Winter Symposium and Rare & Unusual Plant Auction

"Gardening with Gusto"
Featuring Anne Spafford and Dan Benarcik

• Saturday, February 21, 2026 – 9:00 am–12:30 pm

Infuse Your Passion Into the Garden and Let it Grow

Winter may quiet the garden, but it doesn’t have to quiet your passion. Gardening with Gusto, the JC Raulston Arboretum’s Winter Symposium, is designed to stoke the fires of curiosity, creativity, and love for plants during the cold months, so you can head into spring inspired and energized.

This morning symposium is for anyone who loves plants and gardening—whether you’re just starting out or have spent years nurturing your landscape. Through a series of engaging presentations from passionate horticulturists, you’ll be reminded why gardening captures our hearts and how it continues to connect us to nature, our communities, and each other. Along the way, you’ll cultivate joy, spark ideas, and gather inspiration to bring back to your own garden.

Gardening with Gusto is offered both in person and online, so you can join us no matter where you are. Recordings of all presentations will also be available to attendees, making it easy to revisit the ideas and inspiration that resonate most.

"Maximizing Joy & Awe in Your Garden"
Anne Spafford, MLA, Professor and Head, Landscape Architecture & Environmental Design, Mississippi State University

Research shows that experiences of joy and awe play an important role in our health and well-being, and gardens offer a powerful place to cultivate both. In this session, landscape designer Anne Spafford explores how thoughtful garden design — from layout and planting combinations to small, unexpected moments — can deepen our connection to nature and create lasting emotional impact. Blending research-based insights with practical examples, she’ll share strategies for designing gardens that offer seasonal interest, invite curiosity, and remain rewarding to care for without becoming overwhelming. Whether you’re shaping a new space or reimagining an existing one, you’ll come away inspired to garden with gusto for years to come!

About Anne Spafford

Ms. Anne Spafford, MLA, is a professor and new Department Head of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Design at Mississippi State University. After graduating from the University of Illinois (B.S. Horticultural Science, MLA), she worked for the Army Corps of Engineers in the Historic Landscape Division; then for a design/build firm in central Illinois. Her first stint in the Deep South was teaching at Louisiana State University, School of Landscape Architecture. After two years she moved on to North Carolina State University in the Department of Horticultural Science, where she made her home for 25 years.

She is passionate about ecological planting design, biodiversity, and resilient landscapes. She is interested in the intersection of environmental health and human health & well-being. In 2024 she was ready for a new chapter and became a Department Head. She spent her first two years as a resident of Mississippi learning how special its landscapes and people are and learning how to garden in “gumbo clay.”

"Making Your Garden Your Own"
Dan Benarcik, Courtyard Gardens Horticulturist, Chanticleer

Gardens can be more than collections of plants — they can be personal, expressive spaces that tell a story. In this session, Dan Benarcik explores how artistic elements and thoughtfully chosen found objects can bring individuality and character into the garden. From garden furniture used as a design feature to ornamental containers and bold floral combinations, he’ll show how these elements can reflect your personality and enhance the overall experience of a space. Drawing on years of creative practice at Chanticleer Garden, Dan offers ideas and inspiration for gardeners who want to move beyond the expected and design with confidence, imagination, and a true sense of joy.

About Dan Benarcik

Dan Benarcik is a horticulturist, designer, writer, and speaker whose career sits at the intersection of plants, art, and education. A graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in plant science, he began his career at Mt. Cuba Center, where he developed a lasting passion for native plants. After gaining experience in the commercial nursery world, Dan joined Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania, where he oversees the Tennis Court Garden, a fundamentally perennial garden with seasonal accents. He also manages Chanticleer’s woodshop, constructing, maintaining, and restoring seating and other handcrafted elements throughout the garden.

Beyond his work at Chanticleer, Dan is an accomplished communicator, with writing featured in Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and Martha Stewart Living, along with appearances on QVC and public television. He lectures internationally, judges the Philadelphia Flower Show, and continues to inspire gardeners through teaching, design, and hands-on creativity.

This program is available both in person and online. Recordings of the presentations and supplemental materials provided by the speakers will be made available to all participants.

• Early Registration (ends Sunday, February 1, 2026): $50.00 for JCRA Members, $65.00 for nonmembers.
• Regular Registration (Monday, February 2 through Sunday, February 15, 2026): $65.00 for JCRA Members, $80.00 for nonmembers.
• Late Registration (Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20, 2026): $75.00 for JCRA Members, $90.00 for nonmembers.

Advance registration is required. Registration is available for in-person, on-site attendance or online attendance.

Registration for In-Person Attendance Registration for Online Attendance

Registration is considered complete when payment is received. You will receive a confirmation receipt from notify@cashnet.com when registered.

Cancellation

Program cancellations can be made up to two weeks before the program's start date. No refunds will be made after this time. A 15% cancellation fee applies.

To request a cancellation, send an email to the JCRA Education Team at jcraprograms@ncsu.edu with the participant name and program information.

It's that time once again when the JCRA team pulls out all the stops and raids our own nursery collection plants to share in the Winter Auction. As always, we have some exceptionally cool plants.

No matter how jaded a plant lover you might be, there is sure to be something on the list to get your blood pumping and your temperature rising—the perfect antidote to the winter blues.

Auction Opens 3:00 pm et, Wednesday, February 18, 2026 and closes 12:30 pm et, Saturday, February 21, 2026. Times will be scheduled for auction winners to pick up plants from the JCRA.

All proceeds from the plant auction benefit the daily operations of the JC Raulston Arboretum. All funds raised from the plant auction are collected and managed by the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit (tax ID 56-6049304).

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.