JC Raulston Arboretum e-Update
February 2020
Your Monthly News and Updates
Director's Note

By Mark Weathington, Director

Whew. I'm just back from an amazing trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. What a treat it was to not only experience the amazing flora (and fauna) of this beautiful country but to do so with 28 friends of the Arboretum. It is such a pleasure to get to know members better on these trips whether we travel to the tropics or just across the state. I'm always struck by how much every culture values ornamental horticulture. Truly, the more I travel the more I realize how alike we all are and how small the world really is.
 
Last year, NC State University kicked off a new tradition—Day of Giving. Well, it was so wildly successful that the tradition is continuing on March 25 this year. The JCRA had a great day as part of that effort and did so well in fact that we will be included on the online leader board. If you are thinking about giving to the JCRA this year, consider giving on that day. 
 
You can make an outright gift, a pledge, a sustaining monthly donation, or even a planned gift. The more we receive on Day of Giving, the more the University understands how important we are to the region. With well over 3,000 members, a gift of even $25 from each makes a big difference.
 
Feel free to get in touch with me at mark_weathington@ncsu.edu or Emily Bonner at eabonner@ncsu.edu for more information about giving opportunities on March 25 or any other time frame.

See you in the garden.
New Membership Benefit Provider

By Kathryn Wall, Membership and Volunteer Coordinator

The Garden Hut is a new member benefit provider for Friends of the Arboretum. Located at 1004 Old Honeycutt Road in Fuquay-Varina, The Garden Hut will provide JCRA members with 10% off trees and shrubs.
We are so appreciative of the companies providing discounts and special benefits for JCRA Members. See all benefits and discounts on our Web site.

Can't find your membership card? E-mail me at kbwall@ncsu.edu for a replacement card. Take a photograph of your card and you'll always have it on your phone.

Did you know your JCRA membership card gives you discounts and free admission to gardens across North America? The American Horticultural Association's Reciprocal Admissions Program  for 2020 now includes over 330 gardens. Have travel plans? See if there's a member garden you could explore (send us photographs!). Download the printable list to take with you.
February and March Educational Programs

By Sana Sheikh, Programs and Education Assistant

Welcome to February! The JCRA is entering one of the busiest times of the year with events such as the Winter Symposium ( join the waitlist ), Photography Walks (join the waitlist for the February Photography Walk), and loads of other educational programs. What's a better way to keep your new year going strong by learning something new with us? This season, we have tons of classes to look at the natural world around us in new and exciting ways. Why not join us?

February

History of Gardening: How Cultures, Events, and People Made Gardening What It Is Today
Bryce Lane, NC State University
Mondays, February 3 through March 23 – 6:30 PM

Unlike many history courses which can be boring, this one is not! First, it’s all about gardening, and second, it’s about fascinating stories of past cultures, events, and people who made gardening what it is today. This eight-week course will provide a series of historical snapshots that help to enhance our understanding of modern-day gardening. By deepening our understanding and appreciation of where gardening came from , we will, in turn, be better gardeners today and in the future!

Contain Your Enthusiasm
Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, February 22 – 9:30 AM

Whether indoors or out, gardening in containers opens up a lot of possibilities: edible leaves, fragrant flowers, carnivorous plants, dwarf citrus trees, and more. Learn about growing herbs and perennial vegetables in pots, finding free fertilizers, up cycling containers, making homemade potting media, using castoff materials like coffee chaff as time-saving mulches, and more.

Introduction to Mushroom Foraging: Learn a Year's Worth of Wild Edible Mushrooms in One Day
Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, February 22 – 1:00 PM

Want to learn to safely identify morels, black trumpets, chanterelles, and other delicious, edible mushrooms? Learn to identify the dozen most delicious mushrooms with professional forager and columnist Frank Hyman. In this class you can learn to identify an entire year's worth—a dozen—of the best-tasting, easy to identify mushrooms (no poisonous look-alikes) presented in one indoor sitting.

Deciduous Conifer Grafting Workshop
Leanne Kenealy, Plant Breeding and Nursery Technician
Saturday, February 29 – 9:00 AM

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. 

March
 
Renewal Pruning Class and Demonstration
Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager
Saturday, March 7 – 9:00 AM
 
Are you ready to get the most out of your shrubs' flowers and fruits? Well pruning is the way to do it! This technique capitalizes off of the natural cycle of replacing old stems with new. You can hone your skills in this class where we discuss the reasons and techniques for renewal pruning, the tools of the trade, and have a live demonstration of this technique on Arboretum shrubs with some hands-on experience. Get pruning !
 
Photography Walk
"Using Black and White Photography to Emphasize Line and Texture"
Mary Louise Ravese, Bella Vista Photography
Friday, March 13 – 10:30 AM
 
With Spring's coming bloom, trees and flowers will soon be bursting with life all around us. Before that life comes, however, nature is giving us a unique view of these plants dictated by texture, line, and structure. While the majesty of this is often overlooked, black and white photography offers us a great chance to capture this beauty for ourselves. Mary Louise will explain how to use your camera to capture black and white photos as well as what the best subjects for black and white photography is. Participants will get to practice digital black and white photography in various locations in the garden, so bring your favorite type of camera and come join us!
 
Front Yard Foraging
Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, March 14 – 9:30 AM
 
Did you know about the treasure trove of delicious edibles that are growing right outside your front door? Add some excitement to weeding by learning how to harvest edible weeds like purslane, dayflower, chickweed, and more. There are even edible ornamental plants awaiting you in your garden, including hibiscus and daylily! Frank Hyman will cover a year's worth of mouthwatering edibles that are thriving in your garden, with tons of sample plants to pass around.
 
Tomato Growing Secrets Revealed
Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, March 14 – 1:00 PM
 
Looking to take your tomatoes to the next level ? Learn all about tomatoes in this class! You'll learn the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes and how to trellis for both, how to battle the insects and ills that attack your tomatoes, and some of the best heirloom and hybrid tomato varieties. Plus, learn some tips for post-harvest including some easy preserving methods and making a sauce!
 
What's the Forecast? Understanding Climate Patterns and What They Mean for Our Weather
Rebecca Ward, Assistant State Climatologist
Saturday, March 28 – 9:00 AM
 
Every gardener knows that there is nothing more important than keeping an eye on the weather. Learn the vital ins and outs of the global climate patterns that change North Carolina's own weather patterns during both short-time periods and seasonal-time periods. We will be doing tons of interactive activities to get us familiar with understanding and applying resources for weather forecasts and seasonal climate outlooks.

For more information about these programs, please contact Chris Glenn at (919) 513-7005 or chris_glenn@ncsu.edu. To register online, please use the links below
Invasive or Not

By Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager
 
Edith Eddleman and I are currently writing a history of the Perennial Border at the JC Raulston Arboretum. This will appear in the JCRA newsletter coming to you in March. Two things stood out to me in reviewing the details of this history. One is that the actual plants that make up the border have changed dramatically over its 38 years. The other is that the issue of invasive plants is not neatly cut and dry.

The issue of invasiveness is restricted to exotic plants. The term "exotic" being used to mean nothing more exciting than "nonnative." Invasiveness is the tendency of an exotic plant to spread into wild habitats and become established and potentially threaten native species and the local ecosystem. If a native plant spreads, its spread might be unwelcomed in a garden situation, but it is just doing what it should be doing in the location where it should be doing it.

The JC Raulston Arboretum takes the issue of invasive exotics seriously. No one wants another Japanese honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica ), or Chinese privet ( Ligustrum sinense ), Asian wisteria ( Wisteria sp.) or kudzu ( Pueraria lobata ). I should add that all of these were intentionally introduced by Americans into this country. They do not represent biological warfare on the part of the citizens of these plants' countries of origin.

Plants often behave very differently under different growing conditions. A species that deserves the status of being a serious invasive in one part of the country might barely survive in another. Two plants which were intentionally grown in the first decade or so of the Perennial Border serve as examples. Both purple loosestrife ( Lythrum salicaria ) and Japanese blood grass ( Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra') are serious invasive exotics in other parts of North America but barely held on to life in the Perennial Border, both being mere shadows of their full potential under more favorable growing conditions. I don't remember if they were intentionally removed at some point, or at some point, we failed to rescue them from their more robust neighbors.

So do take seriously the issue of invasive exotics but keep in mind that occasionally the label is painted with overly broad brush strokes.

Photograph: Lonicera japonica in Zhejiang, China.
Wish List Thank You

By Emily Bonner, Development Assistant

Thank you to all of the incredibly generous donors who have contributed to the projects from our 2019 wish list!

These projects have already begun to come to life in the garden. Permanent lighting fixtures have been installed in our beloved Manooch Cascade and beautiful bluestone steps have been constructed next to the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center leading into the Sunken Garden. Many other improvements are on their way, including the addition of a lovely arbor to the White Garden, the planting of a vine system on the McSwain Center, and the continued construction of our new brick column fencing along Beryl Road.

We are so thankful for our community of dedicated supporters for making these visions for the garden a reality. Not only do these improvements add beauty to the Arboretum, they also improve safety and accessibility for all visitors, as well as increase visibility for our plants and horticultural projects. There are still a few items on the wish list yet to be funded. If you are interested in supporting a special project at the Arboretum, please consider one of the remaining items on our wish list.

Thank you again to all of our remarkable donors. The JCRA can continue to grow and prosper thanks to your generosity!
Summer Camp Registration Update

By Elizabeth Overcash, Children's Program Coordinator

Wow! The dust has settled and the message is strong — our members love summer camp! Three camps sold out in the first two hours after registration opened. One sold out in 45 minutes!  

If you missed the rush, no worries! We still have spots available in several camps so your camper still has a chance to spend time with us in the gardens this summer. Take advantage of your Family/Dual membership level or above benefits. Register now before camps open to the public on Monday, February 10.

Also, many thanks to everyone for your patience working with a new system. We processed 89 registrations in the first three hours of camp registration! Changing to a new system can be difficult, but everyone (and the system) handled it beautifully. Like anything, the learning curve is steep but that means next year's camp registration will be easier!

Don't forget. Now's not the time to hesitate — get those camp registrations in now! Public registration begins Monday, February 10.
Upcoming Events
 
Sponsored by Leaf & Limb
Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager, Mark Weathington, Director, and Rich Woynicz, Extension Master Gardener
Saturday, February 1 – 8:00 AM

Bryce Lane, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Emeritus and Lecturer Emeritus, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University
Mondays, February 3 through March 23 – 6:30 PM–8:30 PM

"Peak of Winter Bloom"
Douglas Ruhren, Gardens Manager
Tuesday, February 4 – 1:00 PM

Cohosted by the Piedmont Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society and the JC Raulston Arboretum
"Hiking from Georgia to Maine: Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail"
Will Hembree, Research Specialist, Longwood Gardens
Saturday, February 8 – 10:00 AM

"Botanical Treasures of New Zealand and Australia"
Pat McCracken, Garden Treasures
Thursday, February 13 – 7:30 PM

"Where Design and Plants Become One"
Featuring Shannon Currey, Bob Lyons, and Elissa Steeves
Saturday, February 15 – 8:00 AM

"Abstract Macro Photography"
Mary Louise Ravese, Bella Vista Photography
Friday, February 21 – 10:00 AM

Friday, February 21 – 10:30 AM

Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, February 22 – 9:30 AM

Frank Hyman, Cottage Garden Landscaping
Saturday, February 22 – 1:00 PM

Sunday, February 23 – 2:30 PM

"Lawns: Their Establishment, Maintenance and Renovation"
Dennis Graban, Wake County Extension Master Gardener
Monday, February 24 – 10:00 AM

Leanne Kenealy, Plant Breeding and Nursery Technician
Saturday, February 29 – 9:00 AM

✽Denotes a children's program.
 
Many programs require advance registration. Please register early to reserve your spot.
 
Save the Date
 
Thursday, February 13
9:00 AM–2:00 PM

Monday, February 10 – 9:00 AM
Coming Attractions

By Nancy Doubrava, JCRA Volunteer
Daphne odora 'Nakafu'
variegated winter daphne
Crocus corsicus
Corsican crocus
Cercis chinensis 'Kay's Early Hope'
Chinese redbud
Spiraea japonica 'Ncsx1'
Double Play Candy Corn Japanese spirea
Magnolia stellata 'Scented Silver'
star magnolia
Stachyurus praecox 'Variegata'
variegated golden spike-tail
Illicium anisatum
star anise
Helleborus 'Anna's Red'
Lenten rose
YouTube Channel Update

By Christopher Todd Glenn, Programs and Education Coordinator

Three new videos were recorded in January and posted to our YouTube Channel . Look for them on our channel or click the graphics below.

There are over 150 videos of past Friends of the Arboretum Lectures, North American Rock Garden Society (Piedmont Chapter) Lectures, Gardening Adventures with Extension Master Gardener Volunteers presentations, Plantsmen's Tours, and other miscellaneous videos in 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.
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 kbwall@ncsu.edu or (919) 513-7004.
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.