September Calendar of Triangle Gardening Programs

Sustainable roses are the focus of a
Durham Co. Master Gardener program
offered Sept. 8.

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

UNC Herbarium Open House

September 14, 10 – 1 p.m.
Meet Herbarium staff, students, and volunteers. Learn about new projects and the many ways the internet and alliances with other institutions have made the collections accessible. Check out the new/old Harvard herbarium cases on the first floor of Coker. Get the scoop on molecular systematics, internships, and forthcoming floras. If you are an alum of the Botany Department at UNC, bring your own favorite herbarium stories to share! There is no charge to attend, but we do need to know that you are coming!

Floras and Herbaria: New Riffs on an Old Theme

September 14, 4:00 p.m.
How does a major work like The Flora of Virginia evolve from being the dream of southeastern field scientists to a major published reference? What’s on the horizon for future taxonomic manuals? Author and Curator of the UNC Herbarium Alan Weakley will answer these questions and share details about the upcoming “Mobile Flora App,” citizen science opportunities, Herbarium collaborations, and more. After the talk, enjoy refreshments (courtesy of Sally Couch Vilas) and invite Alan to sign your copy of the Flora! Registration is free.

Sculpture in the Garden: Preview Party 2013

September 20, 5-7:30 p.m.
The 25th Sculpture in the Garden Preview Event NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill September 20, 2013, 5pm – 7:30pm, $35.00 Enjoy the opportunity to meet the artists, review their work and make early purchases, while sampling delicious hors d’oeuvres and beverages. The juror for this special 25th anniversary year of our annual sculpture exhibition is Steve Litt, art and architecture critic for Cleveland's 'Plain Dealer' (formerly of the Raleigh 'News and Observer').

Sculpture in the Garden: A Sculptor’s Perspective

September 22, 3-4:00 p.m.
Join sculptor Tinka Jordy for a 1-hour walk-and-talk of the 25th Sculpture in the Garden exhibition. Tinka has been working as a professional artist for 35 years and her work is exhibited and collected internationally. Tinka was honored at the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s 21st Sculpture in the Garden show with a Best in Show award for her figurative stoneware sculpture, “Balance.” She is a board member of the Hillsborough Arts Council. Free, but advance registration required.

Rethinking “Nature-deficit Disorder” & Environmental Education

September 26, 12- 1 p.m.
Join us for this lunchtime lecture that examines and critiques ‘‘nature-deficit disorder’’ (NDD), Richard Louv’s popular theory of how and why children are alienated from nature. We will explore NDD within the context of one North Carolina forest environmental education program that aligns with and uses Louv’s message. Underlying Louv’s message is a cultural assumption about human-nature relationships that relies on a “fall-recovery narrative” (that children are separated from nature and must return) and which promotes science and naming as ways to reconnect youth to nature. This presentation explores how NDD may be a problematic environmental message that obscures the problem. Dr. Dickinson’s social scientific research explores the relationship between culture, nature, communication, and environmental education.

Fall Color: Where, Why, When, and Wow!
September 30, 2:30-4 p.m.
We are blessed in Eastern North America with a dazzling array of fall colors. This phenomenon represents an interesting interplay of chemistry, physiology, genetics, weather, and the general environment. Johnny Randall explores these color change factors and the biogeography of where and why certain regions of the Earth have a particularly recognizable fall color variation in their flora whereas others do not. He will also speculate on the co-evolutionary relationship between plants and humans in what might be called “the burning bush effect.” 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

Friends of the Arboretum Lecture

September 5, 7:30-9 p.m.
"It's the Soil, Stupid—Understanding and Unlocking the Amazing Secrets of the Soil"
Tony Avent, Plant Delights Nursery at Juniper Level Botanic Garden

Plantsmen's Tour: "Winning Combinations"

September 10, 1-2:30 p.m.

Plants with great texture, color, and form are all important elements in the garden but they don't stand alone. Join us for a look at some pairings and combinations of plants that we think work especially well in the late summer garden.
Mark Weathington, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections
 

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

420 Anderson St Durham, NC 27708
http://gardens.duke.edu/events.  Please call 919-668-1707 to register.

Terraces and Perennial Gardens: Color and Plant Combinations

September 5, 9-11:00 a.m.
Each season brings change in these gardens, with new perennials, seasonal plantings, foliage and tropical plants. Learn from curator Michael Owens and horticulturist Jan Watson about their method of planning plant combinations and how you can do the same in your home garden. Meet at the Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 15. $7; $5 Gardens members and Duke students/staff. Pre-registration required. Parking fees apply. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.

Sustainable Roses in the Garden

September 8, 2-4 p.m.
Novice and seasoned gardeners can learn more about growing roses sustainably in this information session, presented by Master Gardeners of Durham County. Sponsored in partnership with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service: Durham County Center. Location: Doris Duke Center. Free. Registration required. Parking fees apply. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.

Plants of Distinction: Gorgeous Grasses

September 10, 2:30–4 p.m.
$7; $5 Gardens members & Duke students/staff. Discount for all four available. Learn about spectacular plants that offer both beauty and functionality with Historic Gardens curator Mike Owens. Please note this is the first of four programs. You may sign up separately for each session to learn about a new group of beautiful and useful plants, or take all four sections. Meet at the Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 15. Horticulture Certificate elective course. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.
                             

Introduction to Vegetable Gardening: Fall

September 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
$85; $70 Gardens members & Duke students/staff.. Enjoy a late autumn harvest from your vegetable garden. Instructor Andy Currin, Duke University's campus horticulturist, will discuss root crops, salad plantings and other cool-season crops. You will also learn how to prepare for winter and build the capacity of your garden with cover crops and organic methods to feed your soil. Class meets three Tuesdays and one Saturday to include indoor discussion and outdoor practice in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden. Class textbook included for those beginning this series. Location: Doris Duke Center. Participant limit: 15. Information/registration: 919-668-1707.

Durham Garden Forum

Meetings are held at Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Tuesday Evenings from 6:30-8:00p.m.

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

Ornamental Grasses

September 17, 6:30 - 8 p.m.

NC Extension Gardener Seminars:

Complete program information at www.durham.ces.ncsu.edu. Registration required. Programs are free.

Durham Gardening Basics
September 22, 3-4 p.m.
East Regional Library, 919-560-0203

Urban Trees

September 29, 3-4 p.m.
North Regional Library, 919-560-0231

Dig Divide and Share

September 29, 3-4 p.m.
South Regional Library, 919-560-7409