Open Garden and Nursery

Visit us every season to learn what plants grow best in our area. We are open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. rain or shine during our eight annual Open Garden and Nursery weekends.

Open Garden and Nursery

Visit us every season to learn what plants grow best in our area.

Welcome to the garden

During our Open Garden and Nursery weekends we have horticultural staff available to assist you with finding plants, answer your questions and direct you around the garden as well as free educational programs to help you flourish as a gardener.

Juniper Level Botanic Garden is filled with more than 27,000 taxa of plants, including native perennials, exotic plants, rare delights, and an array of incredible and unusual specimen trees and shrubs you won’t see anywhere else in the world.

We have introduced more than 1250 new plants to commerce since its founding. At any one time, our garden funding division, Plant Delights Nursery sells more than 1,600 different perennials to satisfy even the most jaded gardener. Come to see why keen gardeners from around the world plan their vacations to include a visit to Juniper Level Botanic Garden.

2024 Schedule

During the Open Nursery and Garden days no visit requests are needed, although it helps us to know if you’ll be bringing a large bus group so we can properly reserve the needed parking space. Send us a message at visit@plantdelights.com

Winter

Friday 2/23
Saturday 2/24
Sunday 2/25

Friday 3/1
Saturday 3/2
Sunday 3/3

Spring

Friday 5/3
Saturday 5/4
Sunday 5/5

Friday 5/10
Saturday 5/11
Sunday 5/12

Summer

Friday 7/12
Saturday 7/13
Sunday 7/14

Friday 7/19
Saturday 7/20
Sunday 7/21

Fall

Friday 9/13
Saturday 9/14
Sunday 9/15

Friday 9/20
Saturday 9/21
Sunday 9/22

Location and Hours​

We are located 20 minutes south of downtown Raleigh in the picturesque community of Juniper Level. Please note our Open House hours are different from our regular hours.

Open House Hours

Friday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Address

9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh, NC 27603.

Garden etiquette

Please gently touch, feel, and smell the plants, if you like.


Walk on the garden paths only. Stepping into the beds often spells death for small and very rare plants.


Please sit and relax in the garden and use the chairs, decks, and other seating provided.


Please, no running or unattended kids in the garden. Many of our plants are irreplaceable due to habitat loss or unique place of origin.


Staff will assist with plant identification as necessary.


Please do not take cuttings or seeds from the garden. We often wait years for some seeds to appear. Please ask if you would like to receive a cutting or seeds since we are often able to share plants that we don’t have propagated for sale. 

Visitation Guidelines

Free parking is available on the property, including handicap spaces (see map).

Most of the nursery and garden are handicap accessible. We have gravel paths, paved paths, and mulched paths.

We allow service animals on all of the public areas and limit other dogs to stay on the paved, stoned and gravel surfaces. Pets that can be carried on your person (purse puppies, bubble backpack cats, leashed pocket lizards, etc.) are allowed. Please understand that we have free range garden cats and spiny plants and it is your responsibility to keep your pet safe.

Non-commercial photography is permitted as long as the paths remain clear and plants are undisturbed. View our Photography policy here.

We provide portable restroom facilities in two locations.

Vending machines are available with a variety of soft drinks, fruit drinks, and water.

When visiting the garden between January 1 and May 31, there are no on-site sales allowed, except during our Open Garden & Nursery Days. You may place an online order ahead of time and schedule it for pick up during your visit.

Education series

During each day of our Open Nursery & Garden Days we offer free mini-lectures as part of our educational outreach. These 15-30 minute discussions focus on seasonally prominent topics, plant spotlights and garden design ideas. Join Tony and our expert horticultural staff as we explore all that nature has to offer.

Meet us at the Welcome Tent to attend!

Winter 2024 Schedule

Friday, February 23 @ 10 am – Trees for the Winter Garden (Tony Avent)
Friday, February 23 @ 2 pm – Dormant Woody Propagation (Aaron Selby)
Saturday, February 24 @ 10 am – Cyclamen for Winter Foliage (Kevin Stephens)
Saturday, February 24 @ 2 pm – Hellebores: Winter Roses (Tony Avent)
Sunday, February 25 @ 10 am – Doug’s Bloomers (Doug Ruhren)
Sunday, February 25 @ 2 pm – Architectural Plants (Doug Ruhren)
Friday, March 1 @ 10 am – Dividing Perennials in Winter (Aaron Selby)
Friday, March 1 @ 2 pm – Southeast Native Trilliums (Zac Hill)
Saturday, March 2 @ 10 am – Logan’s Bloomers (Logan Clark)
Saturday, March 2 @ 2 pm – Hellebores: Winter Roses (Doug Ruhren)
Sunday, March 3 @ 10 am – Palms and Cycads (Bill Reynolds)
Sunday, March 3 @ 2 pm – Fragrant Winter Flowers (Logan Clark)

View our video library containing past Gardening Unplugged lectures, propagation tips, plant spotlights and more.

We need your support

Help us preserve the garden for the future generations by donating to the Endowment fund. Tony and Anita Avent executed legal documents with NCSU and the JC Raulston Arboretum in 2016 to gift their entire 28 acre estate to JCRA. Your support today will enable NCSU to continue Tony’s life work unabated.

Thank you for visiting!

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