Durham First Bloom

Durham First Bloom

We are excited to have you join us for our Annual First Bloom Celebration.
This year we want to offer you the chance to enjoy our magnificient roses!

Schedule of Events for the Durham First Bloom
10:00 am Rose Garden Tour
11:00 am Stump the Rose Guys
1:00 pm Rose Garden Tour
3:00 pm Rose Garden Tour

Rose Garden Tour: Take a tour of The Gardens at Witherspoon led by your very own Rose Expert Guide! Watch detailed demonstrations of the many facets to growing roses. Listen as we explain solutions to some of your rose concerns. Each tour will be filled with the same stations, so if you can only make it to the 3:00 tour you won't have missed a thing! No reservations needed. Just meet under the tent a few minutes before the tour begins.
Stump the Rose Guys: Got questions? We've got answers! Bring your rose questions and fire away at our Rose Experts who have made it their mission to keep roses helathy and blooming!
**Light snacks and drinks will be available.

Botanical Gardens at UNC Gala

Saturday June 2, 2012, 6:30 - 11pm | Ticket Price $125
Tasty hors d'oeurves — Beer/Wine — Dancing and Music — Intriguing Silent Auction...
Tickets are now available, and . . .
    •    Buy Tickets
    •    Browse Auction
. . . you'll be able to browse the auction soon!
About the Event
The North Carolina Botanical Garden's first—and fabulous!—Carolina Moonlight Gala is coming up, Saturday, June 2. Join us for a delightful party under a Carolina full moon to celebrate the Garden's contribution to sustainable living through its mission to "advance a sustainable relationship between people and nature." Our new LEED Platinum building and landscape is the site of this celebration, and our conservation, horticulture, and education efforts will be supported by the gala proceeds.
Purchase your ticket today for an evening to remember—tasty hors d'oeuvres from Durham Catering Company, wine and beer, dancing to music by Rebecca & The Hi-Tones, and bidding on items in an intriguing silent auction. Please consider also helping to make our Sustainable Garden Party a real success with either a sponsorship or an auction contribution . . . see below.

A Note About the Name and the Logo

Our gala is named after a plant, of course!
The beautiful horticultural selection Baptisia X 'Carolina Moonlight' was selected at the North Carolina Botanical Garden by Rob Gardner in 2002. It is a cross between two of our native Baptisia species: white wild indigo (Baptisia alba) and the yellow wild indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa). This gorgeous hybrid well represents the Garden's significant contribution to native plant introductions and is a perfect symbol for our first gala celebration—which will, by the way, take place under a June full moon! The logo design, top of this page, is by Sandra Brooks-Mathers, Cricket Taylor and Lynn Goodpasture.

Garden Mythbusters from Dave's Garden

Two horticultural professionals took some of the most popular garden myths into the university laboratory to prove or disprove the accuracy of these myths. Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott from Washington State University and Dr. Jeff Gillam from the University of Minnesota tested these myths under controlled conditions to determine if they really work.

 

The Myth
Will placing citrus peel or citrus tea (orange or lime) on an anthill repel or kill the ants or other insects?
Citrus peels are thought to contain a substance that is fatal to insects (d-Limonene).


The Fact


A mixture made from citrus peel was placed on several ant hills. The result was less than overwhelming. The mixture had little or no effect on the ants. A  spray made from citrus peel was applied to a plant that was infested with mites. It did have some effect on the mites but it also damaged the plant. Use caution when applying any citrus material to plants, the citric acid could damage the plant.

The Myth
When planting a new tree or shrub replace the soil in the planting hole with organic material such as compost. Everyone knows that plants love "organic stuff" and will grow rapidly.

The Fact


The roots on newly planted trees or shrubs will indeed grow rapidly in the organic material. The problem is when the new roots reach the edge of the planting hole and the native soil. They will actually turn and circle back into the organic material.
The result in that the organic material will actually hinder further root growth long term.  Moisture is another issue, it will actually wick away from the organic material back into the native soil and thus deprive the roots of the moisture newly planted trees and shrubs need. Use the native soil removed when digging the planting hole to backfill after planting. Your trees and shrubs will do much better.

 

Weather-ology: Bridge to the Heavens

by Jaime McLeod | Monday, April 30th, 2012 | From: Weather at Farmer's Almanac

Long before modern science began to understand the processes that create our weather, people made up their own explanations. Many of these accounts were fantastic in nature, with evil or benevolent gods, monsters, and spirits controlling the elements. In this series, we’ll explore some of these ancient myths and share the science behind them. Weather + mythology = weather-ology! I will include more in the future if you are interested.
 
No natural phenomenon captures the imagination quite like rainbows. With their bright colors and ethereal quality, they seem like pure magic, completely removed from the laws of nature. It’s no wonder, then, that rainbows have been the subject of countless myths and legends since the dawn of human civilization.
Chief among rainbow legends is the idea, popular in a wide variety of cultures, that rainbows are actually bridges that link the natural world with the spirit world, or the world of the gods.
One such myth is the Bilröst, a burning rainbow bridge said in Norse legend to span between Midgard, the world of men, and Asgard, the fabled realm of the gods. Its name literally means “shimmering path.”
According to legend, only gods and those killed in battle could cross Bilröst. An ancient prophecy foretold that one day Bilröst would shatter under the weight of Ragnarök, the great war that would bring about the end of the world.
Supernatural as they may seem, though, rainbows are actually created by a perfectly natural process. They form because white light is comprised of all colors of the spectrum. When light passes through water, or glass, it is refracted into its component colors. Rainbows can appear any time there are water droplets in the air and the sunlight shines from behind them at a low angle. That means they are more likely to appear in the early morning or later afternoon. Rainbows always appear directly opposite from the sun.
Even if a rainbow would hold your weight, you would never be able to walk on one anywhere, because rainbows have no set physical location. A person who appears to be standing at the end of a rainbow from another person’s perspective won’t see the rainbow in the same place, but will instead see another rainbow in a different location, opposite the sun.
While you can’t actually cross into Asgard on a rainbow, and you won’t find any pots of gold at the end of one, either, rainbows are still pretty magical, all on their own.