Flickr Suzie Tremmel
Overview
The WRAL Azalea Gardens, surrounding WRAL-TV studio in Raleigh, NC, host a beautiful blooming display no matter the season. Tucked alongside Western Boulevard, heading into downtown Raleigh, the gardens are a wonderful, free activity. Paths wind through the gardens and open into pockets of grass and shady benches. Area residents book weddings and special events from April through September.
History
WRAL-TV founder A.J. Fletcher opened the gardens to the public in 1959. On the reason why he created the gardens, Fletcher said “I did it because I knew it would be beautiful...It was simply my way of paying a tribute to beauty for beauty’s sake.”
During the decades following its creation, the five-acre gardens have gone through several changes. In the early 2000s, the Capitol Broadcasting Company, WRAL-TV’s parent company, renovated the Western Boulevard campus. The expansion and addition of several buildings resulted in several landscaping changes, which included the addition of a fountain.
In August 2015, Bee Downtown - a Durham company that specializes in bringing bees into urban environments - installed four active beehives on the WRAL-TV campus. Visitors can inspect a model beehive that is on display. The WRAL Azalea Gardens are being expanded to stretch all the way to Avent Ferry Road.
The gardens have won several awards since their creation, including the American Association of Nurserymen Landscape Award in 1972 and the Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance Tree & Landscape Conservation award in 2003.
Azalea Celebration
Each fall, WRAL, Capitol Broadcasting Company, and NC Beautiful give away azaleas to North Carolina non-profits during the Azalea Celebration. The goal of the event is to promote and enhance community appearance. All of the donated azaleas are grown exclusively from WRAL cuttings. Over 250,000 plants have been donated to more than 3,000 non-profit organizations since the creation of this event in 1985. Non-profits can also win the A.J. Fletcher Award, which honors organizations that have maintained their azalea landscaping projects.
Filmography
TV viewers across the country have taken in the WRAL Azalea Gardens during several national TV broadcasts. The first occasion was on April 25, 1988, when the CBS Morning Show was broadcast live from the gardens. Harry Smith and Kathleen Sullivan anchored the show from the gardens with other segments broadcasting live from locations across North Carolina. During the open of the program, James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind” played in the background.
On October 16, 2013, a film crew visited the WRAL Azalea Gardens to shoot a scene for the movie “Well Wishes.” The crew filmed the iconic fountain near the entrance of the garden.
Megyn Kelly appeared live in the gardens on August 11, 2017. Kelly introduced her “Summer of Yes” segment on NBC’s Today Show. Her appearance was part of a multi-day trip to Raleigh that also featured her throwing out the first pitch at a Durham Bulls baseball game.
Megyn Kelly connected with her Today Show colleagues live from the WRAL Azalea Gardens.
Photographer: Glenn Dion
Flowers and Foliage
WRAL Azalea Gardens is home to a variety of azaleas and other bordering plants. The perennials and annuals bordering the azaleas change seasonally. There are approximately 1,000 azaleas including 30 different varieties of the popular plant.
Azaleas
The gardens are best known for its azaleas. Azalea varieties include traditional bloomers like the Formosa, Johanna and the Treasure. The gardens also have five varieties of deciduous azaleas including the Stonewall Jackson and Florida Flame. The gardens always seem to be in bloom with its 15 different varieties of Encore® Azaleas. These unique azaleas bloom three times; once in the spring, summer, and fall.
Hydrangea
Five varieties of hydrangeas fill the gardens with pint, lime, and blue snowball like blooms in the summer months. These include Bluebird Lace Cap, Endless Summer, Glowing Embers, Limelight and Penny Mac.
Succulents
For those who like a prickly plant, the gardens are host to a variety of succulents including Whales Tongue Century Palm and the Needle Palm.
Trees
Long Leaf pines and Sugar Maples offer shade to the gardens visitors. The Japanese and Butterfly Japanese Maples add visual interest to the gardens. In the spring, two dogwood varieties bloom - the Kousa Dogwood and Pink Flowering Dogwood. They truly show why the Dogwood is North Carolina's state flower.
Details For Your Visit
Hours:
Monday - Sunday, sunrise to sunset
Address:
2619 Western Blvd.
Raleigh, NC 27606
Public Transportation:
The number 11 Avent Ferry, Gorman Street, and Trailwood Hills Go Triangle bus, will drop visitors off .2 miles away from the WRAL Gardens.
Details:
The gardens are free of charge, and there is no fee to park. There are public bathrooms available, and some areas of the garden are handicap accessible.
To reach a WRAL Azalea Gardens representative email [email protected] or call at 919-821-8555.
External Links
Facebook: WRAL Azalea Gardens
Sources
Sources used in this article: BeeDowntown.org; Capitol Broadcasting; CBS This Morning; Encore Azaleas; Litton, J. (1979, April 26). Azaleas peak at WRAL gardens. The Leader; NC Beautiful; NorthCarolinaHistory.org; NewsObserver.com; Photo Essay Abundance Of Azaleas from Our State Magazine; Southern Bride and Groom; WRAL-Gardens.com; YouTube; Wikipedia: Well Wishes;
