North American Rock Garden Society (Piedmont Chapter) Lecture

"Bulbs from Big to Little: a Love of Amaryllids"
Tim Calkins

  • Saturday, September 20, 2025 – 10:00 am–11:30 am

Cohosted by the Piedmont Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society and the JC Raulston Arboretum.

I'm fascinated with plants of all kinds, and have a fairly eclectic assortment in my one-third acre garden in northern Virginia. However, it became clear to me some years ago that I have developed a particular interest in the amaryllid family of bulbs. There may be a line between love and obsession, but my journey from Acis to Zephyranthes wanders freely between the two, as I attempt a balance between having collections of plants and having a garden. Four principal genera are integral contributors to my goal of having an interesting garden with something in bloom year-round. My discussion will focus primarily on Zephyranthes/Habranthus, Lycoris, Galanthus, and Narcissus, with some forays into related bulbs and companion plants. My hope is that the inspiration these bulbs have given me might offer you something, too.

'Gold Bullion' Galanthus in bloom

With bonus short talk by Jerry Yu titled: "Exploring Florae: an Innovative Carnivorous Nursery in Ithaca N.Y.”

Cost
Free.
Registration
No registration is required for this program.
Location
Ruby C. McSwain Education Center, 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
Contact the JCRA Education Team at jcraprograms@ncsu.edu for more information about this program.