Intro to Gardening in the South

Registration closed

Sponsored by Leaf & Limb

• Saturday, February 4, 2023 – 9:00 am–12:00 pm

Are you new to the area or new to gardening? Make plans to attend Intro to Gardening in the South!

While gardening in the Southeastern US can have its challenges, particularly for new gardeners and gardeners new to the area, this region is absolutely brimming with potential for creating diverse and breathtaking garden spaces. Join us for a morning symposium full of tips, tricks, and insights into Gardening in the South so that your Southeastern garden can start strong and stay glorious!

We invite people new to the area or new to gardening to join us in person. Because we enjoy sharing all we know about this horticulturally rich area we call home, we invite more experienced gardeners to join us online to participate in the program. This program will also be uploaded to our YouTube channel after the event.

Schedule    Presentations    Speakers   

Registration

Advance registration is required for both In Person and Online attendance. Register online using our registration e-store (in-person program and online program). Registration is limited and is complete when online registration is completed.

Please register by February 1, 2023 to allow enough time for your registration to be processed to ensure you receive the instructions to join us prior to the program.

Schedule

Saturday, February 4

9:00 am

Welcome with Mark Weathington

9:15 am

"Garden Trends: How to Go from Trend to Reality"
Homewood Nursery and Garden Center

9:45 am

"Cutting Your Way Through the Red Tape: Understanding the Biology and Art of Pruning Will Help You Make the Cut Right"
Barb Fair, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University

10:15 am

Break

10:30 am

"10 tips to Garden like a JCRA Pro"
Greg Paige, Director of Horticulture, JC Raulston Arboretum

11:00 am

Q&A with the speakers

12:00 pm

Program Conclusion

Presentations

"Garden Trends: How to Go from Trend to Reality"
Steve Brown and Christina Haney
Homewood Nursery and Garden Center

In 2023, garden "gurus" are sure to entice you with new plants and new ideas for your garden. But most trends are fleeting and not based in reality. Hear from a local garden center about how to filter through the fantasy and re-envision the trend to ensure your success for years to come.

"Cutting Your Way Through the Red Tape: Understanding the Biology and Art of Pruning Will Help You Make the Cut Right"
Barb Fair, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University

In this session you will learn a bit about woody plant biology to help guide you through making the correct cut and help you achieve your pruning goals. And, yes, you should have a reason to prune (and not just because it is fun)!

"10 tips to Garden like a JCRA Pro"
Greg Paige
Director of Horticulture, JC Raulston Arboretum

You've visited the gardens and want to know our secrets. Greg will spill the beans and give you tips on how to garden like the JCRA Horticulture Staff.

Speakers

Steve Brown and Christina Haney
Homewood Nursery and Garden Center

Homewood Nursery is an industry leader located here in Raleigh, NC. Featuring over 4 acres of greenhouses, a garden center and outdoor nursery department, Homewood is a destination for locals looking for gardening supplies and advice as well as a learning opportunity for horticulture students aspiring to work in greenhouse management.

Originally from Baltimore, MD, Steve Brown learned about plants and gardening from his dad and grandmother. It all started with growing flowers from seed and grew from there. Interest and intrigue regarding the countless plant species and varieties soon became fixation so he began learning from books, paging through catalogs and plant encyclopedias whenever time allowed. The knowledge somehow stuck and he jumped into the retail nursery world. Fast forward 34 years and you see a seriously obsessed plant nut who still wants to learn and share the knowledge. After 21 years as Nursery Department Manager and buyer at Homewood, he is still not cured of this blessed blight. Working with fellow plant nut Christina over the past 22 years has only made it grow.

Christina Haney began working at Homewood Nursery in 1999 while she earned her B.S. in Horticulture from NC State. As the Assistant Manager of Homewood's Nursery department, she maintains the plant database for signage and tagging purposes, diagnoses plant problems for customers, helps with the daily upkeep of the nursery, and entertains Steve with her extreme plant-nerdiness. Each year she oversees the production of Homewood's crop of hybrid tea roses and maintains the Homewood Nursery Rose page. In her spare time she works for one of the few human-led plant ID apps, FlowerChecker, identifying plants for customers throughout the world.

Barbara Fair, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University

Barbara Fair is an associate professor in the Department of Horticultural Science and the landscape specialist for North Carolina. She provides expertise to Extension faculty and the green industry, focusing extensively on issues of landscape sustainability and arboriculture. In addition, Barbara teaches Landscape Ecosystem Management, Gardening with Herbaceous Perennials, and Green Infrastructure: The Functional Use of Plants in Urban Landscapes at NC State. She is a certified arborist with an extensive arboriculture and urban forestry background.

Greg Paige
Director of Horticulture, JC Raulston Arboretum

Greg Paige discovered his career goal early—creating and working in beautiful public gardens and sharing and teaching this passion with others. Prior to joining the JC Raulston Arboretum, Greg was the Director of Horticulture and Arboretum Curator for Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory in Charlotte, NC. His 25-year career in public horticulture has involved work at some of the finest gardens in the country—Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina; the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College; the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina; the Holden Arboretum outside Cleveland, Ohio; and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.

Cost

Free.

Registration

Advance registration is required for both In Person and Online attendance. Register online using our registration e-store (in-person program and online program). Registration is limited and is complete when online registration is completed.

Please register by February 1, 2023 to allow enough time for your registration to be processed to ensure you receive the instructions to join us prior to the program.

Location

JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, NC 27606.

Directions

Need directions? Click here.

Parking

Free parking is available at the JC Raulston Arboretum and along Beryl Road.

Questions

Please write jcraprograms@ncsu.edu for more information about this program.