Visitors Get New Views of Sarah P. Duke Gardens
The Frances P. Rollins Overlook offers an unobstructed view of the Terrace Gardens and wisteria-covered pergola.
After months of construction in its iconic Terrace Gardens, Sarah P. Duke Gardens has unveiled its renovated fish pool, along with more scenic surprises.
One new feature is the Frances P. Rollins Overlook, which offers an unobstructed view of the Terrace Gardens and wisteria-covered pergola. The circular overlook is made of Duke stone, with a floor of gravel and recycled flagstone from the original construction of the terraces. Its namesake is a donor to Duke Gardens who graduated from Duke's former Woman's College.
"The view of the terraces from the Rollins Overlook is arguably the best in Duke Gardens and the only spot from which new visitors should experience them for the first time," says Bill LeFevre, the gardens' executive director.
"It harkens back to landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman's original concept, which was that the terraces were to be viewed from the western side so you could appreciate all the levels of the plantings," says director of horticulture Robert Mottern, who oversaw the project.
The overlook is ideal for weddings and other small events, says Mottern, who anticipates it will quickly rival the pergola as a gathering spot. Plantings will be added later this fall.
Below the overlook is the Leubuscher Rock Garden, which has long been part of the Historic Core Gardens but had become obscured by shrubs. Visitors may descend from the overlook, past a waterfall and down to the fish pool. New plantings will be added among the rocks.
What visitors will notice most about the renovated fish pool is the clear water. Along with upgrading the storm water infrastructure and repairing leaks, the gardens also added a water filtration system that will ensure a clear view of the Duke stone inside the pool and good health for the fish and plants that will be added in the spring. The water lilies that had been displayed in the pool in past summers have moved permanently to the Virtue Peace Pond behind the gardens' Doris Duke Center.
The renovations will conclude with a new pump house, still under construction, and plantings around the pool. In addition, new pipes being installed under the Terrace Gardens will enable the two small fountains there to flow again, using water circulating from the fish pool.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens is open year-round from 8 a.m. to dusk, at 420 Anderson St. Admission is free. For information, call (919) 684-3698 or go to sarahpdukegardens.org.