JC Raulston Arboretum e-Update
August 2019
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Your Monthly News and Updates
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Director's Note
By Mark Weathington, Director
It’s hot, hot, hot but that's pretty much par for the course this time of year. We'll be finishing up the last summer camp next week and the interns will be heading back to class soon. The Arboretum gets a bit quiet for a week or two and then we’ll begin to see students out here again using the JCRA as it was intended – a living laboratory supporting Horticultural Science, Forestry, Ag. Education, Ag. Engineering, Chemistry, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Plant Biology, and Recreation and Tourism Management. And that's just the NC State University students.
The range of disciplines who use our collections is quite amazing and seems to grow every year. With summer camps and lighting festivals, it's easy to overlook our role within the university, but we love being able to provide a hands-on experience to all of these students. Stop in later this month and say hello to one of these student groups if you see them.
See you in the garden.
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Gardening in the South
By Kathryn Wall, Membership and Volunteer Coordinator
Saturday, September 7, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
New gardeners and those that recently moved the Triangle are invited to participate in
Gardening in the South
, a program that's designed just for them. We need your, our members', help in letting others know about this exciting event, with help from sponsor Leaf & Limb. Please share the details with your friends that are budding gardeners and with your new neighbors. The symposium is free and open to the public. This symposium's topics and speakers are:
"Catastrophic or Cosmetic?: Plant Diseases in the Southern Garden"
Michael Munster, Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, NC State University
"Pest and Beneficial Insects in Your Garden"
Steven Frank, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Entomology, NC State University
"All About Weeds: ID, Prevention, and Management"
Bryce Lane, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Emeritus and Lecturer Emeritus, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University
We're recording each of the presentations and posting them to our YouTube Channel for experienced gardeners. We're also planning on live streaming the symposium via Facebook Live so everyone can participate.
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Summer Educational Programs
By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator
The last full month of summer is upon us and the cooler weather of fall is nearing. August is a time for last minute vacation, but we're not taking a break from our educational programming here at the JCRA. We have some new programming and some of our returning favorites. Plantsmen's Tours, Friends of the Arboretum Lectures,
Gardening Adventures with Extension Master Gardener Volunteers lectures continue throughout the summer as well.
Perennial Vegetables: Plant Once, Reap Twice (or More)
Saturday, August 17 – 9:00 AM
Perennial vegetables
are not fruits. The part you eat is the flower bud (artichoke), the spring shoot (asparagus, Solomon seal), the fiddlehead (ostrich fern), the leaf stalk (rhubarb, cardoon, lovage), the leaf (lovage, Burbank spineless cactus) or the root (sunchokes, ramps, giant Solomon seal, ground nuts).
Cool-season Vegetables: Fewer Pests and Less Work
Saturday, August 17 – 1:00 PM
The conditions for gardening all improve after Labor Day: the weather cools off, many weeds are going dormant, most bugs and diseases have run their course. And in the North Carolina climate,
fall planted crops
benefit from the cooler weather and can be harvested through the fall, winter, and spring. Learn how to grow the greens, crucifers, and root crops that thrive in the cool half of the year.
Photography Walk
"Visual Storytelling: Capturing a Sense of Place with Your Camera"
Mary Louise Ravese, Bella Vista Photography
Thursday, August 29 – 8:30 AM
Whether you are photographing your garden, your home town, or a vacation destination, we like to share the full extent of our experience of being there. In this session, you'll learn some easy to implement techniques to go beyond the snap shot to visually "
tell the story
" of the experience of being in a place.
Caring for Your Home Landscape: A Month by Month Approach
Mondays, September 9 through November 4 – 6:30 PM
No Class on Monday, October 14
Bryce Lane, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Emeritus and Lecturer Emeritus, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University
When do I prune my azaleas and hydrangeas? Do I fertilize now? When do I cut back my perennials? Is now the right time to plant? Come learn about how, and when to perform these, and many more gardening tasks. From landscape maintenance, to planting, to propagation, this eight-week course covers all
gardening activities from January to December
. Each week we will discuss the appropriate activities that should be performed in a month-to-month window.
Crepe Myrtle Pruning Class and Demonstration
"A Tale of Love, Murder, and Proper Pruning"
Basil Camu, Treecologist, Leaf & Limb
Saturday, September 14
–
9:00 AM
You are probably familiar with the term crepe murder (and if you are not, all the more reason to attend this class!). But what can you do to avoid crepe murder? In this class, we will use the crepe myrtle as a vehicle to teach the
basics of pruning
.
Photography Walk
"Going Beyond Snap Shot Photography with Your iPhone Camera"
Mary Louise Ravese, Bella Vista Photography
Thursday, September 26 – 10:00 AM
In this
Photography Walk
, you'll learn more about basic iPhone camera functionality. In addition, Mary Louise will give an overview of two useful iPhone apps for taking your photography further: ProCamera (enables you to control the iPhone camera more like a traditional camera) and SnapSeed (enables you to edit photographss on the phone). We will then practice in the gardens of the Arboretum.
For more information about these programs, please contact Chris Glenn at (919) 513-7005 or chris_glenn@ncsu.edu. Online registration is available via the links below.
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Adult Education at the JC Raulston Arboretum
By Emily Bonner,
Development Assistant
If you're an Arboretum member, you probably know a lot about plants. However, if you're an avid gardener, you also know that there is always more to learn.
One of the most unique facets of the JC Raulston Arboretum is our wide range of adult education opportunities. J. C. Raulston wanted the Arboretum to be a place where horticulturists of all ages and experience levels could come to learn, to experiment, and to share their knowledge with others. We are continually striving to create and maintain such a place.
If you glance at the
events calendar
on the JCRA Web site, you will see that it is always full of guided tours, propagation workshops, seasonal symposia, and numerous lectures with topics ranging from "The Joys of Gardening 50 Years as a Klutz" to "Every Tree Has a Story." The JCRA features lectures from Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, the North American Rock Garden Society (Piedmont Chapter), and numerous other horticultural experts, such as Tony Avent of Juniper Level Botanic Garden and John Grimshaw, the director of the Yorkshire Arboretum in England.
This community focused on education and outreach is possible in large part thanks to the support we receive from our volunteers, members, and sponsors. We are so thankful to have a community of supporters so dedicated to the importance of learning in the world of horticulture. If you are interested in becoming more involved in supporting adult education at the Arboretum,
please consider becoming a sponsor
. Sponsorships enable us to expand the educational opportunities we can offer and keep our calendar full of exciting events for all to enjoy.
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Garden Renovations
By Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager
The JC Raulston Arboretum benefits from the generosity of a large and amazing community of supporters. The hours that volunteers put in is the equivalent of six, full-time positions! Here are three recent projects of note.
What were once uncomfortably giant steps for mankind are now a series of gentle steps for both man and womankind alike. The steps being those that rise from the Xeric Garden up to the Scree Garden on the west side of the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center. One volunteer told me that she had avoided these steps for the last three years. This renovation was made possible by Paige Moody of Arbor Enterprises who donated the labor of her talented craftsmen. The new steps also look so much better.
The Manooch Cascade outside the lobby of the McSwain Center are back in business largely due to the expertise and donated labor of Saundra Springer and her assistants from Springer Ponds and Water Gardens. For starters, sixteen years of muck were removed. Saundra’s crew was assisted by both JCRA horticulture staff and interns as well as the visiting horticulture interns from Moore Farm Botanical Garden. The university wisely decided to go with Saundra’s expert advice on choice of pumps, allowed her to procure the new pumps, and to have her install them, again Saundra donated the labor. These new pumps are designed for exactly this type of use and are expected to last about 10 years. With water once again flowing down the wall, horticulture staff and interns added many new plants, some of them donated by Springer Ponds.
Concrete footings have been poured for a five-star Air-Bee-and-Bee hotel which will be installed in early August. Deb Lacky and Lucy Gardiner have been working for months to build this large wooden structure, working with a photograph of one Mark Weathington saw in a park in France. Arboretum staff and volunteers will keep it stocked with hollow canes and pieces of wood which will present nesting opportunities for solitary bees. Native solitary bees are very important pollinators.
Huge thanks are due to all three of these groups of individuals. They have tremendously enriched the JCRA. We hope to see you in the garden checking out these exciting renovations and additions.
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Save the Date
Moonlight in the Garden
Advance Tickets on Sale to JCRA Members
Tuesday, September 3
Get your tickets before they sell out.
Preview Night
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Limited to 500 tickets
7:00 PM–9:00 PM
General Admission Nights
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
November 7, 8, and 9 and November 14, 15, and 16
Gates Open from 5:30 PM–9:30 PM
Timed Entry Tickets Available for 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM
Tickets will be sold to general public starting Tuesday, September 17.
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Juried Photographic Competition and Exhibition
By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator
Calling all photographers! Do you have an eye for beauty? Would you like to share your work with other people who would appreciate it? If so, the Juried Photographic Competition is for you. Adults and youth can submit original photographs of garden or plant related subjects. Distinguished judges will determine the winning images and cash awards will be presented. The winning prints along with the judges' favorites will be displayed at the Arboretum from September 16 through November 15 for the public to see. Don't delay! Start capturing your favorite images today. Maybe yours will become "Best in Show."
Judging takes place in two stages. Digital photographs are evaluated during the first round of judging and selected photographs are then printed, framed, and dropped off by the photographers at the JCRA for another round of judging. Cash awards given to the best in show, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the adult category and to the best in show in the youth category.
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Upcoming Events
Volunteer Tour Docent
Sundays, August 4, 11, 18, and 25 – 2:00 PM
Monday, August 5 through Friday, August 9 – 9:00 AM
"Summer Survivors"
Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager
Tuesday, August 6 – 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM
Sponsored by the JC Raulston Arboretum and the Triangle Carolinas Nature Photographers Association
Wednesday, August 7 (entries due at 11:59 PM)
Saturday, September 14 – 7:00 PM (opening reception)
Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, August 17 – 1:00 PM
Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, August 17 – 9:00 AM
"All about Weeds in Your Landscape: How to ID and Make Them Go Away"
Leah Dail, Wake County Extension Master Gardener
Monday, August 26 – 10:00 AM
"Visual Storytelling: Capturing a Sense of Place with Your Camera"
Mary Louise Ravese, Bella Vista Photography
Thursday, August 29 – 8:30 AM
"Canterbury Cathedral, Gardens, and Grounds Through Time"
Philip Oostenbrink, Canterbury Cathedral
Thursday, August 29 – 7:30 PM
✽Denotes a children's program.
Many programs require advance registration. Please register early to reserve your spot.
Save the Date
Saturday, January 18, 2020 through Wednesday, January 29, 2020
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YouTube Channel Update
By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator
Three new videos were recorded in July and posted to our
YouTube Channel
. Look for them on our channel or click the graphics below.
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.
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Your Membership Makes a Difference
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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
kbwall@ncsu.edu
or (919) 513-7004.
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Christopher Todd Glenn
Programs and Education Coordinator
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.
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