July Open House. Four members of our ENCCA group Kimberli, Kelly, Joe and Yours Truly roamed(there were two Buffaloes on this trip) the gardens at Plant Delights Nursery on Friday July 18, 2008. The weather was typical for ENC -hot and muggy with plenty of sunshine. The lighting was terrible for photography so this gallery is more a collection of snapshots showing just a few of the more than 17,000 plants in the garden.

A brief description of the Garden: Juniper Level Botanic Garden was started in August 1988, when Tony and Michelle Avent purchased a 2.2 acre abandoned sandy loam tobacco field in Southern Wake County, NC. Juniper Level is located between the larger communities of Willow Springs(pronounced by the locals as Willer Sprangs) and Panther Branch. Unfortunately, the town of Juniper is no longer included on county or state maps. The name originated from "junipers" which used to grow along nearby Juniper Branch.
For more information and the online plant catalog check out Plant Delights website.

Update: Fall garden tour September 21, 2008
September is a good time to visit Plant Delights. The late summer/early fall bloomers are showing off and the grapes are ripe too! Back in July there were more plants in bloom, but the photography conditions were much better this time around. A overcast day with temps in the 70's made for perfect outdoor conditions. Since I didn't get to the garden until almost 3 pm(closing time is 5 pm), this trip was more hurried. New images start with the Callicarpa americana(Purple Beauty Berry) shot.