Edible Garden at the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University // Raleigh, NC

The new 10,000 square foot Edible Garden at the JC Raulston Arboretum provides a welcoming entry into the arboretum. The distinctive NCSU "wolfpack red" accents the iconic Tower of Edibles focal point, which celebrates the garden's location near the NCSU campus. Vines twine around the structure supported by cables and I-beams.

ADA paths lead from the parking area to the garden. Screening trellises separate the garden from the parking lot and provide structure for growing vines such as berries, grapes, and pole apples. A paved plaza serves as a community gathering area and is surrounded by herb gardens, vegetable beds, and vine sculptures.  This gathering area offers a custom 32-foot long steel table and two serving tables, with built-in ice bucket, for celebratory feasts featuring the bounty of the garden and educational events. A water feature with integrated bench welcomes visitors and provides a place to enjoy the lush greenery of the garden and the soothing sound of flowing water.

Serving as a teaching garden, the Edible Garden features herbs and showcases the fruits and vegetables of the region. A fruit and nut tree orchard defines the garden's edges and interpretive panels tell the story of the garden. Sustainable features include a seating bench integrated into gabion walls made with locally quarried stone.

Land Morphology designed the new garden, which will be constructed in 2017. The JC Raulston Arboretum introduced the Hartlage Wine North Carolina sweetshrub hybrid, Calycanthus raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine," which was named in honor of Land Morphology's principal, Richard Hartlage.