Friends of the Arboretum Newsletter
Fall 2006 – Volume 10, Number 2
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Words from the Director
Director's Letter
By Denny Werner, Ph.D., Director
Greetings from the JC Raulston Arboretum on this late June afternoon. It has been a challenge to discipline myself to sit down and prepare this update for you. The combination of timely rains and the dedicated care devoted to the plantings by our staff, interns, volunteers, and curators has resulted in an incredible garden display this spring and early summer, and it has been difficult for me to stay out of the garden. My first seven months as director of the JCRA have been very busy, but also extremely satisfying and educational. As I walk the JCRA and study and photograph our collection, I am reminded again of the incredible diversity in the plant kingdom, the joy of working with plants, and how much there is to learn and appreciate by studying the collection. That the JCRA collection is held in high regard is evidenced by the fact that I receive many requests for plant material, not only from members of the nursery industry, but also from arboretum directors and scientists in the United States and abroad. I recently had the pleasure of meeting John Grimshaw, Ph.D., from England, a guest of JCRA member Bobby Ward, Ph.D. John has been commissioned by the International Dendrology Society to prepare a book on trees introduced into temperate gardens in the past 30 years. John spent two days at the JCRA studying our tree collection in support of his effort. I look forward to reading his book, and seeing the contribution that our collection has made.
I want to take the opportunity to thank the membership for your support and attendance at our winter and spring 2006 Friends of the Arboretum Lectures and workshops. We had a great lineup of speakers and it was encouraging to see the York Auditorium filled for so many of the presentations. Chris Glenn and I have put together the program for fall 2006 and spring 2007 and trust you will be as excited as we are about the upcoming presentations and workshops. As always, if you have any suggestions for speakers or topics, please share them with Chris or myself.
Some exciting projects and changes have taken place here at the JCRA in the past few months. Please take the opportunity to visit the Swindell Contemplation Garden adjacent to the Visitor Center. This garden is positioned under the three large oaks to the north of the brick circle adjacent to the parking lot, and has been planted with a diversity of shade-loving plants. The physical design for this garden was done by students in the landscape design class taught by Pat Lindsey, Ph.D., in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State. The Contemplation Garden was made possible through a generous gift provided by Patricia Swindell. Closer to the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center, we have redesigned the garden that is positioned to your left as you approach the McSwain Center via the sidewalk. Planted with tropical plants in past years, it now features a mixture of deciduous trees and shrubs, conifers, and herbaceous perennials that will provide year-round interest. My sincere thanks to Charlotte Presley and Suzanne Edney for assisting with the design and execution of this border.
We hope you will notice, on your next visit to the Arboretum, that we have made two changes/additions near the Visitor Center. We have opened up the brick circle adjacent to the parking lot to allow people to be dropped off and we have added an outside handicap accessible water fountain.
We called upon the services and expertise of past interim director Kim Powell and his talented son Sam Powell to install a brick walkway from the McSwain Center's rooftop garden area to the Japanese Garden. With the completion of this walkway, our handicapped visitors can now proceed freely from the brick circle in the parking lot, past the Visitor Center, up the cascade walkway to the Japanese Garden plaza, and from there proceed to the McSwain Center's rooftop gardens. Only a small step in improving our overall garden accessibility I realize, but a step in the right direction. Thanks to Kim and Sam for a job well done. The new walkway parallels a garden space that has been vacant for too long and that is begging for planting. Long-time member and volunteer Doug Ruhren graciously agreed to create a design for this area, and by the time you receive this newsletter, we should be well on our way with installation.
One of the all-time favorite garden areas for children, the Water Garden, is currently being renovated. The renovation will encompass the pond liner, stonework, and installation of new plant material. Look for this to be completed by the time you receive this newsletter. Sincere thanks to Pi Alpha Xi for their generous contribution in making this renovation possible.
Students and faculty at NC State have played such a large role in design projects throughout the history of the JCRA. This semester was no exception, as the creative students in Anne Spafford's class developed some interesting designs for a southwest garden, and those in Pat Lindsey's class focused on creative solutions to improving the appearance in areas adjacent to the parking lot. The ideas, suggestions, and designs provided by the students will be integrated into our Grassroots Master Plan effort. The Grassroots Master Plan, which all of you were made aware of earlier this year, is a project aimed at developing a physical master plan for the JCRA. The project is well under way, and currently in the phase where all members can provide suggestions, design plans and ideas, and feedback to our Grassroots Master Plan coordinators Suzanne Edney and Harriett Bellerjeau. As ideas and suggestions are received, a sampling of these will be placed in the hallways of the McSwain Center, so please take a look at them and offer your feedback to Suzanne and Harriett.
If you and your children like to fish, please come to the Arboretum and "Go Fish." The creative students in Will Hooker's design class channeled their energies into designing and creating a collection of bamboo fish that have been placed throughout the JCRA. Pick up a guide at the Visitor Center, walk the Arboretum, and catch a few fish. The kids have loved it.
We are in the final stages of preparing to demolish the old brick building, and it is my hope that the building is down by the time you read this. I never realized there would be so many hoops to jump through to simply bring down and haul off an old building. Please look for some of the items from the brick building at our next Gala in the Garden silent auction.
Speaking of the Gala, our 2006 Gala in the Garden was a great success in spite of the poor weather we experienced. I sincerely appreciate the efforts of everybody who assisted in any way with the preparation and execution of the Gala, and a huge thanks to all who attended. Your care and support of the JCRA is sincerely appreciated. A heartfelt thank you to the numerous nurseries that provided an exquisite array of plant material for the Gala silent auction. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
The JCRA, in conjunction with the Wake County Cooperative Extension Service, hosted the first annual JCRA Summerfest. Over 400 people took advantage of the diverse offerings of educational programs from NC State faculty representing various departments and other professionals from the private sector. We were pleased to attract many individuals who had not been to the JCRA in many years, or who had never visited before. I trust they will now visit often and take advantage of all the JCRA has to offer.
Regarding new plant acquisitions, the JCRA has intentionally limited the number of new acquisitions in 2006. At this time, our priority is to assess and care for the current acquisitions in the JCRA nursery and decide which accessions should be added to our permanent plantings. Because of our limited space for new plantings, we are renovating various garden areas and preparing them for new plantings in fall 2006 and winter 2007.
Finally, I would like to thank you again for your support of the JCRA. Please consider a visit soon, and help us spread the word about all of the great things going on here in the garden.
Werner's Wanderings
By Denny Werner, Ph.D., Director
Weakley's Flora Nears Completion
Alan Weakley, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina Herbarium, a department of the North Carolina Botanical Garden, has nearly completed the monumental job of writing a new treatment of the flora of North Carolina. Entitled Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Surrounding Areas, this treatise is the first comprehensive flora of the Carolinas written since the classic Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas, by Albert E. Radford, Ph.D.; Harry E. Ahles; and C. Ritchie Bell, Ph.D., published in 1968. Information on obtaining a copy of the flora, along with a free PDF download link, is available at <www.herbarium.unc.edu>.
Pine Wilt Nematode of Deodar Cedar
Colleen Warfield, Ph.D., and Charles Hodges, Ph.D., of the Department of Plant Pathology at NC State shared some information about pine wilt nematode which I thought may be of interest to our membership. Their summary follows: Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) is routinely tested for pine wilt nematodes (Bursaphalenchus xylophilis) especially those from coastal North Carolina where this pine is commonly infested. A specimen of deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) from the coast tested positive in April. As a result, we have begun testing others for the nematodes and have found two specimens from Durham and Orange counties to be positive. We have also found this nematode on a Japanese black pine in Wake County. These findings suggest that the pine wilt nematode may be common in central North Carolina as well as on the coast. Symptoms include general needle wilt, followed by yellowing and death. Sometimes only a portion of a tree may show symptoms. Eventually, the entire tree will die. Highly susceptible species, such as Japanese black pine, may die within one to three months after the first appearance of symptoms. The nematode is spread by longhorn beetles (Monochamus spp.). Affected trees should be removed and burned, buried, or debarked. Native plant species are not known to be hosts, but several introduced species are known to be susceptible. See Ornamental Diseases Information Note #6 "Pine Wood Nematode" at <www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/Ornamental/ornamental_contents.html> for more details.
Wood Anatomy Database
Elisabeth Wheeler, Ph.D., professor emeritus of the Department of Wood and Paper Science at NC State, spent much of her career studying the beauty and complexity of wood anatomy. Elisabeth and a team of collaborators have initiated a project called "InsideWood" that "integrates wood anatomical information from the literature and original observations into an Internet searchable database." The database contains descriptions and images from more than 200 woody dicot families. Go to <insidewood.lib.ncsu.edu/search> to learn more about the project.
1491
I had the opportunity this summer to read a few recently published books. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, written by Charles C. Mann, examines the current thinking on the nature of the cultures and peoples who inhabited the Americas prior to the arrival of Columbus. Charles discusses recent evidence suggesting that the "pre-Columbus" population was much higher than previously thought, and he entertains various hypotheses regarding the origins of the first inhabitants of the Americas. This book, along with Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond, finally answered a question that has dogged me for years. Why were native populations decimated by diseases brought by early Europeans, but why did the converse rarely occur? I'm not telling! Charles discusses the role of plants and agriculture in these early American cultures, and the impact these cultures had on plant communities and the environment.
Razzle Dazzle Crepe Myrtles
Mike Dirr, Ph.D., retired University of Georgia horticulture professor, has developed a new series of dwarf crepe myrtles called Razzle Dazzle. The series currently includes five trademarked selections named Cherry Dazzle, Raspberry Dazzle, Snow Dazzle, Ruby Dazzle, and Dazzle Me Pink ('Gamad I', 'Gamad II', 'Gamad III', 'Gamad IV', and 'Gamad V', respectively). Unlike most crepe myrtle cultivars that develop into small trees, cultivars in the Razzle Dazzle series will mature at 2' to 5', making them appropriate for foundation plantings and small landscapes. Razzle Dazzle cultivars are available in limited numbers this year. Look for each of these cultivars at the JCRA.
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Formatted into HTML by Christopher
Todd Glenn
Programs and Education Coordinator
JC Raulston Arboretum
Department of Horticultural Science
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7522
© The JC Raulston Arboretum, September 2006