Tryon Palace celebrates the arrival of spring with the Garden Lovers’ Weekend and Spring Heritage Plant Sale. Visitors can enjoy the vibrant flowers of the Palace Gardens, including tulips, hyacinths, peonies, Lenten roses, and more. The Palace’s Latham Garden is the most photographed garden in spring, but the Kellenberger, Hawks Alleé, and Green Gardens are equally stunning. The Stanly House, Carraway, and Stoney Gardens behind the Waystation, and those in front of the Dixon and Hayes Houses outside the Palace gates are also worth a stroll.
The Garden Lovers’ Weekend runs from Friday to Sunday, April 14 through 16. Visitors can explore the Palace Gardens for free and witness nature’s celebration of spring blooms and emerging foliage. Local Plein air artists will also be painting in the gardens as part of the citywide Arts in April events. Throughout Saturday, the Craven Consort, a recorder ensemble, will perform period music of the 17th and 18th centuries under the Palace Colonnades. The Palace Gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 12 noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The Tryon Palace Spring Heritage Plant Sale is on Friday and Saturday, April 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sale is located just inside the Palace’s front gates and offers a wide variety of herb and vegetable varieties, ENC-adapted shrubs, hanging baskets, and annuals. Many Tryon Palace homegrown perennial varieties not found anywhere else will also be available, so visitors are encouraged to arrive early to take home their favorites. The Tryon Palace Garden staff will be available to answer questions and assist visitors in finding the best options for their yards.
For more information, please visit the Tryon Palace website at tryonpalace.org/calendar or call 252-639-3525.
By Nancy Figiel