Summer is in full swing and Raleigh’s Juniper Level Botanic Garden (JLBG) is celebrating the sights, scents and blooms of the season at their 2nd Annual Agave Festival and Open Nursery Days, July 12-14 and July 19-21.

For just two weekends each season, JLBG’s open garden and nursery days welcome novice gardeners and plant enthusiasts alike to tour the 10+ acres of public display gardens and experience one of the most extensive collections of North American native plants in the country. For the second year, the event’s Agave Festival theme will feature hundreds of agave plants – representing more than 76 species – several of which will be in peak summer bloom.

Known for their heat resistance, soil adaptability and low water requirements, agave are a great choice for a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant garden with a southwest flare. The plants range in size, from several inches to more than eight feet wide, with heights reaching beyond 20 feet when in bloom. Species have a relatively long lifespan, typically eight to 40 years – most blooming and seeding only once before dying.