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JC Raulston Arboretum e-Update - December 2016
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Still Basking in the Moonlight - Thanks Southern Lights of RaleighBy Arlene Calhoun, Assistant Director
Charitable donations to the garden come in all shapes and sizes. And Moonlight in the Garden has got to be one of the more unique ones we have ever received. It is no easy feat to temporarily design and install a lighting plan in a public garden with the intent to captivate the attention and imagination of over two thousand visitors.
John Garner and his team at Southern Lights of Raleigh did just that. They gave this garden an experience we'll never forget. They fulfilled our dream to have a lighting event that aligned with our mission and to create a unique experience for folks to stroll the garden after dark.John Garner and his team meticulously crafted a design that transformed the Arboretum into one spectacular place. He and his team worked tireless for weeks, spending hours tweaking and adjusting the plan so each area of the garden showed with perfection after the sun set and the moon rose.
There is an art to adding landscape lighting to a garden and John clearly has the talent and passion to do it well.
We thank John and his team for providing this artistic expression of light that made this autumn fund raiser possible. It was a tremendous success with over 2,600 people visiting the garden, many of them for the first time. It just doesn't get much better than that!
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Are Connoisseur Plants on Your Wish List?
By Kathryn Wall, Membership and Volunteer Coordinator
It's almost time for our popular Connoisseur Plants program-special plants propagated by us exclusively for qualifying Friends of the Arboretum. Access to these plants is limited to our Sponsor, Patron, Founder, Benefactor, and Philanthropist membership levels. It is our way of thanking these members for their generous support. Would you like to add some special plants to your wish list for 2017 or know someone who would?
Don't miss the December 31 deadline. The Connoisseur Plants program doesn't require you to get up early and you can participate from a warm, cozy spot of your choosing. This program is designed specifically for those members looking for the unusual or hard to locate plants. To refresh yourself on the number of plants awarded to each membership level or get an idea of the plants that have been previously offered, visit the Connoisseur Plants page on our Web site. Advance your membership to the next level to take full advantage of this year's selection. Need to upgrade? It's easy, give me a call at (919) 513-7004 or make an online membership upgrade contribution. If you pay online, please e-mail me at kbwall@ncsu.edu to make sure we enter your upgrade to the appropriate membership level by December 31. Qualifying members should expect notification of the Connoisseur Plants catalogs via e-mail in January 2017.
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Help Us Put the JC Raulston Arboretum in the Spotlight
By Sonia Murphy, Director of Development
The JCRA's Moonlight in the Garden event opened our eyes to the growth potential of having events after dark. We would like you to join our year-end initiative to bring permanent landscape lighting and improvements to one of the South's great gardens. Facilities Rentals Are the Greatest Source of Revenue for JCRA's Programs.Landscape lighting is an investment in the Arboretum's future - and the future of gardening. We've posted a list of improvements that will help attract more rental opportunities to our gardens and the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center. Please consider helping us make them a reality. |
Adopt a Project and Show the JCRA in a Whole New Light
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We're Hiring
By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator
The staff at the JC Raulston Arboretum are looking for two to four part-time rental facilitators. Essential job duties for rental facilitators include:
- Set up for meetings and events at the JC Raulston Arboretum
- Opening and closing down the facility
- Ensuring groups have access to space and equipment
- Must be able to drive a golf cart and Gator to move chairs and tables
- Sitting at front desk and answering questions via walk-ups or over the phone
- Must be comfortable with Google sheets and survey software for scheduling
- Employee must be able to work nights and weekends
- Employee must have access to email and phone throughout their work day
For more information or to apply, please visit jobs.ncsu.edu. Please share these openings with someone you know that's interested in a part-time employment at the JC Raulston Arboretum.
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Winter Symposium
By Mark Weathington, Director"Garden Divas"
Saturday, February 18, 2017 - 8:00 AM-12:00 PM From Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West to Rosemary Verey and our own Elizabeth Lawrence, women have been among the brightest stars in the horticultural world. Continuing in that tradition, our divas with dirty fingernails carry on that legacy.
Diva - A woman of outstanding talent (traditionally in opera but also recognized in other performing arts). The term is derived from the Italian for "goddess" and is reserved only for those at the very top of their craft. The inimitable Perennial Diva, Stephanie Cohen, is a living legend with multiple books under her belt and a litany of awards from just about every horticultural group. She shares her passion for plants and gardening across the country as a much in-demand speaker following a 20 year career inspiring generations of students at Temple University where she also founded and led the Landscape Arboretum at Temple University. If you haven't experienced a Stephanie Cohen presentation, you haven't lived a full life. Carol Reese cemented her spot in the pantheon of great JCRA speakers during her 2004 lecture at the Arboretum. Her incredible depth of knowledge combined with a unique perspective and sense of humor is the stuff of legends. As the University of Tennessee's ornamental horticulture specialist, Carol knows the ins and outs of all aspects of gardening and shares her wisdom through frequent lectures, a newspaper column, blog, and articles in most major gardening magazines. Our own hometown hero Pam Beck needs little introduction as the co-author of Best Garden Plants for North Carolina and long-time Carolina Gardener Magazine contributor and columnist for the News & Observer. She continues to write for gardening magazines and her photography appears in various books and other publications. Pam has been a JCRA board member, volunteer, and supporter for many years and and has served in advisory roles for other local horticultural groups. What Pam doesn't know about gardening in North Carolina, isn't worth knowing. The one through-line for all of our "women of outstanding talent" (divas) is their incredible passion for plants and gardening combined with a gift for communicating the knowledge, creativity, and skill needed to have success in the garden. A morning spent with them will send you out inspired to create your own patch of paradise.
For more information about the JC Raulston Arboretum's winter symposium or to register, please contact Chris Glenn at (919) 513-7005 or chris_glenn@ncsu.edu.
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Upcoming Events
Plantsmen's Tour "40th Anniversary Tour-Four Decades of Plants" Mark Weathington, Director Tuesday, December 6 1:00 PM
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture "Foraging Wild, Edible Plants (Many of Which are in Your Own Back Yard)" Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping Thursday, December 8 7:30 PM
Many programs require advance registration. Please register early to reserve your spot.
Dates to Remember
Mulch Sale
Thursday, December 8
9:00 AM-3:00 PM
Saturday, December 31 Winter Symposium"Garden Divas" Saturday, February 18, 2017 - 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
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Your Membership Makes a Difference
Please Join or Renew Today!The JC Raulston Arboretum is free to the public, but it is not free to operate. Memberships keep the gates open and the gardens in top shape. Membership gifts are the primary support for the Arboretum's daily operations and vital for its success. Thank you for your support and advocacy of the JC Raulston Arboretum through the membership program. It's fast and easy to become a Friend of the Arboretum, and there are many great benefits for you and your family. Join or renew now using our secure Web site, or contact Kathryn Wall, membership and volunteer coordinator, at (919) 513-7004 or kbwall@ncsu.edu.
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The JC Raulston Arboretum's fund-raising efforts, including the 40th anniversary symposium, operate under the auspices of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization. Proceeds benefit the JC Raulston Arboretum.
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