JC Raulston Arboretum e-Update
February 2018
Your Monthly News and Updates
Director's Note

By Mark Weathington, Director
 
Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see February, or at least to have January in the rear view mirror. It was cold, cold, cold for us with well over 200 hours straight below freezing and a low of 5.8 ° F here at the JCRA. While I don't like to feel weather this cold, it is always interesting to see how plants will react. Luckily, we had plenty of cold weather earlier in the season so plants were dormant. An unseasonably warm December like 2016 would have certainly led to even more damage when the temps dropped.
 
By the time you read this, it is entirely possible that our Winter Symposium is sold out—no surprise with the lineup we have for you! If you didn't get registered, make sure to check out our calendar as there is a bonanza of great programs coming in the next couple of months including programs on dealing with deer , foraging for wild edibles , grafting magnolias , and a whole lot more. There’s definitely something for just about everyone. See you at the Arboretum soon.
Winter Symposium Early Registration Closing Soon

By Sarah Alford, Programs and Education Assistant
 
The highly anticipated annual Winter Symposium is approaching quickly! We have had a great deal of positive response for this year's theme: integrating creative function into the home landscape in a way that is both beautiful and ecologically responsible. Our schedule is packed with talented speakers who are prominent in the landscape design and home gardening community—Bobbie Schwartz, Anne Spafford, and Brie Arthur—who will all lend their varied backgrounds and specialties to provide fresh vision for our home landscapes. We are excited about the range of topics that will be covered during the symposium, including garden planning, creating foodscapes, and designing pollinator safe havens. This year's symposium will be held on Saturday, February 17 from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Seats are limited and registration is filling up quickly. Less than 20 openings remain at the time of this writing. Early registration ends Sunday, February 5, so sign up today!
Go Slow

By Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager

Go slow, wait, and watch, is good advice if your evergreen shrubs and trees are brown now after our 200+ hours of below freezing temperatures. You might not need to do anything at all. So, at this time, do not cut it down if it is brown.

There are a range of possibilities: The leaves are brown but the wood (the stems and branches) is alive and the leaves will be shed and come spring, new leaves will replace them. If wood has been damaged, wait until you can determine if it is truly dead. Live twigs are flexible and the cambium under the bark is green and moist. Dead twigs become brittle and the cambium turns to a straw color as it dries out. It could be that only the youngest twigs are killed, and new shoots will be produced from sound stems lower down. Or, the plant is dead to the ground but will regrow from below ground. Many broad-leaved evergreens died to the ground in the big freeze back in the 1980s and most regrew the following spring.

Many normally evergreen herbaceous perennials such as Aspidistra (cast iron plant) and evergreen ferns are now brown. It's certainly okay to cut these to ground. Time will tell if this long freeze has hurt them underground. This area's cold spells are usually of much shorter duration, so frost doesn't penetrate the soil as deeply.

Hopefully, a far smaller percentage of your evergreens are brown than they are here at the JC Raulston Arboretum. A significant goal at the JCRA is to trial plants to see if they are suitable to this climate. Cold hardiness is one criteria. Many plants of unknown hardiness are planted, and it is only with a winter such as this that these plants are truly tested. The flip side of loosing plants to this cold are the many plants that were not expected to survive 5 ° F that sailed through without any damage.
Upcoming Classes with Bryce Lane

By Sarah Alford, Programs and Education Assistant
 
Any of our friends who have been around for a while know what a wealth of information can be found in Bryce Lane. A seasoned horticulturalist, he has served with the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State for over four decades, teaching plant identification and numerous other topics. He also hosted and produced a three-time Emmy winning UNC TV public television show for 11 seasons. If you have never had the privilege of learning from Bryce Lane, consider joining us for one of his upcoming classes.

On Saturday, February 3 from 8:30 AM–12:30 PM, Bryce will be lecturing on the basics of soil . Far from being just "dirt," good garden soil nourishes and supports the plants that grow in it, and, because of this, is the most important component of a successful garden. This class will cover how to improve soil, properly prepare garden beds, reduce fertilizer inputs, and many other helpful topics. Additionally, this class has been approved for four credit hours (Course 10802) by the N.C. Board of Landscape Architects for those interested.

Starting March 19 and running every Monday through April 30, Bryce will be holding a new lecture series on the history of gardening . People have been gardening for almost as long as there have been people, but it hasn't always looked like it does today! This series will focus on the fascinating past of plants and the impacts that a diverse group of cultures has had on our modern understanding of horticulture. A deepened understanding of this unique history can help prepare us to be better gardeners in the future. Sign up today!
Another Friendly Face

By Arlene Calhoun, Assistant Director

Join us in welcoming Chris Ferguson, our new rental and facility coordinator. This may seem old news to a few of you who visit frequently and have become accustomed to seeing Chris's friendly face behind our front desk since last November. Well, we're pleased to announce his temporary status has been made permanent.

Chris comes to us with both program and event experience. He's worked at Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Events and the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Aquatics. We're thrilled to have him join our team and think he's just the person to take our rentals and events forward. Be sure to stop by, introduce yourself, and say hello.

For those who don't know, Emily Peters made a career change the end of last year. While we were very sad to see her go, we're excited for her and all the new things she'll be learning as the practice administrator and community relations contact at an area medical practice. Don't be surprised if you see her face back at the Arboretum as a volunteer. I hear she's signing up.
Classes with Frank Hyman

By Sarah Alford, Programs and Education Assistant, and Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator

Are You an Adventurous Eater?

If you've ever wondered what other plants beyond the standard fruits and vegetables are edible in your garden, be sure to join us on Saturday, February 10 from 9:00 AM–10:30 AM for Frank Hyman's engaging lecture on unconventional edible plants—and weeds, too !—that can be found right in your own backyard. Some plants to be discussed include: purslane, sorrel, onion grass, redbud flowers, daylily buds, and more! Whether you consider yourself an adventurous eater or not, Frank is a delightful speaker (past students have said he is funny enough to write for SNL), so if you are interested in attending, sign up soon!

Not Tonight Deer

Many of our gardens are overrun with deer, and one of the most common questions on our Plantsmen's Tour is "Will deer eat that plant?" In this informative, Saturday, February 10 program, Frank will discuss how we can garden without worrying about deer eating our prized plants. He'll discuss the types of plants that deer don't generally eat, fencing to keep deer out, and effective repellents. He'll share stories and photographs from several gardens he's created that are free of deer damage. Frank's deer class begins at 1:00 PM and ends at 2:30 PM. Register for both of Frank's programs and spend the day at the JCRA learning from an experienced horticulture professional.
Katelyn Bailey—Provost Student

By Arlene Calhoun, Assistant Director

Meet Katelyn Bailey, our marketing and communications provost student. Katelyn is the very first provost student we hired and we couldn't be happier. Our social media communications schedules for Moonlight in the Garden and Raulston Blooms! have expanded and are now well documented thanks to Katelyn. And we've put her creative writing and design skills to good use on story boards located in the Ruby C McSwain Education Center and in Instagram and Facebook posts. Katelyn always has a smile on her face and a willingness to try most anything. Most recently, she's been busy reaching out to social media Mom's groups to let them know about our fantastic summer camps. Her time at the Arboretum is limited, but trust me, we all look forward to the days Katelyn will be here.

We have four provost students working with us this year, thanks to the Provost's Professional Experience Program at NC State and to a few of you who made our "Wish List" dream of winter student workers come true. We'll be sure to highlight all our talented provost students in upcoming JCRA e-Updates. Until then, thank you for helping to fund this wonderful program.

A Few Works from Katelyn

"Working here at the JCRA has taught me about more than plants—I have gotten to know some very inspiring people while also gaining insight on how nonprofit organizations function whether that be with marketing, public events, or membership. I have truly enjoyed getting to know the plant community and seeing all of the dedication put forth by the volunteers and supporters—it makes for some amazing events and outreach!”
Magnolia Events to Focus on Propagation

By Sarah Alford, Programs and Education Assistant

Magnolias are prized all over the world for their striking elegance and frequently grace Southern landscapes. The JCRA has over a hundred different cultivars and varieties here in our gardens, and we want to share that beauty with our friends through offering two magnolia propagation events.

The first event is a workshop that focuses on magnolia grafting and will be held on Saturday, February 24 from 8:30 AM–12:00 PM and led by Nathan Maren, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Horticulture here at NC State. Nathan will be leading students in the ins-and-outs of propagating by grafting. If you’ve struggled woody plant propagation or would simply like the opportunity to propagate one of the Arboretum’s choice selections in your own backyard, this is the workshop for you!

The second event will be held on Friday, March 23 from 8:30 AM–12:00 PM in conjunction with the Magnolia Society International's Annual Meeting and will focus on cloning current varieties as well as creating completely new cultivars through the techniques of grafting, taking cuttings, and collecting and using seed . Rich Hesselein, Ethan Guthrie, and Kevin Parris will lecture and provide live demonstrations. Magnolia enthusiasts from around the world will be joining us for this seminar, and space is limited so make sure to sign up soon!
Mapping Our Plants

By Andrew Pais, Ph.D., Database and Plant Records Coordinator

After promising work by our GIS 590 student Dan Wade, the JC Raulston Arboretum is demoing the newly installed ArcGIS program for mapping its plants! With the new mapping program and the aid of laptops and tablets, staff and volunteers will soon be able to map a record at the same time of planting. Furthermore, the new platform provides an ease of use Web portal for editors to review and modify the status of current plants along with providing visitors with new tools to navigate the garden.
 
Currently, I'm trialing the new system and teaching interested volunteers and staff on how to integrate the mapping system with their day-to-day duties. In order to transition from the trial period to operating at full capacity, a license is required to sync the GIS mapping tool to the Arboretum's database. This one-time payment for a license costs $270 so any efforts to help reach the requested goal would be greatly appreciated. Contributing workshop donors will be invited to a hands-on workshop featuring functionality of the new mapping tool. Please contact Sonia Murphy at sonia_murphy@ncsu.edu or (919) 513-0637 if you would be interested in contributing to the final stages of this great platform!
Spring Workshops to Rejuvenate Your Garden

By Sarah Alford, Programs and Education Assistant

Since most of us have spent this winter dreaming about the changes we are hoping to implement in our gardens this spring, we'd like to invite you to attend two different classes with hands-on demonstrations focused on giving you the practical knowledge you need to bring fresh life to your garden. The first, a tree planting class and demonstration titled " Happy Trees Begin with Proper Planting ," will be held on Saturday, March 3 from 9:00 AM–11:00 AM and hosted by treecologist Basil Camu (Leaf & Limb). In this hands-on workshop, Basil will provide step-by-step instructions on how to plant a tree without succumbing to the many common pitfalls gardens make that lead to weak and sickly trees. The second, Renewal Pruning Class and Demonstration , will be hosted by Douglas Ruhren, our own gardens manager, on Saturday, March 24 from 9:00 AM–11:30 AM. Douglas will start the morning with a lecture on the fundamentals of pruning in alignment with the natural life cycle of a shrub before moving out into the garden to demonstrate technique and offer hands-on learning for students. Sharpen up on your gardening skills and join us!

Online registration for both of these classes opens very soon (in a day or two). Until then, please contact Chris Glenn at (919) 513-7005 or chris_glenn@ncsu.edu to register.
The JC Raulston Arboretum Is Hiring

By Chris Ferguson, Facility and Rental Coordinator

One of Raleigh’s most valued attractions is seeking enthusiastic and reliable employees to join the event rentals team.

Rental facilitators work directly with a variety of groups to set up meeting and event rental spaces. The work schedule is flexible with the majority of sessions on evenings and weekends.
 
Key duties and requirements include:
  • Set up for meetings and events at the JC Raulston Arboretum
  • Opening and closing 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
  • Ability to lift at least 50 pounds and multi-task with multiple groups onsite
  • Must be comfortable with google sheets
  • Employee must be able to work nights and weekends
 
18th Annual Birdhouse Competition

By Christine Ramsey, Volunteer, and Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator

Imaginations Run Wild — Birds Take Flight

It's that time of year again! The Birdhouse Competition returns to the JC Raulston Arboretum during Raulston Blooms! The competition is one of spring's most creative, colorful, and fun garden events and is open to adults and youths alike. It's also a great teaching tool and matches the Arboretum's mission of education and inspiration. The event raises awareness about birds, their habitats, and importance in the natural world.

Birdhouse entries will be accepted on Friday, April 6 and judged that same evening. The competition is open for public viewing on Saturday, April 7 during Raulston Blooms! when thousands of people turn out to see the results. For more information about entering a birdhouse, competition categories, and age groups, visit the JCRA's Web site .

The competition is free to enter and all participants receive a free family admission ticket to Raulston Blooms! Start building your birdhouse today!
Upcoming Events
"If You Build It, They Will Come: Understanding and Improving Garden Soils"
Bryce Lane, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Emeritus and Lecturer Emeritus, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University
Saturday, February 3
8:30 AM

Bryce Lane, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Emeritus and Lecturer Emeritus, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University
Monday, February 5, 12, 19, and 26 and March 6 (continued from January)
6:30 pm
Registration closed

"Winter Perennials for Shade"
Mark Weathington, Director
Tuesday, February 6
1:00 PM
Free for JCRA members

"Black and White"
Susan Bailey, Susan Bailey Photography
Thursday, February 8 (rescheduled from January 18)
2:00 PM

Alton J. Banks, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, NC State University
Thursday, February 8
7:30 PM
Free for JCRA members

Saturday, February 10
9:00 AM

Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, February 10
9:00 AM

Cohosted by the JC Raulston Arboretum and the Piedmont Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society
"Plantsman Tour of Wyoming"
Tim Alderton, Nancy Doubrava, Cyndy Cromwell, and Chris Glenn
Saturday, February 10
10:00 PM
Free for JCRA and NARGS members

Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, February 10
1:00 PM

"Indoor Flowers I"
Susan Bailey, Susan Bailey Photography
Thursday, February 15
2:00 PM

"Creating a Successful Home Landscape: Where Ecology and Aesthetics Meet"
Featuring Brie Arthur, Bobbie Schwartz, and Anne Spafford
Saturday, February 17
8:00 AM

Friday, February 23
10:30 AM

Nathan Maren, Ph.D. Student, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University
Saturday, February 24
8:30 AM

Sunday, February 25
2:30 PM

✽Denotes a children's program.

Many programs require advance registration. Please register early to reserve your spot.

Other Dates to Remember

Thursday, February 8
9:00 AM–3:00 PM

A Garden Festival for All Ages
Includes the JCRA Spring Plant Sale and 18th Annual Birdhouse Competition
Saturday, April 7
9:00 AM–4:00 PM

Sunday, May 6
2:30 PM–6:00 PM
Coming Attractions
By Nancy Doubrava, Interpretive Specialist
Crocus tommasinianus 'Barr's Purple'
Tommasini's crocus
Daphne odora 'Hewreb' (Rebecca)
variegated winter daphne
Narcissus 'Orange Frilled'
large-cupped daffodil
Magnolia 'Ian's Red'
deciduous magnolia
Galanthus 'Bertram Anderson'
snowdrop
Magnolia denudata 'Forrest's Pink'
pink Yulan magnolia
Cornus officinalis 'Spring Glow'
Cornelian cherry
Chaenomeles 'Orange Storm'
Double Take hybrid flowering quince
Helleborus ×hybridus
Lenten rose
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 .
Christopher Todd Glenn
Programs and Education Coordinator
Sarah Alford
Programs and Education Assistant
NC State University
Campus Box 7522
Raleigh, NC 27695-7522
(919) 513-7005

You're receiving this e-mail because you're a member of the JC Raulston Arboretum. JCRA e-Updates are published electronically every month. If you are a member and need to update your contact information or wish to be removed from this mailing, please contact Kathryn Wall at (919) 513-7004 or kbwall@ncsu.edu . Please do not use the links below to update your e-mail address or to unsubscribe.