Visiting the garden

With 10+ acres of public display gardens, JLBG nurtures an unparalleled diversity of zone 7B cold hardy plants. Plant combinations using color, texture and form to accent each plant’s best characteristics creates aesthetically pleasing views in the garden during each season of the year. Explore the magic of Juniper Level Botanic Garden!

Open Garden and Nursery Days

We are open to the public 8 weekends of the year, no appointment necessary during these days.

Learn More

Juniper Level Botanic Garden is an aesthetic garden designed to appeal to the senses and a conservation garden filled with extremely rare treasures. In many cases, we have spent a lifetime or taken great risks to obtain a single specimen, so we implore you not to step off the paths while you wander.

Visitors are encouraged to take advantage of our Open Garden and Nursery Days for the best experience. During our Open House we have horticultural staff available to assist you with finding plants, answering your questions, and directing you around the garden. Please understand that during our regular hours the staff is busy taking care of the garden and nursery, and some parts of the garden may be closed due to maintenance work.

We understand that life happens and sometimes a friend just arrived in town, or your garden club only meets on Wednesdays, or you need to spend a couple of hours in beautiful serenity. Whatever the case, you are welcome to visit by appointment during weekdays. Please follow the instructions below to schedule your visit.

Visit by appointment​

Our gates are open during regular business hours. We are closed on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, Christmas Day and the day after.

Address

9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh, NC 27603.

Hours

Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: closed

Schedule a visit

Please note: no appointment is necessary to visit during our Open Garden and Nursery Days.

During your visit, you and your group are welcome to explore the gardens without a staff member (self-guided tour), or schedule a guided tour of the gardens with one of our expert horticultural staff (10 person group minimum). To help cover our costs, there is a $5 per person charge for guided tours. Greenhouse plant shopping is available June 1st – December 31st, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Monday, and 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. the rest of the week. Please fill out the form below to schedule your visit.

Group type, select all that apply:

Shopping for plants? (Available June 1st – December 31st)

Tour duration estimates

Gardeners who likes pretty flowers

30–60 minutes depending on weather

Gardeners with ADHD children or impatient spouse

45–60 minutes, forget shopping

Garden club members who don’t use those pesky Latin names

60–90 minutes including shopping

Gardeners with patient children or spouse

75–90 minutes, quick shopping

Beginning master gardeners

1.5–2 hours including shopping

Advanced master gardeners or equivalent, wholesale nurserymen

2–3 hours including shopping

Plantsmen/ women, specialty nursery staff

3–5 hours including shopping

Plant nerds with no social life

3–10 hours not including shopping

Professional garden photographers

24–48 hours

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 Winter and Spring Open Garden & Nursery Days. You may place an online order ahead of time and schedule it for pick up during your visit.

Thank you for visiting!

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Public gardens nearby

If you are travelling from out-of-town and would like to visit other gardens in the Triangle area, here is a list of our favorites.

JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh

We are only a short 30 minute drive from the JC Raulston Arboretum, our sister institution, featuring an important collection of ornamental woody landscape plants, as well as a world-famous perennial border.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham

Duke Gardens is about an hour drive from JLBG. This large public garden features an extensive native plant garden, an Asian plant garden filled with amazing exotic plants, large interconnected ponds and a number of other wonderfully landscaped areas.

North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill

The UNC Botanic Garden in Chapel Hill is a 45 minute drive away from JLBG. This public garden has a strong emphasis on regional native plants with a lovely display garden and education center.

Sandhills Horticultural Gardens in Pinehurst

The Sandhills Community College Gardens is just over an hour southwest of JLBG and features a mature holly collection with over 400 cultivars, along with a number of other beautifully landscaped areas.

Montrose Garden in Hillsborough (by appointment only)

Montrose Garden is located an hour away from JLBG. It is an extensive private garden with a huge collection of small bulbs, cyclamen, and other perennial and woody plant treasures. Montrose Garden is open by appointment, along with some regularly scheduled tours.

Nearby restaurants

Juniper Level Botanic Garden is somewhat “out in the country” and there are no restaurants that are truly close. Within 10 miles though, are some major crossroads that have typical fast food and chain eateries.

Some of our favorite local restaurants within 15 minutes of JLBG:

Anthony’s La Piazza, Garner – Authentic Italian
Alexanders Mediterranean Cuisine – Fresh, Greek restaurant
Big Ed’s – Authentic southern food, done right
Stephenson’s BBQ – Award-winning whole-hog, vinegar-based BBQ

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