North Carolina Botanical Garden

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

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The North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill was established beginning in 1903 when Professor William Chambers Coker started planting trees and shrubs for teaching purposes near the University of North Carolina campus, creating what is now known as the Coker Arboretum.

In 1952, the university trustees dedicated 70 forested acres to develop the botanical garden, later expanded by a 103-acre donation from horticulturist William Lanier Hunt. The garden officially opened to the public on Arbor Day in 1966 and has since become a leading institution for conservation, study, and display of native southeastern plants.

It features diverse collections, including the Aquatic Collection, Southeastern Fern Collection, Rare Plant Collection, and more, alongside a 165-acre nature trail with trees over 200 years old. The garden supports plant rescue and propagation programs, habitat restoration, and educational initiatives, and also houses the historic Paul Green Cabin.

It balances cultivated gardens and natural preserves and is an important center for environmental stewardship and research on native flora in the southeastern United States.