Tag Archives: Sarah P duke

Great Blue Heron

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The Great Blue Heron is a stately heron with subtle blue-gray plumage. It often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. Although they may move slowly, Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher.

We saw this bird at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, North Carolina.

Great Blue Heron

 

Brahminy Ducks

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Beautiful ducks at Sara P. Gardens at Duke University. The ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) is a goose-like duck native to Africa and Eurasia, and is also known as the Brahminy duck in India.

Brahminy Ducks Looking the Same Way

Brahminy Duck Reflections

Brahminy Ducks Facing Away

Red Bridge at the Gardens

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Now away from flowers, the iconic Meyer Bridge, which is located over the large pond in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum, is one of the most well-known features of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens and is often a favorite spot for visitors to pause for photos and gaze at the beauty around them.

The distinctive red color of the bridge is authentically aligned with the hue of a traditional red bridge in Japan.  Garden bridges in Japanese gardens have both a symbolic and a practical meaning. Bridges symbolize traveling and transition, and inspire mindfulness as one takes steps–literally and figuratively–to cross.

Red Bridge Between Trees

People on the Red Bridge

Inviting Walkway on the Bridge

Flowers in Historic Gardens

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The Historic Gardens are where Sarah P. Duke Gardens began in 1934. The iconic Italianate-style Terrace Gardens, designed by pioneering landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman, were dedicated in 1939, and the curated gardens with various flowers grew from there.

Surrounded by Colors

Mixture of Flowers

Iris Fountain

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“Iris Fountain” in front of Doris Duke Center at Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Here are shots of the metal iris sculptures at the fountain by the main building where the bonsai exhibition was housed. The iris is used as the symbol for the Gardens.

The idea of a public garden arose in the early 1930s, due to the vision and enthusiasm of Dr. Frederic M. Hanes, an early member of the original faculty of Duke Medical School. Dr. Hanes deeply loved gardening and was determined to convert the debris-filled ravine, by which he walked daily, into a garden of his favorite flower, the iris.

Iris Fountain

Metal Irises

Metal Irises Closeup

Trio of Metal Irises

Heron in a Pond

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In addition to flowers at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, we spotted a heron.

Heron is a long-legged, long-necked wading bird with a long, tapering bill and large wings. Herons are in the Ardeidae family and are found all over the world, but are most common in tropical regions. They feed by quietly wading in shallow water, catching fish, frogs, and other aquatic animals.

Heron in a Pond

Gardens in Durham

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While we saw and captured bonsai images, we walked around the gardens and took photos.

The Sarah P. Duke Gardens consist of approximately 55 acres of landscaped and wooded areas at Duke University located in Durham, North Carolina. There are 5 miles of allées, walks, and pathways throughout the gardens.

Here an image of a yellow lily in a small pond.

Yellow Lily at the Garden

Penjing Forest Bonsai

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We continue to post some images from our July 6, 2024 visit to The Triangle Bonsai Society which displayed an amazing array of bonsai carefully pruned plants in the Doris Duke Center at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, North Carolina.

Although Bonsai is a Japanese word, the art of growing these miniature trees originates in China, called “Penjing” or “Penzai”. Penjing are miniature landscapes, displaying a combination of rocks, trees, and figures – though increasingly single plants are shown in China these days.

Penjing Forest Bonsai

Bonsai Trees

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The word “Bon-sai” (often misspelled as bonzai or banzai) is a Japanese term which, literally translated, means “planted in a container”. It has been around for well over a thousand years. The ultimate goal of growing a Bonsai is to create a miniaturized but realistic representation of nature in the form of a tree. Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants, in fact, any tree species can be used to grow one.

The Triangle Bonsai Society displayed an amazing array of bonsai carefully pruned plants in the Doris Duke Center at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, North Carolina. The 2-day exhibit included more than 40 bonsai created in multiple styles from a wide range of plant species, including maple, azalea, pine, elm, juniper, bald cypress, crabapple, ficus and more. We will post some images from our visit there on July 6, 2024.

A Bonsai Tree

Red Bridge

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During the Walk of Hope, we saw the Sarah P. Duke Gardens’ iconic red bridge that has been named the Meyer Bridge, in memory of the late J. Horst Meyer, a Duke physics professor and beloved friend of Duke Gardens. The bridge is located over the large pond in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum and is a favorite spot for visitors to pause for photos and gaze at the beauty around them.

Duke Gardens Red Bridge Reflections

Red Bridge Through Bamboos

Walking in the Garden

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The second route on Walk of Hope went by Duke Cancer Center and continued through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. More than 600,000 visitors from all over the world visit Sarah P. Duke Gardens annually, enjoying its 55 acres of specialized gardens in the heart of Duke University. Blooming flowers made the walk more pleasant.

Duke Gardens

Colorful Flowers

Blooming Flowers