Fantastic Plants in the Gala in the Garden's Auction

By Mark Weathington, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections

The 2014 Gala in the Garden is celebrating the great state of North Carolina this year and we have some fantastic offerings for the silent auction that reflect that theme. Perhaps the most exciting plant we have in the auction is a large specimen of NC State’s own Denny Werner’s newest redbud release and it is a showstopper for sure. Cercis canadensis ‘Pink Pom Poms’ has fully double flowers in spring that resemble miniature roses held in dense bouquets all along the stems. It simply must be seen to be appreciated. The parentage also includes the Texas form of redbud for increased heat and drought tolerance and the glossy leaves found in that southern variety. Don’t worry about cold hardiness though, it has proven to be hardy at least as far north as St. Louis.

Denny’s new redbud isn’t the only new selection of the North Carolina native redbud available at the auction. We will also have the new variegated selection found by plantsman Alan Bush called ‘Alley Cat’. Its white splashed leaves emerge with a pinkish tint in spring. The variegated foliage holds well through the summer and into fall not fading or burning in full sun. Spring flowers are deep, dark pink. For those who prefer white flowers on their redbud (whitebud?), we will offer ‘Vanilla Twist’ a weeping white flowered form from the witchhazel guru Tim Brotzman.

The array of notable natives runs the gamut from variegated and contorted black gums (Nyssa sylvatica ‘Sheri’s Cloud’ and ‘Zydeco Twist’) to a pine that turns gold in winter (Pinus virginiana ‘Wate’s Golden’) a specimen of which has graced our winter garden for years. Natives aren’t the only plants we’ll be celebrating at the Gala, there are numerous plants introduced by our fantastic N.C. nurserymen like Osmanthus heterophyllus Party Lights, or tea olive which emerges in spring with shocking pink new growth turning white and finally green on a restrained, compact evergreen shrub. Every visitor to the JCRA this season wants to know how they can get their hands on this brand new garden gem.

Other offerings include plants that JCRA staff has collected in the wild in recent years as well as some of J. C.’s introductions from his travels in the 1980s and 90s, some of our favorites, and of course plenty even we don’t have yet including an awesome selection of Japanese maples in sizes from 1 gallon to 15 gallon. For the most up-to-date list of auction plants (link removed), check out our Web site.

This is our biggest fund raiser of the year and enables us to continue to evaluate and distribute new plant material, provide child and adult education opportunities, and help people re-connect to the natural world. Come enjoy gourmet food, great beverages, fantastic folks, and of course some cutting-edge plants and even some non-plant auction items.

Gala tickets will be available on site the day of the event.

Facebook Notifications

By Elizabeth Wheeler, JCRA Volunteer

If you've liked the Arboretum's Facebook page and want to see our posts with reminders of Arboretum events and some of our 210,000+ photographs, please opt to "Follow" us and use the pull-down menu under "Like" and select "Get Notifications."  

Summer Workshops

By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator

Several of the most popular workshops the JCRA offers throughout the year are scheduled in the coming months. Each still have openings, but they're sure to fill up quickly.

One of the most commonly asked questions we're asked is where to purchase a particular plant. If you've failed finding a plant of interest, our propagation workshops are for you. In our summer propagation workshops, participants learn how to propagate plants via softwood cuttings and propagate approximately 20 to 30 different kinds of plants of their choosing from our 6,000+ taxa (different kinds of plants) collection.

Propagation Workshop
Saturday, May 31
9:00 AM

Propagation Workshop
Saturday, June 7
9:00 AM

Every landscape isn't complete without some container plantings and sculptures. Learn how to make your own hypertufa troughs and cast concrete leaves during Beth Jimenez and Amelia Lane's late July workshops.

Hypertufa Trough Workshop
Beth Jimenez and Amelia Lane, Lasting Impressions and JCRA Volunteers
July 26
9:00 AM

Cast Concrete Leaf Workshop
Beth Jimenez and Amelia Lane, JCRA Volunteers
July 26
1:00 PM

Open Days Tour

The Garden Conservancy's Open Days Program comes to Raleigh, North Carolina, in May and September this year. This spring's tour features the gardens of Beth and Juan Jimenez, Debra and Marty Ludas, Jean and Wayne Mitchell, Sandy and Ewell Morgan, Jean and Lawrence Shuping, Connie Sithes, and Kathleen and Walt Thompson.

Friday, May 16 – 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Saturday, May 17 9:00 AM–5:00 PM

The Yoga Garden

Connie Sithes
7409 Cobble Glen Court
Wake Forest, NC

The Century Garden

Marty and Debbie Ludas
112 North Avenue
Wake Forest, NC

Jimenez Garden

Beth and Juan Jimenez
3101 Greenville Loop Road
Wake Forest, NC

The Shuping Garden

Jean and Lawrence Shuping
2441 West Lake Drive
Raleigh, NC

Saturday May 17 – 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Sunday May 18 – 10:00 AM–4:00 PM

My Fairy Garden in the Woods

Jean and Wayne Mitchell
1002 Vickie Drive
Cary, NC

The Thompson Garden

Walter and Kathleen Thompson
119 Ravenna Way
Cary, NC

Sandy and Ewell Morgan 's Garden

Sandy and Ewell Morgan
1501 Westhaven Drive
Raleigh, NC

Coming Attractions

By Nancy Doubrava, Interpretive Specialist

Crinum
crinum-lily

Rosa 'Meikolima' (Pink Flamingo™)
grandiflora rose

Sinningia 'Scarlet O'Hara'
hardy gloxinia

Calycanthus 'Aphrodite'
hybrid sweetshrub

Rudbeckia maxima
great coneflower

Lilium 'Graffity'
hybrid lily

Magnolia virginiana var. australis 'Henry Hicks'
evergreen sweet bay magnolia

Cornus elliptica 'Elsbry' (Empress of China™)
evergreen flowering dogwood

Cornus wilsoniana
Wilson's dogwood

YouTube Channel

by Chris Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator

Three new videos were recorded in April. However, we've only posted two of them to our YouTube Channel. We're waiting for approval for the third video. Look for it in our YouTube Channel in the NARGS Lecture playlist. Receive announcements about our latest additions by subscribing to our channel.