JC Raulston Arboretum e-Update
October 2004
In This Issue
- Director's Note
- Empty Nest Greenhouse Syndrome
- Wolfpack Run
- 2004 Year-End Gifts – It's Not Too Early to Start Thinking About This!
- Coming Attractions – Highlights of October
- October Calendar
Director's Note
Please
take a moment and go up to the rooftop, and down the north side of the cascade
bed. You will see the new bed markers that were designed and crafted by our
own talented volunteers, Amelia Lane and Beth Jimenez. As proprietors of "Lasting
Impressions," Beth and Amelia started working on these "leaves"
back in the summer and they have come through with flying colors. Each concrete
leaf is crafted from an actual leaf impression and then hand painted. They really
are stunning examples of function and beauty, and are just what the rooftop
needed to accommodate mapping needs and a display fine art.......I am ecstatic
with the results! They are also available for personal sponsorship with a contribution
of $50.00; please contact Donna Walker at <donna_walker@ncsu.edu> if interested.
Thanks to Amelia and Beth, and should you like to contact either for their services,
please e-mail me at <bob_lyons@ncsu.edu> and I'll forward your note along. – Bob Lyons, Director
Empty Nest Greenhouse Syndrome
Continuing
on with the traditions that make this one of the best arboreta in the country,
the Annual
FOA Annual Plant Distirbution is rapidly approaching. Slated for next weekend,
hundreds of people will participate in one of the most unique events my eyes
have ever seen, thousands of plants gone in a matter of a few minutes. It's
sort of the horticultural version of the movie, "Gone in 60 Seconds,"
just minus Angelina Jolie and Nicholas Cage.
I am happy to say that as I write this we are halfway through tagging the plants. We have over 6,000+ plants available for the giveaway. The most ever offered. Even better many of these plants have never been given away before, at least from the JCRA. So start those stretching exercises, prepare the garden carts, and we'll see you bright and early next Saturday morning (October 2, 2004). – Jon Roethling, Research Technician
Wolfpack Run
Visitors
to the Arboretum are now greeted by a newly planted strip along Beryl Road.
This strip, which we'll be calling Wolfpack Run, is meant to show the
Arboretum's ties to NC State University by featuring several cool plants
that bear red (or as close as we can get to it) and white colors. Since there
aren't too many things that can be done with a planting bed that is only
1-2 feet wide by over 100 feet long, we opted to use ornamental grasses, in
particular the muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris), valued for its
airy inflorescences colored dark pinkish red in the autumn months. However,
interspersed among the typical pink-flowered plants of this species are plants
of the newly named white-flowered cultivar, Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud'. Originating from Lee, Florida based Superior Trees,
'White Cloud' bears luminous, pure-white inflorescences, which literally
glow when backlit by sunlight. In combination with red surprise-lilies (Lycoris
radiata var. radiata) and white surprise-lilies (Lycoris ×albiflora), these to be planted in the future, we think that
you'll enjoy the Wolfpack spirit at the Arboretum. – Todd Lasseigne, Assistant
Director
2004 Year-End Gifts – It's Not Too Early to Start Thinking About This!
Year-end
giving is as easy as making a charitable gift and saving taxes! The tax laws
intentionally encourage charitable giving. Because of the income tax charitable
deduction, individuals who make their gifts by December 31 and itemize can significantly
reduce their income taxes for 2004.
Example: If you make a charitable gift of $10,000.00 in 2004, you can save $3,300.00 in taxes if you are in the 33% tax bracket. Plus, the higher your tax bracket, the more money you save with a charitable gift.
There are so many opportunities for supporting the JCRA, including a planned gift. We are so please to introduce Stephen Watt as part of our College Advancement staff and new Director of Planned Giving. Steve is a Certified Fundraising Professional and has worked in development and planned giving for more than 20 years.
Over the next few months, we will be featuring many ways that you might consider a planned gift to benefit the Arboretum and reduce your income taxes – a real win-win! For more information, please call or e-mail Anne Porter at (919) 513-3463 or <anne_porter@ncsu.edu>. – Anne Porter, Director of Development
Coming Attractions – Highlights of October
Fall
is here and autumn in the Arboretum is an exceptional time of the year. Perennial
Border grasses stand tall this month, high above sunflowers, coreopsis,
and asters. Flowers will soon be backstage, with the colors of fall coming from
other plant features: leaves, berries, and bark.
Get your last taste of the tropics from the spectacular tender perennial displays in the new Entry Garden, walkway to the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center, and Container Gardens. Pick up our new Entry Garden brochure (PDF file) at the front desk and start planning for your garden next year.
Watch for the following in October:
Perennial Border
Arundo donax 'Variegata' – striped giant reed
Aster tataricus – Tatarian aster
Cortaderia selloana 'Aureolineata' – golden pampas grass
Helianthus salicifolius – willow-leaf sunflower
Lespedeza thunbergii 'Pink Fountain' – pink bush clover
Muhlenbergia capillaris – Muhly grass
Klein-Pringle White Garden
Kosteletzkya virginica 'Immaculate' – white seashore
mallow
Lespedeza thunbergii 'White Fountain' – white bush clover
Sedum alboroseum 'Frosty Morn' – variegated blush
stonecrop
Zephyranthes candida – white rain-lily
Mixed Border
Amsonia hubrichtii – Ozark blue-star
Ilex 'Carolina Cardinal' – hybrid winterberry holly
Rhododendron Autumn Cheer™ – Encore™ azalea
Lath House
Aster ericoides 'Schneegitter' – white heath aster
Rhododendron Autumn Coral™ – Encore™ azalea
Rhododendron Autumn Royalty™ – Encore™ azalea
Paradise
Garden
Ziziphus jujuba 'Inermis' – Chinese date
Throughout the JCRA
Buddleja species and cultivars – butterfly-bush
Callicarpa species and cultivars – purple and white beautyberry
This show is free. Visit soon. No reruns until next fall. – Nancy Doubrava, Interpretive Specialist
October Calendar
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture – October 1, 2004 (Friday) – 7:30 PM – Free for members, $5.00 for nonmembers
"A Eulogy for Color? I'm Not Ready to Gas Up the Hearse" presented by Bob Lyons, Ph.D. – Color has been a dominant gardening force in the past decade, especially with the infusion of tropical, tender plant materials into the landscape color palette. With the pipeline still flush with new and underutilized plants that fit this "brilliance scheme," it is hard to believe that we don't have many more years ahead of us to integrate them into garden designs. This talk will not only illustrate the current practices of bold color use but also help dispel any rumors of its impending demise.
Friends of the Arboretum Annual Plant Distribution – October 2, 2004 (Saturday) – 9:00 AM (do not be late) – Free for members, all others must become members
The epic event of public horticulture where thousands of choice and rare plants disappear in five minutes after the whistle blows. Be sure to look for the link to the plant list in this event's announcement (follow link).
Pi Alpha Xi Annual Plant Sale at the JCRA – October 16, 2004 (Saturday) – 8:00 AM-4:00 PM and October 17, 2004 (Sunday) – 10:00 AM-3:00 PM – Free
Offering rare and unique annual, perennial, and woody ornamentals. Proceeds benefit horticultural scholarships and area nonprofit organizations.
JCRA Symposium – October 22, 2004 (Friday) – 6:00 PM-9:30 PM and October 23, 2004 (Saturday) – 8:00 AM-5:00 PM – Starting at $125.00
"From Origins to the Landscape" – This year the JC Raulston Arboretum has elected to thread together several speakers whose depth of expertise can best illustrate our symposium's theme, "From Origins to Landscape." These noted professionals are highly sought after as individuals, with each well known to captivate a gardening audience. As a group, they will be synergistic as presenters. Symposium attendees will have that rare chance to hear transfixing accounts of how new plants become a part of the landscape palette, see how their discovery and hybrid development came about, and understand how new and well known ornamental plants became staples in our surrounding landscape. In a way, this symposium should take you from start to finish, in a matter of speaking!
The symposium tours are full and the symposium is quickly filling.
Plantsmen's Tour – October 29, 2004 (Friday) – 1:00 PM – Free
"JCRA Behind the Scenes" – From the Engraving Office to the Staff Building, join Todd on a tour of what happens behind the scenes to make the Arboretum the special place that we all know it is.
Details for these events and all other JCRA events can be found in the "Calendar of Events" section on the JCRA Web site.
JC Raulston Arboretum e-Updates are published electronically every month for everyone interested in the Arboretum. Did you find this edition informative? What information would you like to see in future editions? Send Christopher Todd Glenn your suggestions. To remove yourself from this mailing, please write Christopher Todd Glenn.
© The JC Raulston Arboretum, October 2004