Juniper Level Botanic Garden will open two weekends this summer for public viewing and plant purchases (July 16-18 and July 23-25). There is no entry fee, and hours are 8AM-5PM Friday and Saturday and 1-5PM Sunday. GPS directions, 9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh.

“The Gardening boom of 2020 continues prominently into 2021,” said Tony Avent, founder and proprietor of Juniper Level Botanic Garden and Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh. “Last year, the boom really started with the existing gardeners. Then, the longer COVID went on, we began to see more orders from Gen Xers and millennials. We continue to see an amazing number of even younger gardeners in 2021. Some don’t own their house and are looking for things they can grow indoors. The house plant craze is insane.

“There is also an almost unprecedented plant shortage in America, especially for long-production time plants like trees and shrubs. In many box stores, where 60 percent of Americans buy their plants, there’s a major shortage. Retailers that do not propagate plants are struggling to get a wide range of plants to sell. We are very fortunate because we propagate most things here, but it’s still tough for us to keep up with demand.”

“We’ll be giving away pads of prickly pear cactus to our visitors at our Summer Open Garden,” said Avent. “I’ve always been fascinated with cactus, so we decided to see how many we could grow. We now have over 150 different kinds of prickly pear cactus ­– probably the largest collection in the world. Since we reign them in annually, we’re giving cactus pads to our visitors. You can plant them at home and enjoy the North American native prickly pear cactus. The flower colors range the spectrum of the rainbow, and the cactus is edible.