Intro to Gardening in the South

Sponsored by Leaf & Limb

• Saturday, August 23, 2025 – 9:00 am–12:00 pm

Are you new to the Raleigh area or just starting your gardening journey? Join us for Intro to Gardening in the South, a valuable morning lecture series designed to help new gardeners thrive in North Carolina’s unique climate!

Gardening in Raleigh, NC, and the surrounding Southeastern U.S. presents both challenges and opportunities. With our hot summers, diverse soil types, and unique pest problems, gardening here requires a bit of local knowledge. This event will provide you with practical, expert advice on how to start a garden that flourishes in our growing conditions, while also offering insights that apply to gardeners across the Southeast.

What to Expect: This informative event will feature engaging talks on gardening in the South, covering everything from soil preparation to pest control to plant selection and maintenance. You’ll also have the chance to have your gardening questions answered during a Q&A session with expert speakers who understand the unique conditions of our area.

Why Attend: Whether you’re new to Raleigh or new to gardening in general, this event is designed to help you get started with confidence. You’ll learn valuable tips on how to navigate the climate, understand our ecology, and choose the right plants for your garden. Attendees will walk away with the knowledge needed to create and maintain a thriving garden in this charming place we call home.

This event is perfect for gardeners of all levels, but we encourage experienced local gardeners to join us online via Zoom to ensure there's ample space for beginners and all our new neighbors. For those unable to attend live, a recording of the session will be available on our YouTube channel shortly after the event.

Schedule    Presentations    Sponsor   

Registration for this event has closed. Recordings of the program will be available on our YouTube channel next week!

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 August 20 to allow enough time for your registration to be processed to ensure you receive the instructions to join us prior to the program.

9:00 am

Welcome with Mark Weathington, Director, JC Raulston Arboretum

9:15 am

"Tropicalissimo: Cold Hardy Tropicals"
Adrienne Roethling, Professional Horticulturist

10:00 am

Break

10:15 am

"Nature-based Stormwater Solutions for the City of Oaks"
Heather Dutra, Dori Rathmell and Neal Wisenbaker, Raleigh Stormwater

11:00 am

Ask the Experts: Open Q&A on All Things Gardening
Speakers, JCRA Horticulture Staff and Leaf & Limb

12:00 pm

Program Conclusion

"Tropicalissimo: Cold Hardy Tropicals"
Adrienne Roethling
Professional Horticulturist

Do the summers get you in a tropical mood? Are you tired of the same old, boring landscape where vegetables look tired by August, or the summer heat has taken a toll on some herbaceous perennials. Brighten up your garden with an exotic feel surrounded by lush foliage and vibrant flowers. Consider planting hardy tropical plants that withstand the dog days of summer. From bold elephant ears to towering banana plants, this talk provides a list of hardy tropical plants that will provide your garden with a unique visual appeal. 

Adrienne Roethling began her horticulture journey in high school, working at her family’s garden center in Rochester, NY. She later graduated from the Longwood Gardens Professional Horticulture Program in 2000 and went on to serve as Garden Curator at Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh, NC. In 2008, she became the inaugural Garden Curator at Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, helping bring the master plan to life while overseeing staff, plant collections, and community engagement.

Adrienne has received numerous accolades, including the Lois Woodward Paul Award and a Chanticleer Foundation scholarship. Her writing has appeared in Fine Gardening, Martha Stewart Living, and other publications. She has held leadership roles in several horticultural and civic organizations. In 2024, Adrienne became Head Gardener at a private estate in Winston-Salem. She lives with her husband, Jon Roethling, Director of Reynolda Gardens, and together they volunteer with Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue, where Adrienne now serves as President.

"Nature-based Stormwater Solutions for the City of Oaks"
Heather Dutra, Dori Rathmell and Neal Wisenbaker
Raleigh Stormwater

Raleigh is advancing nature-based stormwater solutions! We’ll highlight residential and large-scale Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) initiatives that create vibrant landscapes for pollinator species, mitigate heat, improve air and water quality, reduce flooding, and conserve and reuse water. Lessons learned in native plant selection and maintenance will also be shared!

Heather Dutra, PMP, NGICP is the Water Quality Supervisor for Raleigh Stormwater. She oversees Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) strategic planning, capital investments, and water quality programs for regulatory compliance. She has led plant-centered restoration programs throughout her career and loves spending time in forests and in and around streams.

 

Dori Rathmell is the Community Relations Analyst for Raleigh Stormwater. She leads stormwater outreach and education, including Rain Garden and Rain Barrel workshops, community science initiatives, and Raleigh's Rain Garden Apprenticeship program. She is the proud owner of a venus flytrap plant (the official carnivorous plant of NC!)

 

Neal Wisenbaker, formerly the City Horticulturist, leads the City's new GSI Maintenance Crew. He has extensive horticultural and landscape management experience and has been a member of Raleigh’s Parks, Resources, and Natural Resources team for many years. Neal enjoys botanizing on cliff faces while rock climbing in North Carolina and the world.

At Leaf & Limb, we care for trees because we love our planet. If you need tree care services, advice from our Treecologists, new trees, a Piedmont Prairie, or want to learn how to heal our planet, let's chat. We are a local, family owned company, and we would love to help you! Visit our website or call us at 919-787-9551.

Cost

Free.

Registration

Registration for this event has closed.

Location

Online and in person at the 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.