piedmont Patch Speakers Series

Saturday, June 8, 10 a.m.-noon
Episcopal Church of the Advocate, 
Chapel Hill
Piedmont Patch is hosting a free talk featuring Annabel Renwick, curator of the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants at Sarah P. Duke Gardens. She will discuss the design and growth of a demonstration Piedmont prairie that contains almost 100 species of native wildflowers and grasses. The talk will be at the Piedmont Patch demonstration site at the Episcopal Church of the Advocate at the intersection of Merin and Homestead Roads in Chapel Hill.

Piedmont Patch aims to restore native flora and fauna displaced by rapid urbanization, grounded in a belief that the environment and our natural resources will be better sustained, and even thrive, as organizations and individuals work to cultivate one patch at a time. The Project is a collaborative effort of the Episcopal Church of the Advocate, the Town of Chapel Hill, the North Carolina Botanical Garden, and individuals with knowledge and skills to share. Find out more at www.piedmontpatch.org.

Upcoming Classes
 

HONEYBEE HIVE TOUR AT THE CCCG

Saturday, June 8; 2-3 p.m. •  Free; preregistration required

Come learn about one of the world's most fascinating insects. Bees are responsible for pollinating one third of the world's food and produce one of the sweetest treats around. Participants explore a real live hive with certified beekeeper, Anne Cabell. This workshop is held outdoors at the Carolina Campus Community Garden. Register now >

NATIVE PLANT SUMMER GARDENING

Saturdays, June 22 and 29; 10 a.m.-12 p.m.  •  $48 ($43 Members)
Spring has sprung, all is planted, and now it’s growing, growing, growing! Now what? How do you tend the garden through our hot southern summers? In this two-session course, we will learn sustainable maintenance methods to keep your native garden - and the local ecology - thriving. Watering, weeding, and pest control will be covered, as well as cutback and design evaluation. Includes both classroom and hands-on experience.Register now >
 

MOTH MAGIC - FOR FAMILIES!

Saturday, July 27; 8:30-10:30 p.m. • $10 ($9 Members) per child; no fee for accompanying adult
For ages 10 & up with accompanying adult. Join us during National Moth Week to observe some of our night-flying neighbors – MOTHS! Discover how to attract moths and their caterpillars in your home landscape, hear some of their fascinating adaptations, and get tips on how to identify some of our common species.  Register now >
 

See all upcoming classes here >