Umstead flower hike, garden tours & more

Here’s a weekly roundup of upcoming home and garden events, tours, classes, workshops and more across the Triangle.

Don’t see your event listed here? You need to enter it at triangle.com. If you would like instructions on how to enter your event, send an email to Andrea Weigl, aweigl@newsobserver.com.

Eggistentialism is a charity benefit juried show celebrating all things chicken that is co-sponsored by 311 Gallery and Tipping Paint Gallery. It is presented annually to coincide with the Tour D’Coop of urban gardens and chicken coops. A portion of the entry fees and sales support Urban Ministries of Raleigh. 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 27-29. Free. 311 Gallery, West Martin St., Raleigh. 919-247-4915.

Join a Park Ranger for a hike along the north facing slopes of Crabtree Creek. This area of the park has unique plants for the Piedmont region of North Carolina. We will look for mountain laurel and rhododendron. The hike will be 2 miles through steep terrain. Attendees should bring hiking shoes or boots. Limit 10. 2-3 p.m. Tuesday. Free. William B. Umstead State Park, 8801 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh. 919-571-4170, nando.com/umsteadhike.

Learn how to asexually propagate some of your favorite plants. Participants go home with a greater knowledge of plant propagation and with many freshly propagated plants. Participants choose which plants they want to propagate from the JCRA’s collection of more than 6,000 plants. . This workshop is open to all knowledge/experience levels. Note: Many of the newly propagated plants will remain in our greenhouse for a few weeks and can be picked up at a later date, but some will go home with the participants. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. May 30. $100 for members, $120 for nonmembers. JC Raulston Arboretum at N.C. State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh. 919-515-3132, jcra.ncsu.edu.

Join the museum’s garden staff for an informal tour of the History of the Harvest exhibit along Bicentennial Plaza. Tours begin at the information desk in the lobby. 1:30-2:30 p.m. May 30. Free. North Carolina Museum of History, Five E. Edenton St., Raleigh. 919-807-7900, museumofhistory.org.

Warm weather yields farmers’ market baskets brimming with the bounty of the season. Join popular chef and cookbook author Sheri Castle as she teaches you to prepare a sumptuous meal with the best the early summer has to offer. 6 p.m. May 30. $50. Southern Season, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill. 919-929-7133, southernseason.com.

Have you thought about saving money on your electricity bill by switching to clean energy, but are not sure where to begin? Solarize Chapel Hill is a grassroots effort that makes it simple and affordable for your home or small business to go solar. The upcoming kickoff event event will provide all the info needed to go solar. Solar experts will explain how solar saves money on your electric bill, describe the installation process, and reveal how to maximize your tax credits and other incentives. 7 p.m. June 2. Free. United Church of Chapel Hill, 1321 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill. 919-942-3540, unitedchurch.org.

Explore wild North Carolina in these seasonal walks through the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants on the first Thursday of every month. Meet at the Blomquist Garden entrance. Participant limit is capped at 15. Information and registration: 919-668-1707 or gardenseducation@duke.edu. Preregistration required. Parking fees apply. 11 a.m.-noon June 4. $5-$7. Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Anderson St. and Erwin Road, Durham. 919-684-3698, gardens.duke.edu.

What’s a BioBlitz? A large-scale nature scavenger hunt! Join naturalists as they search for all varieties of plants and animals. This family-friendly event is free to the public. We will have programs scheduled for the evening of June 5 and throughout the day June 6. 8-11 p.m. June 5; various times, June 6. Free. Piedmont Wildlife Center, 364 Leigh Farm Road, Durham. 919-489-0900, piedmontwildlifecenter.org.

See a complete list of Triangle-area farmers markets online at nando.com/1ap.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Umstead flower hike, garden tours & more."