2000 Calendar of Events

Friends of the Arboretum Lectures are free to those with current membership. There is a $5.00 fee for non-members. Please bring your membership card. We will have a current membership list at the door. Memberships will be available for purchase at the door. Entrance is free to all NC State students with ID and Department of Horticultural Science faculty and staff.

All lectures are in room 159, Kilgore Hall on the NC State University campus and begin at 7:30 PM There is plenty of free parking at the intersection of Hillsborough and Brooks. Please call (919) 515-3132 if you need directions or information about any of the following events.

See earlier calendar

January 8, 2000, (Saturday) 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Cancelled – The Perennial Border is being renovated)
Seasons of the Perennial Border
Walk-through of perennial borders with Douglas Ruhren and Edith Eddleman. $25 non-members, $20 members. At the JC Raulston Arboretum. Register using form.

February 3, 2000 (Thursday)
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
Rick Fell "Appreciation of a Floral Partnership: Bees, Flowers, and Honey"
Known as "The Bee Guy" at Virginia Tech where he teaches classes in the entomology department, Professor Fell will give us an entertaining and informative talk that will include a honey tasting.

March 23, 2000 (Thursday)
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
Todd Lasseigne "A Plantsman in China"
China offers an opportunity for unparalleled study of temperate-zone botanical diversity. Boasting nearly 30,000 species of vascular plants (150% that of US and Canada, combined), no other temperate zone flora remains as complete as that of China, which escaped the widespread plant extinctions in North America and Europe during the Pleistocene glaciations. In this talk, vignettes will be presented of the botanical diversity, emerging horticulture industry, and rich cultures observed on the recent Sigma Xi trip to Yunnan Province, China.

April 13, 2000 (Thursday)
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
Dr. John Riddle "Plants that Heal and Human History"
Cato the Elder said that gardens not only nourish, they heal. The illustrated lecture will explore some interesting aspects of plant-human history. Humans, more common than celebrated, discovered, mostly serendipitously, the numerous beneficial uses that plants provide. They discovered plants that caused sleeping, making one happy at parties, for loosing weight, for gaining weight, for restoration of hair growth, for arthritis (including one plant said better than bee sting), for gout (some thing we use today as a "magic bullet"), cancer [including primary chemotherapy agents employed today), lowering cholesterol levels, and even antibiotics ("grime from gymnasium wall"). An example to demonstrate the importance of herbal medicine in human history will be a discussion with picture of birth control agents for regulating family size. Plants acted as both contraceptives and abortifacients. Emphasis will be placed on those birth control plants growing in the Ralston Arboretum. Both Cato and Jerry Stannard were correct about the importance of plants that heal.

Gala In The Garden
May 7, 2000 (Sunday)
Visit the Gala's web site <http://www.arb.ncsu.edu/gala/index.htm> to learn more about this year's Gala.

May 18, 2000 (Thursday)
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
Dr. Johnny Randall "Invasive Exotic Plants: A Real or Perceived Problem?"
As the Arboretum and the entire nursery industry grapples with the hot-button issue of invasive exotics, we have invited our esteemed colleague from the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill for his perspective. Please bring an open mind and your toughest questions for Johnny. We hope many from the nursery industry will attend and contribute to a lively discussion.

June 15, 2000 (Thursday)
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
Rod Saunders "Cape Bulbs – South African Gems"
Cosponsored with The Piedmont Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society
Rod was born in England and moved to South Africa, with his family, at the age of four. Being ñmadî for plants and collecting them from a very early age, he trained with the Johannesburg Parks Department in Amenity Horticulture and worked for the Municipality for several years. He then spent a year traveling and climbing in South America, followed by a year in Papua, New Guinea, running a tropical crop nursery. Back in Johannesburg, he was in charge of a large wildflower garden for the Parks Department (once again) and then became the Nursery Manager at Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden for the next ten years. At present, he is living and working in Cape Town and, together with his wife, Rachel, runs Silverhill Seeds, the well-known and highly regarded mail order seed company.

July 20, 2000 (Thursday)
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
Kathleen Ann McKeown – "The Importance of Echinacea Conservation in North Carolina"
Echinacea is a North American perennial plant genus known for several of its medicinal species. Extracts of these species are used in herbal products for immune system enhancement. Although agricultural production of echinacea has increased with the demand for herbal products, wild harvesting continues unabated from natural areas of the U.S. Very little is known about the potentially negative effects this practice is having on native populations. Two Echinacea species, E. laevigata and E. purpurea are native to North Carolina.

A factual review of this genus will be presented, including numerous slides from wild populations around the country, and the "ecotypes" of North Carolina. A thorough discussion of the problems associated with wild harvesting of this and other medicinal plants will be conducted.

Kathy McKeown is a doctoral student in Botany and a GAANN fellow for the 2000-2001 academic year at North Carolina State University, Raleigh. She is one of a handful of American scientists who have studied the genus Echinacea throughout its native range, and was the first scientist to collect a comprehensive sample of its genetic diversity for conservation by the National Plant Germplasm System. She is an expert on Echinacea taxonomy.

September 22, 2000 (Friday) – 7:30-9:30 PM – Room 159 Kilgore Hall, NC State University
"Horticultural Photography.....Exposed"
A lecture presented by Dr. Bob Lyons, JC Raulston Arboretum Director
Presenting a basic approach encouraging the use of photography to document gardens, landscape evolution, "before and afters," plant identification, and presentation. How to create aesthetically pleasing and pragmatic photos with discussions about prevailing light, elements of composition, and the impact of film choice. An "example-based" presentation with technical aspects of photography de-emphasized and how to get desired results emphasized. No prior photographic experience is necessary.

The lecture will be conducted by Bob Lyons, JC Raulston Arboretum (JCRA) Director. Also a professional photographer, he has shown his work nationally, published over 200 photographs, is a principal photographer for Horticopia CD-ROMs, and has received awards from the Garden Writers Association of America, among others.
Two hour lecture with refreshments. This lecture will be held in room 159, Kilgore Hall, NC State University and is open to as many people who would like to enroll. The cost for this lecture is $15.00 for JCRA members and $25.00 for non-members.

Interested? Send an e-mail to or call Chris Glenn at <chris_glenn@ncsu.edu> or (919) 515-3132 for information on how to register.

September 22, 23, and 30, 2000
"Horticultural Photography.....Exposed:

A Lecture Series and Workshop

"The workshop will be conducted by Bob Lyons, JC Raulston Arboretum (JCRA) Director. Also a professional photographer, he has shown his work nationally, published over 200 photographs, is a principal photographer for Horticopia CD-ROMs, and has received awards from the Garden Writers Association of America, among others.

Part I. September 22, 2000 (Friday) at 7:30 PM: Two hour lecture with refreshments. This lecture will be held in room 159, Kilgore Hall, NC State University and is open to as many people who would like to enroll. The cost for this lecture (Part I) is $15.00 for JCRA members and $25.00 for non-members.

Part II. September 23 (Saturday) at 9:00 AM: One hour lecture held in the brick building's classroom at the Arboretum. Instructor-assisted shooting at the JCRA (2 hours). Box lunch (provided) at the Arboretum (1.5 hours). Instructor-assisted shooting (3 hours). Two rolls of film and processing are included in the cost of this workshop. This workshop (Part II) is limited to 15 (enrollment is filled, however, we are placing names on a waiting list and on a list for a future workshop) people and costs $60.00 for members and $90.00 (JCRA membership included) for non-members. Participants must have a 35mm camera and must be familiar with its operation.

Part III. September 30 (Saturday) at 9:00 AM: Individual review of personal images, anonymous critique of best shots of class by the class, and selection of single shot for publication in the JCRA Newsletter by class consensus. Wrap-up and conclusion. This workshop is limited to the people who registered for Part II and will be held in room 159, Kilgore Hall.
Interested? Send an e-mail to or call Chris Glenn at <chris_glenn@ncsu.edu> or (919) 515-3132 to register.

October 7, 2000 (Saturday)
Friends of the Arboretum Annual Plant Distribution

Bring containers or carts to carry all your treasures.

Please bring your membership card. If you can't find it, we can check you in that morning using our membership roster. Family memberships and above are entitled to two membership cards and organization membership holders are entitled to four cards. Check in begins at 7:30 AM Please arrive before 9:00 AM to allow enough time to check in.

If your membership has lapsed or you want to join for the first time, we will be selling memberships starting at 7:30 AM The give away begins at 9:00 AM sharp. Please do not be late! In previous years, all plants have been given away in a matter of minutes. New members who sign up that morning are elibagle for the plant give away.

Please contact Sandie Holdan at (919) 515-3132 or <sandie_holdan@ncsu.edu> if you need directions or information about this event or any of our other programs.

Commonly Asked Questions about the JCRA Annual Plant Distribution

October 21, 2000 (Saturday)
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
Dr. Charles Walker – "Heritage Roses: Their History and Uses in Modern Gardens"

November 11, 2000 (Saturday) at 1:00 PM
"The West Arboretum: A Farewell Tour"
Come join us at the Arboretum (meet at the brick education building) for a walking tour through the West Arboretum as we say goodbye to old friends – - the many trees that have graced these grassy paths for over 20 years. Led by Todd Lasseigne, Plant Collections Management Fellow, we will discuss the merits of many of the West Arboretum plants, and we will also hear of some of the surprises that have come along the way regarding their performance here in Raleigh and abroad. This will be your last chance to see these trees before they are removed for construction of the new Education Center. Meet at the brick education building at the JC Raulston Arboretum by 1:00 PM This walking tour is open to everyone and is free.

Meet at the brick education building at the JC Raulston Arboretum by 1:00 PM This walking tour is open to everyone and is free.

November 16, 2000 (Thursday)
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
Todd Lasseigne – "New Plants Galore from the Left Coast"
As part of my duties as Plant Collections Manager, I recently traveled to Oregon and Washington in search of new accessions to add to the Arboretum's collection. In this talk, an overview of the opportunities present in the Pacific Northwest, as well as many of the plant gems discovered will be highlighted.

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