JC Raulston Arboretum e-Update
March 2022

Your Monthly News and Updates

The Big Yellow School Buses Are Back!

By Joy Burns, School Program Coordinator

We are thrilled to welcome K–12 students back through the front gate of the Arboretum this spring! While we were able to pivot and present new ways to virtually experience the garden the past two years, those experiences do not compare to an in-person visit! A field trip to the garden is a treat for the senses and is especially engaging and important for young people to experience.

Third grade students will make up the bulk of our school visitors this spring, as botany is a focus in science for third graders. Our hands-on activities about seed germination, the parts of the plant, soils, and photosynthesis are presented by a great team of volunteers and staff who are excited to interact with the kids again. The highlight of this tour is a chance for each student to carefully dissect a plant, then identify and describe the job of each of its parts.

Kindergarten, first, and second graders will learn about the needs of all living things, life cycles of plants and animals, how weather instruments are useful to the gardener, or the ins and outs of recycling and composting. And high school students will explore our diverse plant collection and be introduced to research being conducted in the horticulture field lab.

This past year, we introduced our I Spy! Tours and those will continue to be offered. Up to ten homeschooled students or other small groups of family and friends can enjoy a guided walk through the Arboretum while exploring a topic of interest along the way–from birds and blooms, to seeds and trees. Each tour concludes with a take-and-make activity designed to continue the explorations at home.

For more information on how you can take a tour with your own children or participate with us as a volunteer tour guide, visit our Web site or send an e-mail to Joy Burns at joy_burns@ncsu.edu.

Educational Program Highlights

By Mackenzie Grainger, Programs and Education Assistant

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.

Deciduous Conifer Grafting Workshop
Leanne Kenealy, Horticulturist
Saturday, March 5 – 11:00 AM
In Person

Grafting is the only method possible to propagate some plants. Many rare and expensive plants are grafted. In this workshop, participants learn to graft ginkgo, bald cypress, and dawn redwood from Leanne Kenealy. She will discuss and demonstrate grafting techniques and then will individually assist each participant as they graft their own plants.

Renewal Pruning Class and Demonstration
Douglas Ruhren, JC Raulston Arboretum
Saturday, March 12 – 9:00 AM
In Person and Online

Want to maximize the production of flowers and fruits from your shrubs? Renewal pruning is the way to do it. This class will start with classroom explanations of the nature of shrubs, the reason for and the techniques of renewal pruning, the tools of the trade as well as demonstrations of this technique. This will be followed by video demonstrations on shrubs in the Arboretum's collections with time for questions following each demonstration video.

Photography Walk
"Magical Macro—Photographing Water Droplets Refractions"
Mary Louise Ravese, Bella Vista Photography
Wednesday, March 16 – 10:00 AM
In Person

Water droplets act like a lens refracting light from whatever is behind them. In this hands-on photography session, we'll explore the fun and creative photography technique of photographing water droplet refractions. We'll start with an easy setup using flowers and a sheet of glass with water beading up on it and then discuss and experiment with more challenging setups.

Front-yard Foraging: Edible Ornamental Plants and Delicious Weeds, Too
Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, March 26 – 9:00 AM
In Person

Would you like to forage for delicious edibles right outside your front door? Join us and learn how to harvest edible weeds as well as ornamental plants in the average garden that are edible and delicious too. Horticulturist and forager Frank Hyman will share a slideshow featuring a year's worth of delicious and nutritious edibles that thrive in the garden whether you plant them or not. Class includes a one-page handout, plenty of time for Q&A, sample plants to pass around, and a chance to buy signed copies of Frank 's book How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying as well as a colleague's pocket-sized book on foraging wild, edible plants.

Home Plant Propagation
Bryce Lane, NC State University
Mondays, April 4 through May 23 – 6:30 PM
In Person and Online

This eight-week class is totally focused on all the different ways you can propagate plants at home. First, we will learn about the science of plant reproduction, and apply it to a number of propagation techniques. The second section is devoted to learning how to propagate plants from seed, including annuals, perennials, and woody plants. Then we will focus on all forms of vegetative propagation, (cuttings, layerage, division, etc.) and how we can perform these techniques in our own backyards

Growing Woody Plants in Containers
Bryce Lane, NC State University
Saturday, April 9 – 8:30 AM
In Person and Online

Container gardening fits nicely into the active lifestyles of many gardeners who feel the pressures of limited time and space. Regardless of your limitations, growing in containers is freeing and provides ample opportunities to expand the plant palette! Take your container gardens to the next level and learn how to grow and maintain woody plants in decorative containers in this class with Bryce Lane

Tips and Tricks for Growing Tomatoes in the Southeast
Brie Arthur, Author, Horticulturist, and Lifelong Home Gardener
Tuesday, April 19 – 6:30 PM
Online

Heirloom tomatoes are the ultimate taste of summer but growing them can be challenging! Join local tomato obsessed horticulturist Brie Arthur for a fun and entertaining discussion on the dos and don'ts of growing tomatoes in the Southeast. She will cover all the essential information you need to know including variety selection, best growing practices, and in-depth details on fertilizer, watering, and staking strategies.

Art & Science of Bonsai (Registration Opens Soon)
Bryce Lane, NC State University
Saturday, April 23, 2022 – 8:30 AM
In Person and Online

A long admired Japanese tradition, bonsai is the maintenance of a tree in a small form as a potted plant by constant pruning. Join Bryce Lane as he dives deeper into the beauty that is bonsai. In this class, participants will learn the science and practices behind the art of bonsai trees.

Recreational Tree Climbing at the JCRA
Open to Youths and Adults
Patrick Brandt, Piedmont Tree Climbing
Saturday, April 30 – 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM, and 4:30 PM
In Person

Recreational tree climbing is coming to the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh! Climb with your friends and family into the canopy of one of our majestic oaks and experience the JCRA like you never have before. Patrick Brandt, founder of Piedmont Tree Climbing, will provide all the needed gear and instruction. This program is repeated on Saturday, May 21.

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.

Before You Plant

By Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager

There are things one must know about a plant before one decides where to plant it. Most gardeners, even novice ones, understand that one must match the cultural requirements of a plant with the growing conditions of the site; that for instance, a sun loving plant goes in a sunny site, and shade lovers in shade; that one needing moisture goes in a moist site, etc. Another thing that one needs to know before planting is the mature size of that plant, both its height and width at maturity. Far too often, it seems, this was not determined before the planting of a new addition to a garden.

The size of a plant at the time of planting matters very little, perhaps not at all. What matters is its mature size. That adorable little foot tall oak seedling in time will be a 100’ tall and perhaps 60’ wide. This applies to all plants, not just trees. If those tiny annuals sold in cell packs grow 3’ wide, then they need to be planted 3’ apart, regardless of their tiny size at the time of planting.

Why does this matter? Plants planted too close to walks, drives, or roads might block access and require removal or restraining of the plants, both of which would be unnecessary if they had been sited properly. Plants planted too close to other plants end up compromising each other. Plants that get too tall can block windows, provide more shade than desired, or grow into overhead telephone wires; all situations that could have been avoided if the right plant was selected for that site. So much garden maintenance could be avoided if in selecting plants one selects plants that mature at a size appropriate to the location. When plants don’t need to be hacked back to keep them from blocking walkways and windows, they are able to exhibit their beautiful natural form.

Do your research before you plant. Plant labels often indicate mature size or recommended spacing. On larger, especially slower growing plants, the size on a label might be the size in ten years. Further research would be a good idea to determine its ultimate size. Public gardens can be a great place to see how big a plant gets. A little research before purchasing a plant or at least before planting it will eliminate much unnecessary maintenance and allow the plant to reach its full potential. Both you and the plant will be happier for it.

forsythia

Corylopsis glabrescens var. gotoana
fragrant winterhazel

Cercis chinensis 'Kay's Early Hope'
Chinese redbud

Fothergilla gardenii 'Suzanne'
dwarf fothergilla

YouTube Channel Update

By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator

Seven programs were recorded in January. 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.

Scott McMcMahan's lecture is only available to NARGS and JCRA members. It's not available publicly on YouTube. Do not share the lecture with others.

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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