'Slice of heaven in the middle of campus': Coker Arboretum in full bloom

As the weather gets warmer, nature is springing back to life across UNC’s campus — especially in the Coker Arboretum. 

The garden and many of its 600 species of plants are currently entering full spring bloom. 

“It's like walking into a room that's being painted in about six different shades of one color, and it's constantly being painted every time you come into the room,” Geoffrey Neal, Arboretum curator, said. 

The native plants that are flowering right now are the spring favorites, Neal said, including dogwoods, red buds and native azaleas. Other plant life is also beginning to bloom, making the garden all different hues of green, Neal said. 

“There's always something in flower, in April there may be as many as 60 different species in bloom throughout the month,” he said in a follow-up email. “Some will be showier and get all the attention, but all are worth seeing.”

Located on the corner of Cameron Avenue and Raleigh Street, the Arboretum has been a community space since its development in 1903 by William Chambers Coker. 

Coker’s goal was to not only create a space to showcase plants native to North Carolina, but to also be used as a teaching garden, Neal said. Students can complete a work-study there and learn to garden. 

“As a student, I think it's great just because I don't know many places that have an arboretum directly on their campus that they can just walk through,” UNC senior Lucy Smithwick, who has worked at the arboretum for the past three years, said.

Smithwick said the arboretum is a nice way to enjoy a confined space of nature on campus, and in the coming weeks visitors can view several flower species in full bloom, including lilacs and banana shrubs that smell just like a Banana Laffy Taffy, she said.

“I just think it's a really valuable space to have, and I'm glad people use it like they do, and I wish more people knew about it,” Smithwick said.

Jillian Joyce, a sophomore at UNC, said she often finds herself reading or napping in the arboretum in between classes. 

“It's a little slice of heaven in the middle of campus,” she said. 

Neal said that students come to the arboretum to get away from campus without leaving it. He also said it’s a popular destination for students to take graduation photos.

“You really do feel like you're in a different place,” he said. 

Last spring, the 300-foot Coker Arbor walkway that stood alongside the garden was removed by UNC Facilities Planning and Design and the North Carolina Botanical Garden due to structural and safety issues.

The new arbor, now in its fifth rendition since 1911, will be slightly higher and will consist of several structures to allow more light in, Neal said. The stairs at the west end of the arbor will also be removed, and there will be a new elevated brick walkway to allow for increased safety and accessibility. 

“It'll just be a more beautiful structure,” Neal said.  

Work on the new arbor will start this spring and is set to be done by the end of the fall 2024 semester, but Neal said the timeline is tentative.

Even without the arbor, students can catch the seasons changing as plant species continue to bloom throughout the next few weeks. The flowers in the arboretum are constantly changing and can come and go within a few days.

Still, there's “no shortage of color there,” Neal said. 

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