Friends of the Arboretum Newsletter
Fall 2008 – Volume 12, Number 2
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Words from the Director
Director's Letter
Greetings from the JC Raulston Arboretum. On behalf of the staff of the JCRA, I am pleased to present this fall 2008 JCRA newsletter. This past spring and summer have been extremely busy for all of us here at the JCRA—lots of changes and progress have occurred in the gardens. We are fortunate that rainfall, although not abundant, has at least been adequate this year to sustain our collections without the need for regular irrigation. Measures are being undertaken to develop the irrigation infrastructure to allow the JCRA to utilize the water in the pond at the rear of the Horticulture Field Lab for our routine irrigation needs. Completion of this system will allow the JCRA to divorce itself from the municipal water system for irrigation purposes, which will be good for both the JCRA and the City of Raleigh.
Some staff changes have taken place since the last newsletter. Layne Snelling, the coordinator of the JCRA plant breeding efforts, retired after almost 30 years of dedicated service to the Department of Horticultural Science and, most recently, the JCRA. Layne was the ultimate team player, and in addition to coordinating the plant breeding efforts, Layne assisted in many other ways to help the JCRA. Anthony Beck, our horticultural assistant, who had been such an integral part of the great changes that have occurred in the Arboretum over the last year, left us in late July to pursue a law degree. We will greatly miss Layne and Anthony, and wish them both the best. Autumn Keck, our former associate director of membership and fund-raising events, left the JCRA this past May after giving birth to a baby girl. We wish Autumn the best in this exciting new chapter in her life. I am pleased and delighted to share the news that Anne Porter, who has served in the past as the director of development for the JCRA, but most recently was director of development for CALS Academic Programs, has now returned to the JCRA as the director of development. We are pleased to have Anne back with us at the JCRA. Anne has so much passion for the JCRA and its members, and we look forward to her leadership in JCRA membership and fund-raising initiatives.
One of our major garden efforts this year has been the renovation and expansion of the Southwestern Garden and adjacent beds. Although there were some great plant specimens in this area, the Southwestern Garden was showing its age and in need of serious attention and improvement. Guided by the new JCRA Master Plan and with the design assistance of the Master Plan committee, and through funding provided by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association, the Southwestern Garden has been completely transformed into a dynamic garden space. The scope of the garden now transcends plants endemic only to the southwestern United States; hence the garden has been renamed the Xeric Garden to reflect the emphasis and inclusion of both North American and introduced drought-tolerant plants. The garden has only recently been planted, but it already demonstrates a character that only will be enhanced as the garden matures.
In addition to the new plantings in the Xeric Garden, the JCRA has acquired 1,110 new plant accessions in calendar years 2007 and 2008, most of which have already been planted in the Arboretum proper. Although not all are necessarily new plants to the trade, most are first-time residents here at the JCRA. We invite you to come examine these new accessions. By the time you receive this newsletter, Mark Weathington, our assistant director and curator of collections, will have returned from his plant exploration trip to Taiwan, hopefully with some interesting plants for the Arboretum collection.
Finding one's way through the Arboretum, and accessibility for handicapped and disabled guests, has always been problematic at the JCRA. This limitation was addressed in the JCRA Master Plan, and I am pleased to share that installation of a main path through the center of the Arboretum has been completed. Almost 300' in length, the new path extends from the existing Geophyte Border to the Necessary, and parallels the herbaceous Perennial Border. The path was constructed of Chapel Hill gravel, and includes a beautiful concrete edge with leaf pressings on both sides of the path. With this path now completed, navigating the central part of the Arboretum will be easier for all guests, and our handicapped guests now have an accessible route extending from the Bobby G. Wilder Visitor Center to the A. E. Finley Foundation Rooftop Terrace and from the Rooftop Terrace to the Necessary. Additional projects are planned to enhance our path system in the future. As you walk around the Arboretum on our new paths, please note the new permanent interpretative signs that have been placed adjacent to some of our special plants and gardens. These new educational signs have been created by Nancy Doubrava, our interpretive specialist, and will enhance our ability to educate and inform guests about our plants and gardens as they walk the Arboretum. Look for more of these to be added in the collections as the year progresses. These new signs have been made possible through a grant from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust.
In the past three months, the JCRA has been host to some noteworthy groups. The Society for Economic Botany held their annual conference at Duke University in early June, and the JCRA was proud to be a co-sponsor. Over 150 U.S. and international scientists attended the conference, and as part of their activities, the attendees visited the JCRA for an evening dinner and tour of the collections. Later in June, the Garden Centers of America held their annual "Summer Tour" in North Carolina. The JCRA was pleased to host this group of over 100 garden center operators from across the United States for their evening program, dinner, and Arboretum tours on Monday, June 23. Attendees in both groups commented on the wonderful diversity and the professional appearance and presentation of the Arboretum collections, a testament to the efforts of all of our staff and volunteers.
Later in this newsletter, you will find exciting news from Anne Porter regarding some recent major gifts to the JCRA. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of these donors, and their incredible support of the JCRA. Our spring 2008 Gala in the Garden was a great success this year. This was my third Gala since I became director, and it was great to have a Gala that was rain- and wind-free. This year's Gala raised over $80,000 for the JCRA, an all-time record. Thanks to all who made this event such a great success. It was great to have former JCRA director Bob Lyons join us for the Gala. Bob was at the helm of the JCRA at a very critical and difficult time, and so much of what we enjoy here today can be traced to his leadership.
I am pleased to share that the JC Raulston Arboretum Endowment for Excellence general endowment fund has now reached almost $170,000. Growth in this fund is so critical to the future of the JCRA. If you are considering a gift to the JCRA, please consider making a contribution to the JCRA Endowment for Excellence. By doing so you can take satisfaction that your contribution will generate recurring yearly income to sustain the future operations of the JCRA. Many of you attended one of numerous Summer Solstice Celebration parties held in June to benefit the JCRA. JCRA supporters around the state hosted these fund-raising parties, and I am pleased to share that almost $38,000 was raised at these Summer Solstice Celebration parties. This is remarkable, considering this was the first year for this event. Funds raised at the Summer Solstice Celebration parties were equally divided between the JCRA Endowment for Excellence and the JCRA Master Plan. I extend a sincere thank you to all of the special hosts, the donors, and especially to Helen Yoest, JCRA board member and Arboretum supporter, who proposed and coordinated this event.
We were fortunate to have a great group of seven student interns join us this past summer at the JCRA. This group of interns participated in diverse jobs and responsibilities in the gardens, and made significant contributions to all of our summer projects. Most noteworthy was their involvement in the renovation of the Southwestern Garden and the establishment of the new Xeric Garden. I am confident that their experiences at the JCRA have had a significant impact on their personal and professional development. I appreciate all they did for us. If you are interested in sponsoring a student intern in summer of 2009, please contact Anne Porter or myself. Sponsoring a JCRA summer student intern is a great way to benefit both the Arboretum and a deserving student.
We are very excited about some of the new plants being developed in the JCRA plant breeding program. Our first Buddleja release, the compact 'Blue Chip', is doing quite well in its first year of introduction, and is available now in some garden centers. Later in 2008, a unique bright pink form we have developed will be released as 'Miss Ruby', in honor of Ruby McSwain, whose kindness and generosity made possible the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center at the JCRA. Ask for these cultivars when you visit your local nursery and garden center. Sales of each plant benefit the JCRA Endowment for Excellence fund. At the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA) summer trade show, we shared two new JCRA plant breeding releases with North Carolina nurserymen. Buddleja 'Summer Frost' is a beautiful silver-leaved form with semi-pendant branched panicles, similar to those of 'Dartmoor'. Lantana 'Sunset Beach', developed as a result of an undergraduate student research project some years ago, is a beautiful pink and yellow bicolor, fully perennial to at least Zone 8. We have lots of exciting new Buddleja in advanced testing; other great releases are planned in the near future. In our redbud breeding work, we are moving forward with three exciting new selections, and at this time are building up stock at a few redbud propagation nurseries across the country. We anticipate availability of these new JCRA cultivars in 2010 and 2011.
Please take advantage of the upcoming Friends of the Arboretum Lectures for 2008 and 2009. Chris Glenn has done his usual excellent job of developing a diverse and excellent program. Remember, if you miss a lecture, view it online through our members-only link. Mark Weathington will continue his historically popular Plantsmen's Tours on the first or second Tuesday afternoon of the month beginning this fall. These, too, are recorded, and made available for member viewing.
In this issue, you will find a diverse offering of interesting and educational articles. We are particularly pleased that Vikramjit Bajwa, a graduate student in the Department of Horticultural Science, has shared his expertise with us in this newsletter. Vikramjit's research involves the study of a class of plant hormones called brassinosteroids, and I was delighted when he agreed to write an article about brassinosteroids and other hormones involved in the control of dwarfism in plants. Thank you, Vikramjit!
Before I close, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the JCRA staff for their efforts and dedicated service to the JCRA. We are a small staff faced with a big job. This group always rises to the challenge, and they are a wonderful group of people to work with.
I've said enough. I'm sure your eyelids are getting heavy! Go get a cup of coffee. As always, thank you for your support, and please visit your JC Raulston Arboretum.
Denny Werner
Director
Werner's Wanderings
By Denny Werner, Ph.D., Director
Linnean Society Collections Online
Many of you may never get the opportunity to visit the Linnean Society in London, England, but the miracle of the Web allows you to view the incredible specimens housed in this facility. Plant specimens number 14,300, including 4,000 type specimens. For you butterfly enthusiasts, the Linnean Society has just recently made available digitized images of the Linnean butterflies and moths, part of the 9,000 insect specimens in the Linnean collection. This is just a great Web site to browse. One of the stated goals of the Linnean Society in making the collection available online is to "provide public pleasure and enjoyment" (like the JCRA!), and they certainly have succeeded in doing such. The link is http://www.linnean.org.
Thoreau's Flowers
A recent article in the journal Science entitled "Where Have All Thoreau's Flowers Gone" by Elizabeth Pennisi summarizes an interesting study by Boston University and Harvard researchers who examined the current status of plants that Thoreau documented and recorded during his stay at Walden Pond. These researchers examined the current abundance and time of flowering of species that Henry David Thoreau had carefully documented for six years. Additionally, records exist on plant communities and flowering time from studies done around 1900 at the site. The researchers found that about half of the species documented by Thoreau had decreased significantly in number, and fully 20% had disappeared completely. The authors attribute some of this loss to global warming, as the region is thought to have undergone a 2oC increase in temperature since the mid-1800s. The research was reported at the Evolution 2008 meeting held in Minneapolis, Minnesota earlier this year.
Recommended Reading—The Wild Trees, by Richard Preston
The giant coastal redwood trees inspire awe among those who stand in their presence. Richard Preston accompanies and describes the exploits of a small group of botanists and naturalists whose passion for the redwoods leads them to search for and study the ecology of these remarkable organisms. Refuting the common belief that there are no more "frontiers" in the United States, these researchers explored the previously uncharted and unexplored interior valleys of California that harbor these wonderful trees. Besides describing the discovery of new redwood trees and one tree now recognized as the largest redwood specimen in existence, much of the book is dedicated to describing the previously unstudied ecosystem that exists hundreds of feet up in the canopy of the redwood. An incredible ecosystem consisting of thickets of huckleberries, ferns, and myriad other plant and animal species exist in these canopies, and Richard himself learned tall-tree climbing techniques so he could experience and better describe the majesty of these trees and the ecosystem they support. Highly recommended.
Recommended Reading 2—The Brain That Changes Itself, by Norman Doidge
I felt better about myself after reading this book, for there is hope that yes, I can teach this old brain of mine some new tricks! Norman Doidge is a medical doctor on the faculty at Columbia University where he specializes in psychiatry and psychoanalysis. He eloquently describes recent research in brain function, and provides compelling evidence and case stories that debunk the historical dogma that the brain is hardwired early in life and incapable of significant neurobiological change as one ages. Rather, he shows that the brain is extraordinarily adaptable and capable of forming new neural connections in response to disease, trauma, and injury, focused training, etc. Chapter 8, entitled "Imagination" was particularly interesting, for it deals with the issue of developing new motor skills, such as learning to play a musical instrument. He describes the remarkable studies of "imagining" experiments, that conclusively show that one can build competence in new motor skill development (in this case, playing a piano piece) not only by physical practice, but also by imagining playing and hearing the piece. The entire book resonated with me. I believe you would enjoy this book, and find it useful in some way in your life.
Words from the Director | Horticulture | Development | Annual Report | Volunteering
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 2008