Explore Duke Gardens Without the Crowds

Construction of the Garden Gateway has shifted access, but spring brings color, calm and a quieter experience

People walking in Duke Gardens
With fewer visitors on weekdays, now is a great time to enjoy the springtime beauty of Duke Gardens. Photo by Travis Stanley.

During his first week as a librarian at Duke, Adhitya Dhanapal recalls feeling a bit overwhelmed while getting his bearings in a new role.

One sunny-but-cool afternoon that week, as he waited for a technological hiccup to be worked out in his Bostock Library office, a colleague suggested Dhanapal take a moment to walk around Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

“I remember going to the gardens and just thinking, ‘Oh my, this is so nice,’” said Dhanapal, who wandered the gardens marveling at the beauty of the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum and the verdant calm of the gardens’ forested groves.

Adhitya Dhanapal enjoys having an on-campus workspace that's only a short walk from Duke Gardens. Photo courtesy of Adhitya Dhanapal.

Since that visit, Dhanapal has made short walks in Duke Gardens, often on his lunch breaks, part of his work routine.

“It’s such a gift,” said Dhanapal, Duke University Libraries’ Resident Librarian for South and Southeast Asian Studies. “You can go for a walk and get out of your head. It’s very soothing and good for your mental health.”

Since late February, construction work on the Gardens Gateway Project – a comprehensive refresh of the gardens’ entrance and visitor services facilities – has required the closure of the main entrance, visitor center and parking lots. 

However, Duke Gardens remains open, and community members may enter the Gardens from West Campus or through a temporary pedestrian entrance at 2000 Lewis St., one block north of the main entrance. Parking is available on weekends only in the H lot, which is adjacent to the new pedestrian entrance on Lewis St.

On weekdays, Duke community members on campus can explore the 55-acre gardens largely to themselves during the course of the project that will be completed in Spring 2026.

“It’s definitely quieter,” said Duke Gardens Director of Horticulture Bobby Mottern. “That’s the biggest difference you’ll recognize if you walk into the gardens this spring, it’s pretty low-key out there. If you’re on campus, it’s a great time to walk over and enjoy what the gardens offers.”

Abby Ratliff, right, and her coworkers often have walking meetings in Duke Gardens. Photo courtesy of Abby Ratliff.

Abby Ratliff, Duke University Health System’s Director of Clinical Practice for Nursing, plans on visiting the gardens more often this year. After moving into a workspace in the Duke Clinics’ Green Zone last year, Ratliff walks to the gardens in minutes. On nice days, her team will occasionally turn staff meetings into walking meetings, discussing their work while strolling the pathways.

“I just love the birds, the flowers and just being able to get outside,” Ratliff said.

While Duke Gardens is likely best known for the colorful show it puts on in the spring – when the blooms of the cherry allée attract scores of visitors – there are other features to draw community members to the gardens in the coming months.

Here are a few to look forward to:

Terrace Gardens’ Vivid Colors

In April and May, the roughly 60,000 bulbs planted in terraces will burst forth in a kaleidoscopic display of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. The display is designed by Duke University Presidential Award winner Michael Owens, the Curator of the Terraces and Historic Gardens, and draws visitors throughout the spring.

Duke Gardens' terraces are a perennially popular spot in springtime. Photo by Travis Stanley.

Visitors can gain a new appreciation for the beauty and value of moss with a new garden. Photo by Cathi Bodine.

A Fresh Look at Moss

A new interpretative garden opening in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum will celebrate the importance and beauty of moss. Dedicated in memory of longtime Duke Gardens volunteer Barbara Kremen, the rocky tree-shaded garden features sitting areas and small containers holding mosses harvested from around the area.

In the coming months, as the moss plants spread, signs will be added explaining the vital role moss plays in a healthy ecosystem

Regrowth on the Piedmont Prairie

Now in its 10th year, the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants’ Piedmont Prairie will tell a story of rebirth over the next few months. Each year in the late winter, the Duke Gardens staff will clear the patch of grassland – sometimes through a controlled burn – and let the native plants come to life.

Starting in the spring, a diverse array of grasses and wildflowers will begin pushing upward. In July and August, though, the prairie should be full of lush greens and colorful blooms, highlighting the resilience of nature.

Throughout the spring and summer, Duke Gardens visitors can see how a native landscape responds to change at the Piedmont Prairie. Photo by Lori Sullivan.
Duke Gardens' collection of carnivorous plants, such as these pitcher plants, will be showcased in a new section of the garden starting this summer. Photo by Sue Lannon.

Spotlighting Carnivorous & Coastal Plain Plants

After significant work upgrading the infrastructure of the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants’ Sunny Pond, the area will soon be home to a collection of carnivorous and coastal plain plants.

Opening in May, the newly reimagined Carnivorous and Coastal Plain Plant Collection will feature a boardwalk around the Sunny Pond to give visitors an opportunity to take an up-close look at Duke Gardens’ collection of carnivorous plants – such as Venus flytraps and pitcher plants – and plants often found near the coast.

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