Will you be my Valentine?

Hellebores, a winter blooming flower
Photo: http://www.centralpark2000.com/database_flowers/hellebore.htm

 

The two biggest days of the year for flower sales are Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. This Valentine's Day, instead of taking flora to your sweetie, consider taking your sweetie to the flora. There may not be too many flowers in bloom this time of year, but many of our parks and education centers in North Carolina, maintain their own gardens. And they are also kid friendly. If you can't get home from work in time, consider taking a lunch break for an afternoon stroll. Soak up the fresh air and sounds of nature, to rejuvenate your day!

 

Here are some of our NC nature centers that include garden features:

 

Airlie Gardens, Wilmington

67 acres of quintessential Southern gardens with 10 acres of freshwater lakes. Features include azaleas, camellias, statuary, estuarine shoreline, and the Historic Airlie Oak.

 

Arboretum at Johnston Community College, Smithfield

The arboretum has walking trails that are open to the public during daylight hours

 

Burlington Gardens, Hendersonville

12-acre public garden with an amphitheater, greenhouse, and 2000 foot nature trail. The grounds and existing gardens include a therapy garden, butterfly garden, shade garden and an herb garden with fragrant and dye, medicinal, and biblical herbs.

 

Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Fayetteville

From the stark, sculpted beauty of the winter forest to the exuberant masses of summer flowers, the Cape Fear Botanical Garden delights the eye --and the heart-- year round.

 

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Belmont

A garden for all seasons,  Daniel Stowe provides guests with a chance to reconnect with nature. Located within 380 acres on the banks of Lake Wylie, spectacular gardens, 12 sparkling fountains, a visitor pavilion, and garden store await the visitor.

 

Durant Nature Center, Raleigh

Durant Nature Park is a 237-acre City of Raleigh parkland, with trails, rental facilities, and nature based and nature compatible programs. Travel on five miles of hiking trails to scenic overlooks, along two lakes, through woodland wildflowers and fern gardens, and along a stream with unique rock features.

 

Latta Plantation Nature Center and Preserve, Huntersville

The Preserve is part of the Mountain Island Lake Important Bird Area, designated by the National Audubon Society due to its diversity of wintering waterfowl, breeding and migratory songbird species, and protection of bottomland hardwood forests, a threatened natural community in North Carolina. The Center features live, native animals, a backyard habitat garden, and trails.

 

NC Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill
Photo: Wikimedia Public Domain, Daderot

North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill

Our main visitor site, the Display Gardens and Education Center, is located off of Old Mason Farm Road and the US 15-501 Bypass in Chapel Hill. Here we feature habitat display gardens that interpret the plants and vegetation of North Carolina, perennial borders, a Garden of Flowering Plant Families, the Piedmont Nature Trails, a green Education Center with exhibits, and much more.

 

For more nature centers located near you, search our organizations here