Exploring the N.C. State Conservatory

Just a quick note, the J.C. Raulston Arboretum launched their new website at the beginning of the month. Please check it out! Especially the new collections search!

Check out the end of the posts for notes from the author from now on!




Useful Links for More Information

Cornus officinalis 'Spring Glow'
Carnivorous Plants: California Carnivores is a great mail-order nursery in California; the International Carnivorous Plant Society is a great place to get information about carnivores and connect with like-minded folks; Carnivorous Plant Database
Pinguicula: Wikipedia, Botanical Society of America, ICPS, species list, P. primuliflora
Nepenthes: Encyclopedia of Life, ICPS, making news in UK (video)
Drosera: Leaf "eating" a Dipteran (video)
Haworthia: Haworthia Society, H. truncata, check out its cool family, Xanthorrhoeaceae
Pseudobombax: The Plant List, P. ellipticum (on tag)
Tillandsia, good ol' air plant: The Plant List, species and cultivar list
Phalaenopsis: American Orchid Society, best species list!, International Phalaenopsis Alliance
Begonia: rhizomatous types, Rex Cultorum types, American Begonia Society "Virtual Greenhouse" (really great website)
Vanda: American Orchid Society
Schomburgkia: Wikipedia, The Plant List, Myrmecophila
Phaius tancarvilleae

Notes from the Author

Firstly, I am trying a new layout, given what I know about the typical blog reader! The photos, which is the part I really want folks to enjoy, are at the top; then useful links related to things in the photo slideshow; and lastly, my anecdotes possibly not covered in the photo captions. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!

I had the great privilege to go to N.C. State University in the horticultural science program. As part of that experience, I had access to an amazing diversity of plants at the Conservatory in Marye Anne Fox Labs.

I remember my friend Mason taking me down there within the first two weeks of class to see the carnivorous plants, a favorite of his, and then to show me the orchids, my favorite. The greenhouses were so magical and new at the time. There was so much to see that you could look for hours.

I still feel that same amazement when I walk through the houses, even though I've visited them so many times. There is always something new in the collection, always something different in bloom. I've become good friends with most of the people who work down in the greenhouses, especially Diane. She's always been so kind and knowledgeable.

This particular trip was special in a different way though. I am an alumna, no longer a student, and it took on a different feel. My trips are numbered.

A Horticulture (and other slightly random things) Summary of the Week

While Monday was spent indoors, the rest of the week has been a series of explorations.

I spent Tuesday with some dear friends and got to take a trip to the wonderful Atlantic Avenue to check out the orchid selection (as if I didn't have enough orchids...). The renovations of the orchid house were wonderful and the orchid tree display at the entrance was an impressive addition to the house.

Wednesday found me at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum once more for a meeting about plant exploration. Learned about some of the history of the J.C. Raulston Arboretum's collections and about modern-day plant explorers. We might have a new children's program coming out of it too!

Today found me having lunch with an old friend that ended with a walk-through of the Arboretum. It was really nice to show off the little secrets of the Arboretum. It is always teaching me something new. Check it out in the slideshow!

Orchids- Fantastic website dedicated to Phalaenopsis species and cultivars developed from them, Kew's Phalaenopsis culture profile, Wikipedia Phalaenopsis cultivar list, Wayne's Word Orchid Flower Anatomy (scroll half-way down the page), Growing the Best Phalaenopsis article (MSU and AOS), Angraecum sesquipidale (Darwin's Orchid) profile from the Eden Project
Peperomia ssp.- Wikipedia profile, Internet Peperomia Reference species search
J.C. Raulston Plants- Sequoia sempervirens 'Soquel', Hamamelis 'Amethyst', Fagus grandifolia 'White Lightning', Lagerstroemia 'Natchez', Acer palmatum Dissectum Atropurpureum Group, Prunus mume 'Omoi-no-mama'
Plants can be chimeras? What is a chimera, anyway?

Sunday Afternoon at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum

I've spent a lot of time at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in the last couple months volunteering in the garden and with children's programs. A few weeks ago Tim Alderton, the garden technician at the Arboretum, was on a mission to plant more than 5,000 bulbs, generous gifts from Brent and Becky's Bulbs (who also have some amazing Narcissus cultivars!), around the various areas in the garden. It was quite a task with a delayed reward; but the recent warm snaps we've had in Raleigh signal to me, and the little bulbs, that it's time to pay up: spring is near and it's time to flower! Since I helped plant many of the bulbs in the tucked away areas I know where to look to get a sneak peak at them.

My trip was a bit early, but still rewarding! There were several cultivars of Narcissus, daffodils, blooming about the garden. The February Gold Daffodil river in the eastern beds was flowing around the Hamamelis xintermedia 'Diane', a beautiful red-flowered witchhazel, and Cornus officinalis 'Spring Glow', a J.C. Raulston Arboretum release; creating a display reminiscent of fall. It is no wonder why this dear plant has such a name! Narcissus 'February Gold' is a cyclamineus daffodil, making it look like the flowers are gossiping in their clumps. If the weather keeps up like it has, my other trip this coming Thursday it is going to be gorgeous and my first Sunday tour as the tour guide is going to be choice!

Plants in the Photos
Veronica filiformis- USDA PLANTS Profile, Wikipedia
Helleborus foetidus
Iris unguicularis
Prunus mume 'Big Joe'
Crocus chrysanthus 'Ard Schenk'
Galanthus elwesii
Lagerstroemia fauriei, seed collected on Yakushima Island

Citrus ichangensis

Helleborus ssp. Flower Anatomy

Oh, the promises of spring in flower form are more valuable than any currency.

Western N.C. Mountain Dreamin'

It was a beautiful, clear late winter afternoon in central North Carolina. My friend's mom came up to visit her and we took the opportunity to explore the local William B. Umstead State Park, just northwest of downtown Raleigh. The visit to the state park was a much-needed respite from the life of living on N.C. State's urban campus. It's about as close to mountainous as I can get this far east in North Carolina and beggars can't be choosers.

The drive in to the visitor's center was reminiscent of driving the mountains of the foothills closer to where I am from in the western part of the state. They drowned out the bustle of busy Glenwood Avenue and only occasionally would the planes taking off from the nearby Raleigh-Durham Airport break the silence of the forest. It was a busy day in the park, but there was enough space to have moments to yourself.

There was plenty to see, even on a late winter's day. Check it out the photos below and the North Carolina State Parks System Natural Resources Inventory Database!

Links for more reading:

Ecological Succession- Piedmont Forest History from N.C. State Forestry Professor, Duke Forest Succession
Fagus grandifolia- Wikipedia, USDA Plants Database entry
Lycopodium dendroideum- Wikipedia, USDA Plants Database entry
Lichen- Fun Fact about Lichen, Eastern Lichen Network out of the NYBG, Lichens of North America Information, Lichen Research, Cetradonia linearis (the only species of lichen Federally-listed in N.C.)

Day of the February Thunderstorm

The weather has been so unusual this week. Last week was a snow and ice storm that shut Raleigh down for a few days. Now this week we have almost 70 degree days and a thunderstorm, complete with thunder and lightning. But, that is North Carolina for you. We have just learned to roll with it. I will say this is the first February thunderstorm I can remember.

Anyway, keeping my eyes open, there were a lot of things taking the cue from the warm weather. Check out the photos (and links!) below for details.

Links for more information about plants and animals in the slideshow:

Cricket Frog- Herps of N.C. profile, EOL profile
Herps of N.C.- List of Frogs and Toads of N.C.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology- Hawks Listing that includes calls
Narcissus ssp.- anatomy, Brent and Becky's Bulbs, cool "Close-up View" project, cultivation fact sheet from Purdue University
Blueberries- cultivation fact sheet from N.C. State, nutrition fact sheet from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, N.C. Blueberry Council
Ericaceae- Oxydendrum arboretum profile, dense botanical description from eFloras,

Whirlwind Day of Horticulture-y Happenings

It was quite a day of horticulture!

I spent the morning at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum; riding with Tim and catching up on his trip to Colorado, mulching and pruning with the Tuesday Rovers and chatting with Elizabeth Overcash, the children's program coordinator, about programs.

Then, back to the apartment to chat with Kathleen Moore about working on the North Carolina Master Gardener's Manual and developing mini labs to teach future Master Gardeners the material in a fun way, while making the program's manageable for the extension agents delivering the lessons.

Finally, I chatted with Tom Clark, from the Polly Hill Arboretum, about what they had going on at the arboretum and what he was think about for my upcoming collections management internship with them. After an hour and a half of asking poor Tom a notebook page front and back of photos, I feel like I know Polly Hill much better and I am even more excited about what my future holds there.

Check out the photo smorgasbord. It's just a sampling of observations.

Finding Sparks of Hope in the Monotony, or: Finishing One Site of the Invasive Species Survey

In light of my meeting with N.C. State's Landscape and Construction Services today to talk about the invasive species workday and project, I headed out to finish the survey I'd started before the winter weather hit. I knew what I was in for, given what I'd seen during my first visit, but thankfully the weather was smiling down on me and alleviated some of what I was surely going to see.

The final verdict was grim, with an estimated 80-90 percent of the area covered in invasive species, but it was a successful qualitative survey nonetheless. The meeting with the LCS went well too, and things are off to a great start.

Final invasive species list includes:

Ligustrum sinense, Chinese privet
Ligustrum japonicum, Japanese privet
Lonicera japonica, Japanese honeysuckle
Pyrus calleryana, Callery Pear
Elaeagnus pungens, Russian-olive
Elaeagnus angustifolia, Silverthorn
Microstegium viminieum, Japanese stiltgrass
Hedera helix, English ivy
Ilex cornuta, Chinese holly
Melia azedarach, Chinaberry

Challenge Accepted

Well, this year has already challenged, and changed, a lot of my future plans. That is not to say that I am giving up by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, quite the contrary. (Martha's Vineyard, here I come!)

The challenge has prompted me to go forward with a different sense of gusto, and part of that is to challenge myself is to keep some kind of horticultural blog of the wonderful things I get to see each day in the field (wherever that might be!). The field could be the Method Road Greenhouses, my own room, any location during a walk, a garden or the wilderness. It is all connected, serendipitously, in some way, so I'll try to take a few moments to relish in this with one of my loves: photography.

For the first day's view, check out the photo slideshow below!