Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Duke Gardens.
As of October 2025, Duke Gardens is not accepting new volunteer applications due to limited opportunities. Please check back again to apply.
Questions about volunteering? Email GardensVolunteer@duke.edu or call us at 919-668-3694.
I would like to volunteer
Volunteer Opportunities
Horticulture & Gardening
Horticulture & Gardening Volunteer Opportunities:
Day & Time Needed: Weekday mornings with some afternoon opportunities available.
Qualifications and Skills: Gardening Assistants support horticulture staff by performing gardening tasks by primarily weeding, watering, mulching and other general garden tasks throughout the Garden areas.
- Interest and or experience in gardening, landscaping and gardening tasks
- Ability to frequently bend, kneel, stoop, bend and reach while performing gardening tasks.
- Ability to lift up to 20 lbs.
- Ability to operate a golf cart to transport tools, plant debris and weeding buckets.
- Ability to perform garden tasks outdoors in varying weather conditions, amongst mosquitoes/other insects
- Once comfortable with gardening tasks, you must be able to work as part of a team of volunteers and independently of horticulture staff.
- Willing to take direction from staff as needed.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens Mission Statement, Vision, Diversity & Inclusion Statement
Our Mission: We are a botanic garden in the heart of Duke University that inspires transformative learning, promotes wellness and builds community.
Our Vision: We invite a deeper connection to the natural world through horticultural artistry, plant conservation, sustainable practices and innovative programs. We play a vital role in the health and well-being of the Duke and Durham communities and beyond.
Our Core Values
Beauty: Duke Gardens is an artful expression inspired by nature.
Wonder: Duke Gardens invites all to discover the rejuvenating benefits of nature, follow their curiosity, and connect with the natural world around them.
Sustainability: We demonstrate and promote best practices for environmental, fiscal and social responsibility to ensure a healthy future for generations to come.
Community: We embrace the knowledge that people and plants are diverse and interdependent, and we seek ways to understand, share and celebrate the full spectrum of the human experience.
Diversity & Inclusion Statement: Sarah P. Duke Gardens is committed to being a welcoming place for all. As people who work with plants, we know the natural world is interdependent in multilayered ways. Living communities are supported and enriched by having diverse and healthy members, and caring for them is continuous, open-ended work.
As we strive to better embrace and represent the full diversity of our community, we will collaborate with and learn from people who represent a spectrum of human experience. We welcome and encourage new relationships and dialogue as we build a more inclusive future together.
