Bluebirds Locate New Home in Durham!

Council Members who attended the March Joint Meeting and had an opportunity to purchase bluebird houses from keynote speaker the Eastern Bluebird Rescue Group may see some new feathered tenants. Pictured (through screen and glass) is one of two bluebirds inspecting the birdhouse that DCGC Treasurer Jennifer hung outside a guest bedroom window of her property in Grove Park. The birdhouse was hung less than two days prior to the sighting!

Council Members who still wish to purchase the bluebird houses can find them at many State Employee Credit Union branches in Durham.

Council Members graduate prestigious Sarah P. Duke Gardens Master Programs

Martha Sanderford (Heritage GC) and Helen Dennis (Homestead Heights GC) were the only two students to recently earn multiple certificates at the Sarah P. Duke Garden's Master programs on March 21. Martha earned all three certifications, and Helen earned two. Both women persevered over a four-year period to accomplish their goals with these Master programs, despite other commitments and personal challenges.

 

The following is a sampling of Sarah P. Duke Gardens Master Programs:

Master Naturalist Certificate program

Participants study the amazing natural resources and history of North Carolina, learning about plants, and geology, flora and fauna. Each student will understand more about how our earth functions and the services that nature provides.

Nature Photography Certificate program

Nature photography participants gain skill, knowledge and awareness in not only photographic skills, but also in observational skills and artistic talents. The photographs students produce are a combination of technical expertise and artistry. The images help students and their communities appreciate nature more fully.

Home Horticulture Certificate program

The horticulture certificate program allows participants to learn how their individual combination of gardens site, soil and climate will shape their garden choices. By using their own preferences as guides, students work to learn more about plants, horticulture skills, and maintenance skills to build and enjoy a thriving and beautiful home garden.

For more program information please contact:

Jan Little, Director of Education and Public Programs: 919-668-5309.

Spring in Historic Hillsborough, Flower Show May 11-12

As part of Hillsborough, NC's May 11-12, 2013, Spring Garden Tour, the Hillsborough Garden Club and the Orange County Council will sponsor a standard flower show at the Historic Burwell School. The Flower show will run both days from 1-4 p.m. at Burwell School, 319 North Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC. The Flower Show is free and open to the public.

Judging will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. Please contact Ann Stickel of the Hillsborough Garden Club for more information: 919-384-2128.

Division I Design

Class 1 “Bluegrass Jam”- 4 entries

Creative design on 29” high uncovered tables in the north parlor. Space allotted each design will be 34” wide by 18” deep.

Class 2 “Country Roads”- 4 entries

Kinetic Design (suggesting motion) staged on a white pedestal 41” high and 16” square. No height restriction.  Viewed from all sides. (Judges only).

Class 3 “Mama’s Day” –4 entries

Novice class (An exhibitor who has never won a blue ribbon in a Standard Flower Show).  Functional tray to be exhibited on a white tablecloth on a dining table 66”x 60”divided into 33” x 30”sections. One section for each exhibitor.  Exhibit must include a floral design in proportion to the tray (furnished by the designer).

Class 4 “Spring Comes to Call” – 4 entries

Vignette to be staged on three mantels 70” wide and 9” deep, 51” high, and on one chest, 51” high, top 48”wide x 21”deep. Designers are free to make their own selection of components, but must include a floral design.  Proportion, scale, frame of reference, and overall effect are important principals to consider.

Division II Horticulture

Class 1. Annuals

Class 2. Perennials
Class 3. Flowering shrubs shown in flower
Class 4. Flowers from bulbs, rhizomes, or tubers
Class 5. Roses
            A. Teas and Grandifloras
            B. Shrub Roses
            C. Climbing Roses
            D. Any others
 
Division III Special Exhibits

Youth Exhibit by Pathways Elementary Third Grade Junior Garden Club

Joint Meeting celebrates Durham Clubs in Style!

The Joint Meeting of the Durham Council of Garden Clubs met with much Springtime fanfare on March 5. Over 80 Council members in attendance were treated to an elegant Spring tea party and gardeners' fashion show. Council Officers for the new 2013-2015 term were also voted in. Keynote speaker Frank Newell of the Eastern Bluebird Rescue Group presented a highly informative program on bluebirds nesting and offered many of the Rescue Group's bluebird houses and feeders for sale.

March Calendar of Triangle Gardening Programs

NC Botanical Gardens
http://ncbg.unc.edu/classes-workshops/#hh_gardening
Location: 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC.

Soil Is Everything: A Vegetable Garden Workshop

Dates: Sunday, Mar 3 (Inclement weather date: 3/17)
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Instructor: Greta Lee, Permaculture Designer & Organic Gardener; Claire Lorch, Carolina Campus Community Garden Educator

Sustainable Solutions to Your Landscape Challenges

Dates: Saturday, March 23
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Instructor: Amanda Mixon, NCBG Curator of Education Center Gardens

Compost Workshop

Dates: Wednesday, March 27
Time: 3:00 - 4:15 pm
Instructor: Muriel Williman, Orange County Solid Waste Management Office
This free workshop will be held at the Carolina Campus Community Garden, on Wilson Street, off Cameron Avenue past the Carolina Inn. No registration necessary.

JC Raulston Arboretum

http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/calendar/events.php?year=2013
Location: Ruby C. McSwain Education Center, JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh
 
Friends of the Arboretum Lecture
"The Politics of the Garden"
Noel Kingsbury, Ph.D., Garden Writer
Thursday, March 7, 2013, 7:30 pm (reception begins at 7:00 pm)

Gardening Workshop
"The Rabbit's Eye View—Long Term Plant Performance"
Noel Kingsbury, Ph.D., Garden Writer
Saturday, March 9, 2013, 9:00 am

Triangle Camellia Society's 4th Annual Camellia Show and Plant Sale
Hosted by the Triangle Camellia Society in cooperation with the American Camellia Society, the JC Raulston Arboretum, and the Raleigh Garden Club
Entries Accepted
Saturday, March 9, 2013, 8:00 AM–10:00 am

Plant Sale: 10:00 AM–4:00 pm
Show: 1:00 PM–5:00 pm

Plantsmen's Tour
"Magnolias and Early Blooming Companions"
Mark Weathington, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections
Tuesday, March 12, 2012, 1:00 pm

Spring Symposium
"Magnolia Mayhem" A Magnolia Study Day
Tour: Friday, March 22, 2013, 8:30 am
Presentations: Saturday, March 23, 2013, 8:00 am

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/pdfs/March-July%2013%20ed%20brochure/programs-March-July-13b.pdf

Introduction to Vegetable Gardening

3 Thursdays, March 28 & April 4 & 11; 6:30-8:30 pm | Location: Doris Duke Center
Participant limit: 15 | Fee: $75; Gardens members $60

In the Garden: the Master Gardeners’Extension Gardener Series

"Love that Lettuce"
Meet at the Burpee Learning Center in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden to work
alongside an expert as you learn more about vegetable gardening
March 24, 2-4 pm

Durham Garden Forum
"Cut Flowers for the Home Garden"
Alicain Carlson, Graduate Research Asst. Floricultural Crop Research,NCSU
Tuesday, March 19, 6:30-8 pm

The Secret Life of Trees

Stefan Bloodworth, curator of the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants
Wednesday, March 27, 6:30-8 pm | Location: Doris Duke Center

Fee: $15; Gardens members $12

Frank Hyman (the Lazy Gardener) free Lectures

Chicken Coop and Hen Habitat Design & Build Workshop at Hentopia

(make it easy to have happy hens and happy henkeepers)

Sat. March 16^th, 2-5pm at 1412 N. Mangum St., Durham, NC

For those who want to raise their own backyard hens—aka feathered pets with culinary benefits—we’ll be hosting a Chicken Coop and Hen Habitat Design & Build Workshop (with limited space) for $35. Cash or Check Only.

Rain Garden class at the Main Library

 

When: Tue, March 26, 6:45pm – 8:45pm

Where:  Durham County Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. (map)

Description:  Contact katherine@ellerbecreek.org with questions and reserve a seat in the class.