| Zoo Name: | North Carolina Botanical Garden |
| Date Opened: | 1951 |
| Location: | Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Area: | 7001NaN1 |
| Coordinates: | 35.8994°N -79.0339°W |
| Num Species: | 2,500 |
The North Carolina Botanical Garden is a botanical garden operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The primary goal of the Garden is to research, catalog, and promote the native plant species of North Carolina.
The history of the Garden begins in 1903, when Professor William Chambers Coker began planting trees and shrubs on the central campus (now Coker Arboretum). In 1952, the Trustees of the university dedicated 70acres forested for development of a botanical garden. An additional 103acres were donated by William Lanier Hunt. Considerable additions and expansion of the Garden took place from the 1960s onward. A recent expansion effort is the James and Delight Allen Education Center, designed by architect Frank Harmon, the first LEED Platinum certified state-owned building or public museum in North Carolina.[1] [2]
Today the Garden comprises 14 collections and display gardens, containing some 5,900 accessions representing about 2,500 species of the 4,700 plant species known to be native or naturalized in North and South Carolina. It has become one of the largest native plant botanical gardens in the Southeastern United States.[3] Admission is free. The Garden is open Tuesday through Sunday, with special educational programs offered regularly. Highlights of the Garden include:
The garden also contains a cabin in which playwright and professor Paul Green (1894–1981) performed most of his research and writing. It was moved to the garden in 1991.[5]
In addition to caring for native plants, the Garden encourages art programs and exhibitions that promote its mission. This includes a variety of botanical art courses and opportunities for local artists to showcase their art that relates to the natural world. These opportunities include an annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibit and a Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration program.