JC Raulston Arboretum - Friends of the Arboretum Newsletter

Friends of the Arboretum Newsletter
Volume 10, Number 1

Arboretum Update

Welcome New Director – Denny Werner, Ph.D.

By Julia Kornegay, Ph.D., Head, Department of Horticultural Science, NC State University and Nancy Doubrava, Interpretive Specialist

The JC Raulston Arboretum is pleased to welcome its new director, Denny Werner, Ph.D., who began his duties on December 1, 2005. He is a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State and a long-time collaborator and member of the Arboretum. He is the third director of the Arboretum following Bob Lyons, Ph.D., and the late J. C. Raulston, Ph.D.

Born and raised in York County, Pennsylvania, Denny began gardening at an early age. His interests in gardening and plants led him to major in horticulture at Pennsylvania State University, where he received a B.S. degree in 1973. At Michigan State University, he earned both an M.S. in horticulture and completed his Ph.D. degree in horticulture in 1979. Denny's interests and studies throughout his college career have been in plant breeding and genetics.

Research Interests

The Department of Horticultural Science has been fortunate to have Denny as a faculty member since 1979 with responsibilities in teaching and research in peach breeding and genetics. He was promoted to professor in 1988. His efforts in peach breeding have led to the development of numerous peach cultivars which are widely grown in the southeastern United States. These cultivars are highly regarded for their late blooming, cold hardiness, eating quality, and novel fruit characters, such as low acidity and white flesh. His work has also contributed to our knowledge of the genetics of many of the traits found in peaches. One result of his research was the development and release of the Corinthian series of fastigiate ornamental peaches.

More recently, his research efforts have shifted to ornamental plant breeding and genetics, focusing on Cercis, Buddleja, and Stokesia. He has made considerable progress in developing improved ornamental forms of Cercis, focusing on the manipulation of genes controlling plant architecture, flower color, and leaf color and variegation. His work in Buddleja has focused on sterility, compact growth habit, and expansion of the color palette in this plant group. Current efforts in Stokesia have addressed the development of improved architectural types in a range of flower colors.

Teaching Contributions

Denny has been heavily involved in undergraduate and graduate teaching, advising students, and departmental administration. He received the NC State University "Outstanding Teacher" award in 1999 and 2003, and was named the "Outstanding Academic Advisor" in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1999. He has served as a mentor and advisor for numerous undergraduate students participating in independent research, and was recognized by the University Honors Council in 2003 for his contributions in this area.

He served as the Department of Horticultural Science graduate program director for 11 years and has advised 13 M.S. and Ph.D. graduate students. Teaching responsibilities have included Tree Fruit Culture and Physiology, Graduate Student Seminar, Basic Agricultural Genetics, Gardening with Herbaceous Perennials, Introductory Plant Propagation, and Breeding Asexually Propagated Plants.

Hard at Work

Guidelines for Collecting Propagation Material from the JC Raulston Arboretum

The JC Raulston Arboretum is pleased, as it always has, to be a resource for commercial nurseries to obtain propagation material. In order for us to continue to offer this service, it is important for the Arboretum to monitor how our resources are being used.

Please use the following guidelines when collecting at the JCRA:

Only staff from state certified nurseries are permitted to collect propagation material, not the general public.
Propagation material is available from the Arboretum to assist the nursery industry in the establishment of their own propagation stock plants. Please do not consider our plants to be your production stock plants.
We ask that you contact our director, Denny Werner, several days in advance of each visit to coordinate collecting efforts.
If it is your first time collecting propagation material from the Arboretum, please make arrangements to discuss our collecting policies with Denny.
We are not an open facility for the public to obtain plant material.

It is easy to see that Denny has a passion for the Arboretum. For months before his official starting date, you could find him each Monday at the Arboretum meeting with the interim director, Kim Powell. Denny has watched the Arboretum grow since its infancy and has an excellent understanding of its many roles and the diverse audiences it reaches. With a quiet charm and a gentle smile, he is successfully bringing together many diverse groups to achieve a common goal.

His impact as director has already been felt. He immediately doubled the number of Friends of the Arboretum Lectures and added several outstanding workshops. He is working closely with the many groups that make up the North Carolina green industry. Management of the Arboretum's collections and acquisitions is another high priority, and he's already formed a woody plant advisory group to assist with this. Impressively, he's met with each staff member and many volunteers individually, listening and sharing ideas. It has been a busy and exciting time, getting the Arboretum's propagation house ready; organizing the Perennial Border expansion; working with design volunteers on landscaping projects, and hiring new staff. Fortunately for the JCRA, this list of accomplishments can go on and on...and it will only continue to grow.