JC Raulston Arboretum e-Update
December 2021

Your Monthly News and Updates

Research Highlights

By Dennis Carey, Curator

The 20 acre JC Raulston Arboretum Research Farm, part of NC State's Lake Wheeler Research Farm complex in southwest Raleigh, reached a milestone in mid-November with its first ever planting. Over 140 trees were installed into drip irrigated rows in what we hope will become a pipeline of great new plants for 21st century landscapes. These trees will be evaluated for several years in the hopes that some of them will prove to be a spectacular new variety.

The hard work of planting was completed in just a single day by a crew of graduate students, post-docs, and NC State University staff including Nathan Lynch, Tom Eaker, Davis Harmon, Jack Schwickerath, John Nix, and Nate Maren. NC State Department of Horticultural Science head Frank Louws came out to observe the installation and all team members posed for a quick photo on the perfect, sunny, cool, and cloudless fall day.

Over the next several years, the JCRA and our partners will plant out the entire 20 acre site and will also host landscape field days, field trips, and other exciting events there. In the long term, the JCRA hopes to construct a plant breeding laboratory at the site for use by students, volunteers, and Cooperative Extension and to partner with industry to implement state-of-the-art, field-accessible computer databases and autonomous, labor-saving devices (plant movers, mowers, irrigation, etc.). The goal is to create a state of the art space that highlights NC State plant releases and landscape design ideas for functional and sustainable urban landscapes. With your continued support and the hard work of JCRA and NC State students and staff. it will.

Educational Program Highlights

By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator

The JCRA has something to offer for everyone. Join us for in-person and online educational programs that are sure to make your skills bloom! Spaces are limited in these programs so register today to reserve your spot. If you have questions about any of these programs, please contact us at jcraprograms@ncsu.edu.

Digital Photography Essentials Workshops
Mary Louise Ravese, Bella Vista Photography
Wednesdays, January 12, 19, and 26 – 6:30 PM–8:30 PM – Canon
Thursdays, January 13, 20, and 27 – 6:30 PM–8:30 PM – Nikon
Online

These beginner classes are for people with a Canon or Nikon digital camera who are interested in learning how to successfully use their camera beyond automatic/program modes. The class concentrates on the five essential camera settings that have the most impact on the look of a photograph: focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. We also discuss how to interpret the image histogram, a camera feedback mechanism, and use that information to adjust and optimize image exposure for the next shot. Students learn how to adjust these settings using their own camera. The features and concepts discussed are relevant to all digital cameras including many point-and-shoot cameras, mirrorless cameras, and all digital SLR cameras.

Outstanding Plants with Winter Interest
Bryce Lane, NC State University
Mondays, January 17 through 31 – 6:30 PM–8:30 PM
In Person and Online

Winter is often consider an off season when it comes to gardening, however, here in the Southeast, it isn't. Join us for this all-new three-week class that focuses entirely on ornamental plants that have interesting winter interest. From flowers and fruits, to bark and branching, we will look at herbaceous annuals and perennials, as well as woody trees, shrubs, and vines. This will be a great class for those who are looking to enhance their winter landscape.

Garden Soils Class
"If You Build It, They Will Come: Understanding and Improving Garden Soils" Bryce Lane, NC State University

Saturday, January 22 – 8:30 AM–3:00 PM
In Person and Online

As gardeners, we spend most of our time thinking "above ground." We ruminate about plants, combinations, color, texture, and about light exposure, water, temperature and climate. Gardening success is equally dependent on what is going on below ground. A scientific understanding of soil chemistry, biology, physics, and fertility makes a good gardener a "master" gardener! This class will help us understand basic soil principles, and how we can use that understanding to improve our garden soils, properly prepare garden beds, reduce fertilizer inputs, compost, and maximize growth in our gardens.

Propagation Workshop
Tim Alderton and Christopher Todd Glenn, Research Technician and Programs and Education Coordinator, JC Raulston Arboretum

Saturday, January 29 – 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
In Person

Join JC Raulston Arboretum staff in this hands-on workshop and learn how to asexually propagate some of your favorite plants in the JC Raulston Arboretum's collections via hardwood cuttings. Participants will go home with a greater knowledge of plant propagation and with many freshly propagated plants. Techniques discussed can be done at home. This workshop is open to all knowledge/experience levels.

COVID-19 Guidelines

As part of NC State University, the JC Raulston Arboretum follows all of the university's Protect the Pack Community Standards. These can be found online at https://www.ncsu.edu/coronavirus/. All visitors including program participants must follow these guidelines. All indoor visitors must wear a face covering at all times while indoors.

Christmas Rose

By Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager

Do you grow the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger? More than likely you grow its close cousin the Lenten rose, Helleborus ×hybridus, either because you intentionally chose to acquire and plant it or were given plants from someone with more than they wanted, or found a pot of Lenten rose seedlings abandoned on your doorstep like excess zucchini from someone else's summer garden.

Your garden needs both Christmas roses and Lenten roses. Christmas roses start to flower in late fall and early winter, whereas Lenten roses usually don't start until January or later. Christmas roses are nearly universally snow white, though aged flowers sometimes show a little pink mottling. They proudly face outward, showing off their center ruff of yellow stamens, whereas Lenten roses are usually pendant.

There are two things that one must know about the Christmas rose, the first being that they do indeed grow well in this area. Decades ago, the Greensboro based garden writer Nell Lewis had a large thriving colony in her home garden. Indeed, there was a time when one could buy plants of the 'Nell Lewis' strain of Helleborus niger. And they can be seen in other area gardens such as Montrose in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The second thing that one must know is to never even think about transplanting established plants. Established plants could out live all their neighbors and the gardeners as well, but do not readily re-establish if transplanted. So choose a suitable site (bright shade and normal drainage), buy container-grown plants, and then enjoy them for decades to come.

Christmas roses in the garden will produce some seedlings and young seedlings will tolerate transplanting, but their rate of increase will never cause you alarm. If anything, you will come to wish that they were more prolific.

Christmas roses are another jewel to add to your garden of winter-flowering trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials for there is no down time in a zone 7 garden if you plan for year-round bloom, color, and interest.

Plant-lover's Tour
"Highlights of Oak Grove and Plantsman's Woods"
Douglas Ruhren
Wednesday, December 1 – 3:00 PM
Online
Register

Gardening 101 at the JCRA
"Sowing Seeds Now That Need the Winter Chill"
Douglas Ruhren
Wednesday, December 22 – 3:00 PM
Online
Register

Oregon grape

Camellia ×vernalis 'Shibori Egao'
hybrid camellia

carrot fern

Prunus incisa
Fuji cherry

Prunus mume 'Tojibai'
white flowering apricot

Rhododendron 'Pink Camellia'
Carla hybrid azalea

winter flowering iris

YouTube Channel Update

By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator

Six programs were recorded in November. These videos were all were posted to our YouTube channel. Receive announcements about our latest additions by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Click on the bell icon to adjust your frequency settings from occasional notifications to all notifications and vice versa.

Christopher Todd Glenn
Programs and Education Coordinator
NC State University
Campus Box 7522
Raleigh, NC 27695-7522
(919) 513-7005
chris_glenn@ncsu.edu

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