April Calendar of Triangle Gardening Programs/Events

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

Controlling Invasive Plants (Short Course)

April 6, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.Jeff Stewart, Ecologist

This short course is intended for a broad audience. Through classroom and field demonstrations, students learn the tools and methods needed to identify invasive species and effectively remove them under various scenarios. No prerequisites. Fee: $40 ($35 NCBG members).

SEEING TREES —the 2013 Evelyn McNeill Sims Native Plant LectureSunday, April 14, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Writer Nancy Ross Hugo, shares some of the secrets discovered in her intense, two-year investigation of the seeds, catkins, cones, flowers, resting buds, emerging leaves, and other small phenomena usually overlooked on backyard trees.

Forgotten Grasslands of the South

Wednesday, April 17, 7:30 p.m.
From the pine flatwoods and dry prairies of Florida to the blackland prairies of Mississippi . . . from the grassy balds of the Southern Appalachians to the cedar glades of central Tennessee . . . grasslands of the southeastern U.S. form a broad group of unique ecosystems. Eminent ecologist Reed Noss has spent years exploring and studying southern grasslands.

Celebrating Earth Day: Crossroads of the Natural World

Sunday, April 21, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Tom Earnhardt, writer and host of UNC-TV’s "Exploring North Carolina" and lifelong conservationist, ties deep geological time and forgotten species from our distant past to the unparalleled biodiversity of today. Crossroads of the Natural World invites readers to engage a variety of topics, including the impacts of invasive species, the importance of forested buffers along our rivers, the role of naturalists, and the challenges facing the state in a time of climate change and sea-level rise.

Perennial Vegetables
Sunday, Apr 21 (Inclement weather date: 5/5), 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Greta Lee, Permaculture Designer & Organic Gardener; Claire Lorch, Carolina Campus Community Garden Educator
This workshop will be held at the Carolina Campus Community Garden (CCCG). Vegetable perennials are often undervalued by gardeners and include a wide variety beyond the traditional rhubarb and asparagus. You will have an opportunity to sample some of these vegetables and take home plants for your own garden! Fee: $15 ($10 NCBG members).

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, NC

JCRA's Annual Plant Sale
Members Only Preview Sale
Friday, April 5, 4:00 -7:00 p.m.
Open to the Public
Saturday, April 6, 9:00-3:00 p.m.
The weekend begins early with featuring unusual and difficult to find plants ready for the landscape. The plants are available for purchase in the Brick Parking Circle in front of the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center.

Raulston Blooms!
Saturday, April 6, 10:00–3:00 p.m.
There is something for everyone at this family-friendly day of green activities featuring beekeeping, birding, photography, backyard (urban) chickens, growing plants from seeds, container gardening, growing vegetables at home, home pruning, a maze, and nine College of Agriculture and Life Sciences student clubs and organizations providing a variety of great food. The event partners with green industry professionals, local businesses, and the student groups. Event is free.

13th Annual Birdhouse Competition
Saturday, April 6,10:00–5:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 7,12:00–5:00 p.m.
It's that time of year again! The Birdhouse Competition returns to the JC Raulston Arboretum. If making birdhouses is not your thing, then looking at them should be. The creations range from barrels of laughs to studies in craftsmanship and beauty. Drop off your entry on Friday, April 5 from 10:00 AM through 6:00 PM.

Seasonal Garden Photography Workshop

Saturday, April 13, 8:00–3:00 p.m.
Join the JCRA and two award-winning photographers/instructors for a series of four seasonal photography workshops with the accent on creativity. Learn to create more powerful, meaningful outdoor images with your camera. Learn to celebrate the special joys of each season in a beautiful outdoor setting. Register for one or all of the workshops by calling Chris Glenn at (919) 513-7005.

Spring Garden Conservancy's Open Days Tour

Saturday, April 13 9:00–5:00 p.m., Sunday, April 14, 12:00 -5:00 p.m.
For many years, the Raleigh area Open Days Tours have been featured in September, and these fall tours will again be offered on September 21 and 22, 2013. We are pleased to present the new April Open Days Tour experience so garden enthusiasts may visit these lovely spring gardens. Admission is $5.00 per person per garden or six gardens for $25.00.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

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

The Long Sleep: Plant Dormancy

Wednesday, April 3, 6:30-8:30 pm
Boyd Strain, professor emeritus of Botany and past director of the Duke University Phytotron
Boyd will discuss the basics of what we know about dormancy and then extend the idea to cover the impact of global warming on dormancy and partner animals/ insects.
Participant limit: 35 | Fee: $18; Gardens members $14

Cherry Blossom Festival
Sunday, April 7, noon-3 p.m.

Free drop-in activities for all ages; adult chaperone required.
Enjoy the spring season at the Cherry Blossom Festival. Festival activities feature our annual grand tea gathering in the amphitheater, Japanese taiko drumming, martial arts displays, theatrical Japanese storytelling, Ikebana flower arranging and bonsai, and more. Equipment basics, field strategies and techniques, exposure, lighting, and compositional skills.
 

A Taste of Tea at the Cherry Blossom Festival
Sunday, April 7, 2 p.m. | Participant limit: 50

Participants must pre-register (before the date of the festival) to enjoy a bowl of tea and a sweet after the presentations. Each registrant will pick up a ticket at the festival to exchange for refreshments.

What on Earth is Soil?

4 Tuesdays, April 23-May 14, 6:30-9 p.m. | Saturday field session, May 11, 9 a.m.-noon
Eric Bowen, ecology master’s candidate, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University; founder, Durham Locally Grown
This class will cover the basics of how soil is formed, its structure and chemistry, the supply and movement of macro-nutrients and how to get every bit of information from a soil test. The class will include simple experiments and tests to learn more about your soil at home. Location: Doris Duke Center | Participant limit: 15 | Fee: $160; Gardens members $130

Durham Garden Forum

Ground Covers: Doug Chapman of Plantworks
April 16, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Meetings are held at Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Tuesday Evenings from 6:30-8:00pm.
Membership is $25 for the year (which runs April – March) or each lecture is $10. No preregistration is required. Contact information is durhamgardenforum@gmail.com.

Elizabethan Gardens
1411 National Park Drive Manteo, NC 27954
252-473-3234 or visit http://www.elizabethangardens.org/

Salad Container Gardening

Apr 6 - Apr 6 2013, 11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM
Lettuce show you how to plant and enjoy a fresh salad in a space- saving container! The Gardens will supply the containers, soil and plants for your garden to get started. And to taste what is yet to come from your own garden, a fresh salad will be served for lunch to all participants. For info or details, call 252-473-3234.