Visit and Learn at The Learning Garden
Visit informally Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tours on the last Wednesday of the month, April through September. (April 29, May 27, June 24, July 29, August 26, September 30)
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
NC Cooperative Extension
Buncombe County Center
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Presenters: Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers throughout the gardens
Docent Led Tours
On the last Wednesday of the month from April to September 2026 (April 29, May 27, June 24, July 29, August 26, September 30) you can join a more formal tour and be lead through the gardens by a master gardener docent, as you watch the other gardeners caring for the plants. See beautiful and interesting plants, delicious vegetables, and native plants for beauty and pollinator interest. The tours start at 10:00 a.m. and should last approximately an hour. The tours will begin outside the front door of the Buncombe County Extension Office.
In the event of steady rain in West Asheville, the workday and the tour will be canceled.
Informal Tours
The Learning Garden is open for informal visits Monday through Friday throughout the year, but if you visit on a Wednesday, during the growing season, you can meet the Master Gardeners working in the gardens and ask questions about the plants and their care. A visit to The Learning Garden, on a workday affords you the opportunity to view each of nine garden areas, to ask questions and learn successful horticultural practices from the Master Gardeners who lovingly tend the gardens. The Learning Garden consists of these individual areas: WNC Native Garden, Rose Garden, Cottage Garden, Four Seasons Garden, Dye Garden, Vegetable Garden, Pollinator Garden, Compost Area, and the Sun and Shade Garden. In addition, the complex has about two miles of walking trails.
Compost Area
With the unplanned closing of our Compost Demonstration Site at the WNC Farmers Market, the Compost Area at The Learning Garden will be staffed with Master Gardener volunteers on Wednesday mornings during the growing season. Plan to stop by for answers to your composting questions.