gardens@duke

Mary D.B.T. Semans: In Memoriam

2012-01-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

Mary D.B.T. Semans
at the Roney Fountain dedication

We at Duke Gardens are saddened by this week’s passing of Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, a longtime Duke Gardens supporter whose passion and generosity shaped the Gardens in dramatic ways.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens would not exist were it not for the vision and generosity of Mary Semans, her mother, Mary Duke Biddle, and her grandmother, after whom the Gardens is named.

Mrs. Semans often spoke of how much her mother loved flowers and gardening and how important Duke Medical School's Dr. Frederic Hanes was in influencing Mary Duke Biddle to establish the Terrace Gardens in memory of Mary’s grandmother, Sarah P. Duke.

Mary Semans and her late husband, James H. Semans, served as honorary members of the Duke Gardens Board of Advisors since its inception in 1991. And she participated in several major functions during the capital campaign to build the Doris Duke Center, which opened in 2001. She was also the honorary chair of the Gardens' 75th anniversary celebration in 2009.

The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation has continued the family's legacy of support in the Gardens. The foundation has provided operational support since 1972. It enabled the Gardens to start a children's program in 1995. And it contributed to last year's ambitious refurbishment and relocation of the century-old Roney Fountain from East Campus to Duke Gardens, as well as the expansion of the newly named Mary Duke Biddle Rose Garden surrounding the fountain. The fountain project, dedicated in Mrs. Semans' honor, earned an award last year from Preservation North Carolina.

In addition, the sundial in the Butterfly Garden was given to Duke Gardens by the Trent and Semans children in honor of Mary & James Semans' 35th wedding anniversary in 1988. And the gallery in the Doris Duke Center is named for Mary and James Semans.

"I've often said that people who really don't know Duke very well just love the Gardens," Mrs. Semans said at the 75th anniversary celebration. "I'm so thrilled that so many people from out of town come here. So many people from other countries. It's great. The more people who come, the better off it is."

Read more about Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans at Duke Today
See Mrs. Semans talk about how Duke Gardens came to be at 4:15 in this video.

Love the Gardens? Be a docent!

2012-01-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

We at Duke Gardens love to let visitors know all about the varied features here, and how the Gardens came to be. But we couldn't reach a fraction of the visitors that we do were it not for our fantastic volunteer docents.

Depending on their interests and availability, docents may lead tours (on foot or by trolley) or lead school or family programs at the Gardens.

We prepare our new docents at annual docent trainings (which current docents may also attend, to refresh their knowledge).

This year's trainings are as follows:

Feb. 21, 9 a.m. to noon: History of Duke Gardens. This session is required for all new docents.

Feb. 23, 9 a.m. to noon: Children’s docents only.

Feb. 28, 9 a.m. to noon: Adult docent session, Children’s docents are encouraged to attend.

March 1, 9 a.m. to noon: Children’s docents only.

Following this experiential formal training, there will be additional dates scheduled with the curators of each of our four main gardens so that docents may gain deeper knowledge about Duke Gardens.

Docent training is open to all current and prospective volunteers. The first step for newcomers is to apply to be a Gardens volunteer. You can learn more, and fill out an application, at the Gardens' website. Thereafter, new volunteers may apply to be a docent. All docents for children's programs must go through a background check, for the safety of visitors and volunteers alike.

For more information, please see our website or call Chuck Hemric, director of volunteers, at 668-1705. We hope to see you soon!

Duke Gardens events: Jan.-Aug. 2012

2011-12-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

Below is a quick rundown of the season’s offerings, including page numbers where you can find more information. Please also see our education/events page with links to different types of classes and events and information about how to register.

As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions for our enrichment programs. We hope to see you here soon!

Children and Family Classes

Mysteries of Magnetism (Feb. 25) – pg. 6

Nature’s Kazoos (March 10) – pg. 5

Nature Storytime: Free Drop-in Book Club (March 15, April 7, May 5, May 17, June 2, and June 21) – pg. 7

Wind World (March 24) – pg. 5

Nature Ranger Cart: Free Drop-in Activities (Fridays, April, May, and June) – pg. 7

Nature for Sprouts (Fridays, April 6-27 or May 4-25) – pg. 7

Feathered Friends (April 7) – pg. 5

Nature for Sprouts (Fridays, April 6-27 or May 4-25) – pg. 4

Nature Adventures Camp: CAMP OUT! (April 9-13) – pg. 8

Spring Family Fun: Free Drop-in Activities (April 15 & 29, May 6 & 20) – pg. 7

Heroes and Villains (April 25) – pg. 6

Drip Drop: Be a Raindrop for a Day (April 28) – pg. 5

Seed and Soil Olympics (May 5) – pg. 6

Awesome Amoebas (May 26) – pg. 6

Paperhand Puppet Intervention (June 10) – pg. 7

Nature Adventures Camp: Become a Scientist (June 11-15) – pg. 8

Nature Adventures Camp: Treasure Hunters (June 18-22) – pg. 8

Nature Adventures Camp: Science of the Sun (June 18-22) – pg. 8

Nature Adventures Camp: Animal Homes (June 25-29) – pg. 9

Nature Adventures Camp: Animals in the Garden (June 25-29) – pg. 9

Nature Adventures Camp: Treasure Hunters 2 (July 9-13) – pg. 9

Nature Adventures Camp: Time Travelers (July 9-13) – pg. 9

Nature Adventures Camp: Drawing on Nature (Aug. 6-10 and/or Aug. 13-17) – pg. 9

Gardening and Horticulture

Ikebana International club (2nd Monday monthly) – pg. 24

Triangle Orchid Society (2nd Monday monthly) – pg. 24

Durham Garden Forum: “A Garden of Moss” (Jan. 17) – pg. 18

Planting the Landscape: Design II (3 Tuesdays, Jan. 17-31) – pg. 14

Plants of Distinction: Winter/Spring (Jan. 18, March 7, May 16, July 18) – pg. 14

Vegetable Gardening Through the Year (3 Thursdays, Jan. 19-Feb. 2; March 22-April 5) – pg. 15

Gardening with Herbs (Jan. 22; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series) – pg. 19

Beekeeping for Beginners (2 Saturdays, Feb. 4-11) – pg. 15

Durham Garden Forum: “Great Perennials for the Garden Bed” (Feb. 21) – pg. 18

Native Plants in our Gardens (Feb. 26; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series) – pg. 19

Spring Flower Walk in the Arboretum (March 9 and/or April 13) – pg. 13

Container Gardening (March 18; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series) – pg. 19

Durham Garden Forum: “Herb Gardening” (March 20) – pg. 18

Historic Gardens Color Walk (April 5 and/or May 3) – pg. 13

Lecture: "Across the Pond: A Celebration of 300 Years of Anglo-American Gardening" (April 5) – pg. 16

Spring Pruning (April 7) – pg. 16

Durham Garden Forum: “Vegetables as Ornament” (April 17) – pg. 18

Durham Garden Forum: “Introduction to Plant Propagation” (May 15) – pg. 18

Durham Garden Forum: “Garden Advice Fair” (July 17) – pg. 18

Durham Garden Forum: “Creating New Plants” (June 19) – pg. 18

Field Trips

Early Spring Jewels: Field Studies (March 31) – pg. 28

Local Flora: Spring (4 Saturdays, April 7, 14, 28, May 5) – pg. 29

Wildflowers and Waterfalls (May 11-13) – pg. 20

Hemlock Bluff (June 3) – pg. 21

Botanical Art and Craft

Moss Gardens in a Dish (Jan. 21) – pg. 25

Creating Your Own Bonsai Plant (Feb. 18) – pg. 25

Designing with Flowers (6 Saturdays, Feb. 25-March 31) – pg. 26

Spring Flower Basket (April 5) – pg. 25

Creativity and Choice: Floral Design Studio (Saturdays, April 14, May 5, June 16, July 14) – pg. 26

Terrarium (June 9) – pg. 26

Natural History

Walk on the Wild Side (Jan. 5, Feb. 2, March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7, July 5, Aug. 2) – pg. 13

Winter Botany (2 Saturdays, Jan. 21-28) – pg. 27

Human Impact on the Environment: The Ecology of Change (4 Wednesdays, Feb. 8-29) – pg. 27

Basic Botany and Plant Growth (4 Thursdays, Feb. 9-March 1) – pg. 28

Water: The Ecology of Change (4 Tuesdays, Feb. 21-March 13) – pg. 28

Early Spring Jewels: Field Studies (March 31) – pg. 28

Local Flora: Spring (4 Saturdays, April 7, 14, 28, May 5) – pg. 29

Bird Walks (April 7 & 28) – pg. 29

Nature Photography

Durham Photography Club (2nd Monday monthly) – pg. 24

Digital Photography: Understanding Digital Camera, Camera to Computer & Photo Editing (3 Wednesdays, Jan. 18-Feb. 1) – pg. 31

Nature Photography Winter Workshop (Jan 28-29) – pg. 30

Introduction to Nature Photography (Feb. 10-12) – pg. 31

Photoshop for the Nature Photographer (3 Saturdays, Feb. 11-25) – pg. 31

Learn from the Masters (3 Saturdays, March 31-April 14) – pg. 32

Photographing Plants (2 Wednesdays, May 16 & 23, and Saturday, May 19) – pg. 32

Composition and Light (2 Thursdays, June 14 & 21, and Saturday, June 16) – pg. 32

Image Improvement Before Post-Processing (Saturday, June 23) – pg. 33

Japanese Tea Gatherings

First Voice of Spring Tea (Friday, Feb. 24) – pg. 34

St. Patrick’s Day Tea (Saturday, March 17) – pg. 34

Cherry Blossom Festival (Sunday, March 25) – pg. 34

Spring Blossoms Tea (Friday, April 13) – pg. 34

Children’s Day Tea (Saturday, May 5) – pg. 34

Special Events

Swing at the Gardens - swing dance (Saturday, Feb. 11)

Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens summer series (more info)

2011 notecards are here!

2011-12-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

Duke Gardens' 2011 notecards are in, and they're available at the Terrace Shop -- a fantastic gift for your nature-loving friends and family.

The first four images below from our four main gardens come in a 12-pack of 4x6 cards for $10.

The final image is our winter scene, also a 4x6, which is available in packs of 10 for $10 or individually for $1.75.

All of the cards are blank inside.

You can also get our 2012 calendar, with scenes from all over the Gardens. It's only $10. Here's a preview PDF.

SALE! Duke students and employees can get our new cards and calendars for 20% off through Dec. 22.

For information, or for a mail order, please call the Terrace Shop at 919-684-9037.

We're grateful to the gifted photographers who have made these images available to us as a Gardens fundraiser. We hope you enjoy them, too.

The Terrace Gardens, as seen from the Frances P. Rollins Overlook
Photo by Rick Fisher

The Blomquist Gate House
Photo by Pat Lloyd

Roof iris and Japanese Kasuga lantern
in the Asiatic Arboretum
Photo by Paul D. Jones

Virtue Peace Pond in the Doris Duke Center Gardens
Photo by Robert Ayers

Japanese-style arched bridge
and Yukimi "snow-viewing" lantern
in the Asiatic Arboretum
Photo by Wendell Hull

Doris Duke Center Holiday Decorations

2011-12-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

By Kate Blakely

If you're looking for some holiday joy, done up North Carolina-style, come see 2011's holiday tree display at the Doris Duke Center.

Every year local organizations decorate a tree by expanding on a given theme. The main theme this year is Material Wonders of North Carolina. Organization members offered their unique take on special North Carolina materials, from cotton to crystal.

The photos below showcase each tree. You can come see the trees during regular visitors center hours, unless there's a special event in the hall (call 684-3698 if you want to check before visiting).

~~~~~~~~

Here is the paper tree, designed and decorated by the Duke University Campus Club.

Just below is the glass/crystal tree, put together by Sarah P. Duke Gardens International Ikebana Chapter #264. The glass ornaments sparkle so beautifully against the dark green of the trees.

The Treyburn Garden Club offered the fibers tree, with decor made from cotton and fabrics.

The wood-themed tree below was designed by the Hillsborough Garden Club. The club decorated with everything from oak and maple wood to grapevines and buckeyes...

... and maple and poplar and corkscrew willow, all with lots of joy.

So come on out and see the trees trimmed with North Carolina bounty!

Kate Blakely is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens.

Decorating from Your Back Yard

2011-11-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

Want help putting together your own wreath or swag?
Join Duke Gardens for a class Dec. 3.

By Kate Blakely

Now is the perfect time of year to bring the outdoors inside. Use natural materials from your own back yard to create a beautiful and fragrant winter holiday display. Duke Gardens horticulturist Michelle Rawlins has a few tips and ideas for you.

First, select a variety of colors to add richness. Think of building a colorful tapestry in your home. Use deep greens, yellow, brown and red tones from leaves, stems and berries.

“Choosing magnolia leaves for both the glossy deep green side and the fuzzy brown underside is very useful,” Rawlins says. In particular, she recommends cultivars such as Magnolia grandiflora ‘Southern Charm’ or ‘Little Gem’, which have a rich brown tone underneath. As another source of color, use holly leaves such as Ilex opaca ‘Steward's Silver Crown' to provide a rich holiday green color and red berries – don’t just use green. The variegated form adds a bright note of white or cream color to your display.
Rawlins suggests experimenting with other sources of color, such as spray-painted pine cones. Rawlins also often uses nandina berries (Nandina domestica) and sweetgum balls (Liquidambar styraciflua).

Varying textures will build upon the tapestry effect. You can introduce a fine texture with pine branches, using newer growth because it looks more fresh and the color is more vibrant, Rawlins says. She also suggests adding both color and fine texture with golden threadleaf falsecypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’).

“It really makes an arrangement pop with color and adds an interesting texture,” she says.

Fullness in a display with contrasting colors and textures is generally more interesting than a single flat display, says Rawlins, who looks for plant materials that can layer well. Pick a variety of plants, such as white pine (Pinus strobus), cedar tree branches (Juniperus virginiana), Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria radicans), boxwood (Buxus selections), or sweet olive (Osmanthus fragans).
For a swag, you’ll likely need a “cage” or base, which you can get at a craft store or nursery. This holds your natural materials together as you design. Beyond that, says Rawlins, consider using holiday ornaments, ribbon, bells and holiday bulbs to personalize.

“Add that little extra flair for the holiday season,” Rawlins says, noting that you can make a swag and a wreath at once using the same materials. “We’re going to experiment with some fruits and vegetables in the arrangements, as well as a vintage flair.”

Natural swags do best outdoors. But if you decide to use it indoors, you’ll be able to enjoy the beautiful smells of your natural materials. Put a candle in it and display it on a table or a piano. But be careful with candles, she says. “As soon as your materials start drying out, they could go up in flames really quick!”

TAKE A DECORATIONS CLASS:

If you want more tips on DIY swags, consider joining Duke Gardens’ class “Holiday Decorations” on Dec. 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. Rawlins and Gardens superintendent Harry Jenkins will show you how to create several different centerpieces using natural materials. Once the class gets the basics, each participant will create his or her own holiday wreath or swag. All materials and ribbon will be supplied, but Rawlins encourages students to bring their own special embellishments. The cost is $65; $50 for Gardens members or Duke faculty, staff or students.

For information or to register, please call 668-1707. For more information about Gardens events, please go to gardens.duke.edu.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Kate Blakely is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun on Nov. 12.

Landscape Plants for NC: Winter

2011-11-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

Paperbush (Edgeworthia chysantha)
brightens our winter gardens

By Jan Little
Director of Education & Public Programs

One of the great pleasures of gardening in North Carolina is the presence of flowers year-round. Each season has its magic, and the winter—with its spare quality, stripped of leafy ruffles and decorations—is no exception.

The calendar does not rule gardens in North Carolina with an iron fist. Instead, various plants can thrive and blossom all year, thanks to the mild climate. Bobby Mottern, director of horticulture at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, has a list of plants you might consider for your winter garden.

In December, the garden can be decked out for winter holidays with iridescent red berries on the evergreen yaupon hollies (Ilex vomitoria) and the deciduous hollies (Ilex verticillata selections). These are both native plants, and there are a number of forms or hybrids to choose among for ultimate size or berry color. As with most hollies, planting both a male and female form is guaranteed to produce a berry display.

Also, sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua or C. sasanqua x oleifera) begin to flower in late autumn and extend through January, if not into February. The sasanquas have been selected and hybridized with Camellia oleifera to create a wide range in sizes and flower colors. Their dark, glossy green foliage serves as a beautiful backdrop through most of the year and some selections add mildly spice-scented flowers! Considerable work has been done at the National Arboretum in selecting and hybridizing winter-hardy camellias; look for the plant’s “Winter’s” series (Winter’s Charm, Winter’s Hope, etc.) to find some of these selections.

A beautiful plant in all seasons, hybrid witchhazels (Hamamelis x intermedia) are a special treat throughout the winter season. Again, there are many choices here for size, color and fragrance. In general, the witchhazels bloom in late January and February with golden yellow, orange or red flowers, many with fragrance. Look for the hybrids Arnold Promise (introduced by the Arnold Arboretum) for both fragrance and bright yellow flowers, or Jelena, also known as Copper Beauty, with bright apricot to copper colored flowers. Additionally, Primavera is known for the early floral fragrance from abundant yellow blossoms.

Paperbush (Edgeworthia chysantha) also brightens our winter gardens. The winter flower buds of this plant form beautiful, downy chandeliers of buds (similar to its cousin, the Daphne), held in downward-facing clusters. Beginning in February, occasionally in late January, this flower chandelier begins to face up and out toward the sun, opening to a wonderfully fragrant egg-yolk yellow flower. This plant also has a pretty habit and ornamental form that is attractive throughout the year.

A more well-known camellia, the Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica) adds its large, showy flowers to the mix in late January. With large, 3- to 5-inch diameter flowers of any number of white, pink, rose, and red flower choices, this camellia defies winter temperatures.

And late winter is greeted by the superb scent of fragrant wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox). This plant has only one season of interest each year – the fragrant flowers in February – but that season is so wonderful it is easy to overlook its shortcomings at other times of the year. Although a plain Jane the rest of the year, it can be a useful backdrop and worth every bit of garden square footage for that season of bloom.

All of these plants can be seen at Duke Gardens. If you would like to learn more about winter season plants, please join us for Bobby’s next class, “Landscape Plants for North Carolina Gardens: Winter,” beginning on Nov. 29 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and running weekly for three weeks. The fee is $110; $90 for Gardens members or Duke faculty, staff or students.

For information about this and other classes, or to register, please call 919-668-1707.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St. Visit online at gardens.duke.edu, or call 684-3698.

Preparing for Garden Guild Craft Sale

2011-11-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

Don't forget the Garden Guild Craft Sale is Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, and parking is free until 1 p.m.

While you're browsing, check out the Terrace Shop. Pots and bulbs are 30% off.

Below are a few "action shots" of lovely Garden Guild members preparing for the sale. Also check out some more photos of the items they were working with.

Kindle Covers, for that e-reader in your life.

Friendly Robot is looking for a home.

"Butterfly Puddling Trays" - Set these out in your garden for butterflies.

And just a few more items...

Garden Guild Holiday Craft Sale

2011-11-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

For most of the year, Duke Gardens' talented volunteer Garden Guild has been busy crafting unique new items to make your home more festive for the holidays, or for your gift-giving needs.

This year's Garden Guild Craft Sale is Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, and parking is free until 1 p.m. All proceeds from this popular annual sale go toward the upkeep of Duke Gardens, so if you buy a gift, you'll get twice the gift-giving satisfaction. You can even buy Gardens memberships as gifts. Just ask at the front desk for information.

The Guild has been making some popular items from previous sales, and they've come up with many new products. Many items have a garden theme, incorporating natural elements, sometimes even from the Gardens. Everything is handmade and inexpensive.

One new batch of items is “gourdaments.” Happy creatures and elegant Santa Clauses can grace your Christmas tree or holiday decor. Mix and match from several different varieties. Each of these unique pieces will be sure to inspire you and get folks asking about your ornament.

For those who have been collecting the tobacco stick angel over the last several years, we have a new addition that you'll want to add. She is holding a sea basket filled with seashells. At the top of this post are some angels with a tobacco stick Santa.

Also available are Caprice shells, each embellished with dried flowers from the Gardens. What a wonderful way to bring in some summer color during the colder months. Use hand-decorated greeting cards to drop a dear friend a special note or to send holiday greetings. Snail-mail was never so pretty.

Gift wrapping can be easy this year. One-of-a-kind origami gift boxes in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors -- many upcycled from Duke Gardens calendars and other colorful publications -- can serve double duty as gift-wrapping and gift display or storage. Most boxes are 2-5 inches, so these boxes are perfect for jewelry or other smaller gifts.

A favorite from past years, and just as adorable this year, are these handmade headbands. These are perfect for stocking stuffers, or just for fun.

Here are some other items we'll have out for browsing at the sale.

Quilted star trivets help preserve table-tops during delicious dinners...

Garden Veggie Ornaments beautifully remind us to eat our veggies all year long.

Knitted Hats, some with fruit and vegetable themes, keep little heads toasty!

Decorative Storage - Beautiful and useful!

These hand-made chickens can keep you company all year long...

Keep recipes, newspaper clippings, and thoughts tidy in these embellished journals.

We'll also have jewelry, clothing, eye masks, soaps and plenty of other goodies. So please mark your calendars and bring a friend out with you. We look forward to seeing you Saturday at the Gardens.
Here are some more teaser pictures!

New Facebook Photo Contest: Fall Colors

2011-10-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

The Virtue Peace Pond in fall. Photo by Rick Fisher.

Have you seen the beautiful oranges, reds and yellows peeking through the greens here at Duke Gardens? It's a perfect palette for a new photo exhibit+contest on our Facebook page (or see all entries). Got a favorite Duke Gardens photo featuring fall colors? We'd love to see it. Please don't be shy. This exhibit & contest is open to photographers at all levels and all ages. It's just a fun way to share your love for the Gardens with others who love it here, too.

For this contest, the fall colors can be anywhere, from a leaf to a flower, even a coat or hat -- as long as the setting is here at Duke Gardens.

Note: Facebook's structure has changed, so we can no longer do the contests in "events" with ease. So now we're using a collective album and email, which seemed to work well for our water plants contest.

Here's the scoop:

TOPIC: The topic for October/November is fall colors.

HOW TO ENTER: Email up to 3 photos for each contest to DukeGardensPhotos@yahoo.com. At least 5x7" or larger at 72 ppi is best, but if you don't know how to resize photos, feel free to send them as is, 1 per email. We will post them in an album on Facebook, with your Facebook name in the photo description. You can then add more information about the photo if you like, and encourage your friends to come see it and vote. You may also post the photo on our wall, but be sure to email it as well, so that it's officially in the contest and album. Only "like" votes and comments on the album photos will count in vote tallies.

DEADLINE: Photos must be submitted by Nov. 28. Voting will end at our amended cutoff of 10 a.m. Dec. 1.

PRIZES: We'll have prizes for most "like" votes and comments, as well as judges' awards. First prize is a Duke Gardens 2012 calendar. 2nd prize: Duke Gardens greeting cards or a 75th anniversary T-shirt. 3rd prize: discount coupon for the Terrace Shop. Entrants may only win one prize per contest theme in each tally (top votes & judges' prizes).

SHARE: Even if you're not interested in prizes or contests, we'd love for you to share your photos just for fun. We look forward to seeing your favorites.

LEARN MORE: Please check out our education & event listings for photo courses that you may enjoy. We also have a Nature Photography Certificate program that may interest you.

Plant Sale & Fall Planting Tips

2011-09-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Our Fall Plant Sale will enhance
your garden year-round

By Kate Blakely

For all kinds of gardens, from vegetable to trees and shrubs, fall is best for planting. And the key in successful planting is in the roots. As plants go dormant in colder weather, they focus on their roots systems. Even planting in winter can work well, so long as the ground isn’t frozen and the plants receive proper care. Then, come spring, fall plantings will be already in the ground, ready to go.

We’ll have a wide range of plants available at our Fall Plant Sale Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Duke Gardens. Our horticulturists will also be on hand with expert advice. To start you on your way, horticulturist Michelle Rawlins offers a few fall planting tips below.

Soil Preparation: “Soil prep is your first task that you want to focus on when you’re starting a new bed,” says Rawlins. First, dig a hole a bit larger than the pot the plant came in. Make sure to break up any clay or compacted soil to allow proper drainage for your new plant. Add two to three shovel scoops of composted material to the soil you have removed from the hole. Blend all of this soil well. Remember, the key is in the roots, and having good soil is important.

“Compost does improve the quality of your soil and will produce a healthier specimen in your garden,” says Rawlins.

Planting: If the plant has been sitting in the pot for a while, it’s probably “root-bound.” Plants are usually initially grown in a soilless material along with PermaTill or vermiculite. These types of media make it really easy for the roots to grow. Inside a pot, fast-growing roots circle each other, forming a “root-ball.”

“If you don’t break the roots up, they’ll just continue to circle as if they’re still in the pot instead of in the ground,” Rawlins said. You need to break apart the root-ball gently before you plant.

“The hole should be no deeper than the root-ball,” Rawlins says. “If anything, you want to plant it about an inch or so higher than ground level, because the newly worked soil will settle, and if the plant’s too low, it has little success of thriving or even surviving.”

Cover any exposed root-ball with mulch. Rawlins recommends triple-shredded hardwood.

Watering and Fertilizing: Water the plant in well. Keep an eye on the plants for signs of thirst, like flagging or drooping. “They’ll let you know,” Rawlins says.

Be careful not to over-fertilize. “You don’t want to promote too much root growth in the fall,” Rawlins says. “You don’t want to push your plants too hard because of the threat of freezing.”

“Fall is a nice time to plant because you don’t have to water them every day,” Rawlins concluded. “The cool nights will be optimum for keeping your plant from too much stress or transplant shock.”

We’re happy to offer more advice at our Fall Plant Sale Saturday. And if you want first dibs, consider joining Friends of Duke Gardens to attend the 8 a.m. pre-sale (Friends info: 668-1711); you can join on site. Parking is free. The sale will feature bulbs best planted in (you guessed it!) the fall, as well as flowers, trees, vines and shrubs found throughout Duke Gardens all year. Read a more detailed preview in our previous post.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St. Visit online at gardens.duke.edu, or call 684-3698. For more information on Duke Gardens events, please see our education & events page, or read our quick blog roundup.

Kate Blakely is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens.

Fall Plant Sale preview

2011-09-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

Toad lily is among the plants you can buy
at Duke Gardens' Fall Plant Sale

Gardeners often head to their local public gardens not just to immerse themselves in the beautiful and peaceful surroundings but to draw up blueprints for success in their own yards.
What plants thrive in this region? Which ones make interesting combinations, in terms of color and texture? Which fare better in full sun than one might think, or do surprisingly well in shade?

At Duke Gardens’ biannual fundraising plant sales, they can put those lessons into action, with guidance from the horticulturists and curators who know the plants best.

The Gardens’ Fall Plant Sale, from 9 a.m.-noon Oct. 1 (with an 8 a.m. presale for Gardens members -- info: 668-1711), will feature flowers, vines, trees and shrubs found throughout Duke Gardens, as well as bulbs best planted in fall for spring delights.

We won’t have any outside vendors at this sale, though you can expect them back at our larger sale next spring. Instead, we’re going to free up the lower parking lot for customers’ convenience and hold the sale on the lawn behind the Doris Duke Center. Parking is free.

Jason Holmes, who is curator of the Doris Duke Center Gardens and coordinates the plant sale, offered a few highlights.

Chinese leadwort: This unusual perennial has brilliant cobalt blue flowers and makes a great ground-cover, Holmes says. It likes full sun. Once established, it also tolerates drought well. It blooms in mid-summer through fall.

Chinese leadwort

Toad lily cultivars: This shade-loving, spreading perennial grows to between a foot and 2 feet high. In late summer, it produces brilliant little flowers about the size of a quarter, which are unusual in shape. They’re often white with purple spots. “They’re a nice little novelty plant,” Holmes says.

Propagated plants: Customers are especially fond of the plants propagated directly from Duke Gardens by the volunteer propagation team, so it’s best to arrive early if you’re hoping for these special mementos. The prop team takes requests, too, so speak up if there’s something you’d like to see at next year’s sales.

Gardening books: Thanks to a large and generous donation from a Duke Gardens supporter, our used book sale will be extra big this year. Most books will cost $.50 to $1.

Bulbs: We’ll also have plenty of bulbs, which are best planted in fall but are often a hard sell because they’re not attractive in their bulb state, Holmes says. He encourages people to embrace delayed gratification so they can be rewarded with spring blooms.

“How do they start,” he asks, “if not from a bulb?”

Among the bulbs you can expect to see:

Drumstick allium: These purple balls of flowers towering atop stems like something from a Dr. Seuss book are one of visitors’ favorite plants.

“Those bloom in May around here, but the fall is the absolute best time to plant them,” Holmes says. “Many people are always asking about getting this plant when it’s in bloom, but that’s not the good time to plant it. And it’s usually only available for sale during the fall season.”

Allium. Photo by Alice Le Duc

Colchicum: Known as autumn crocus, colchicums produce a profusion of 2- to 3-inch flowers in pink, white and purple.

“The foliage comes up in the spring, and it typically dies down, and then late summer to early fall is when the flowers come up out of the ground,” Holmes says. “So they’re almost like a surprise.”

Colchicum pannonicum 'Mauve Wonder'

Lycoris: These are also known as the surprise lily, hurricane lily or spider lily, and we expect to have them in red, pink and yellow. You can see some of the red and yellow versions in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum. The pink – also known as “Naked Lady” – blooms a bit earlier and was featured in the Terraces this year. It grows taller and is more robust than the other colors.

Golden spider lily

“In the spring months you’ll have the foliage come up, and then, much like the autumn crocus, the foliage dies down in early fall,” Holmes says. “In late summer or early fall, you have a giant spike come out of the ground that may contain as many as 20 flowers. It radiates out like a spider. … They’re a real neat oddity in the garden that you don’t really find elsewhere. They’re something for true gardeners to have.”

Hurricane lily

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St. Visit online at gardens.duke.edu. For a brief roundup of events through December at Duke Gardens, please see this blog post. For further information, please go to our education & events page.

This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun. All photos are by Jason Holmes, unless otherwise noted.

Free outdoor film: "Play Again"

2011-09-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Nurturing with Nature

One generation from now, most people in the U.S. will have spent more time in the virtual world of electronic devices than in the nature, according to filmmaker Tonje Hessen Schei.

Currently the average American child can name hundreds of corporate logos but fewer than 10 native plants.

Distressed by this trend, Schei set out with her camera to investigate. She spoke with youngsters about their digital obsessions and brought them a wilderness adventure—unplugged from it all.

The result is “Play Again,” an award-winning documentary that Duke Gardens will present Sept. 15 at dusk (around 8 p.m.) as part of the Movies in the Gardens at Twilight free movie series on the lawn behind the Doris Duke Center.

Through the voices of these children and leading experts, “Play Again” investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature and encourages action for a sustainable future. Thursday’s viewing is a co-production with Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.
Schei discussed the film with Duke Gardens’ Flora magazine in an e-mail conversation.

What triggered this project?
The idea for the film started in 2005, when I came across a study that showed that kids today can recognize more than 100 corporate logos and fewer than 10 plants in their own back yards. This is very concerning to me, and I think there are serious consequences to kids growing up removed from nature.

Was your own childhood nature-centered?
I grew up in Norway, roaming in the woods all year ‘round. Rain, snow, sleet—you name it, we were outside. This is a stark contrast to how my children are growing up. I would be lost without nature. It is where I find meaning and inspiration. It is where I find perspective and peace. To me the issues of “Play Again” are at the core of who we are, why we are here and where we are going.

Were there any surprises for you in what transpired with the children?
I was very impressed and moved by the transitions the teens went through during the film. Something strong happens when you swim in a river, hike and dig in the dirt for the first time. For some it was very stressful to be outside and active, and some felt lonelier being with a small group of people rather than in front of their computers with their gaming and Myspace communities.

Was there one activity outdoors that had a particularly strong effect on them?
I think swimming in the river for the first time had a strong impact on many of the teens. Starting a fire from scratch and making their own bow and arrow were some of their other favorite activities.

Do you think most children have an innate connection with nature and they only need exposure, or does nature appreciation typically need to be taught to a child?
I do think that people need nature. It is who we are and where we come from. And I think that in our virtual-media-immersed culture we as adults and parents need to think about how we introduce nature to our children—and how we prioritize our time. We are so busy, and we tend to schedule all of our children's time with activities and "enhancements." It is hard to make it out to nature in our daily lives. I think we need to take a hard look at how we live and spend our time. When we do go outside with our kids, I think it is crucial that we inspire the sense of wonder, which very often just comes from playing and discovering our natural surroundings.

What do you think public gardens or parks ought to consider with regard to children’s relationship with nature?
Too often to we think of nature as wilderness and an exclusive activity. Nature is all around. Our backyards, our neighborhoods and parks. I do think it is crucial that we find and reclaim natural places where we allow our children to play freely.

Have you followed up with the children in the film?
Yes. We have become very close to the teens in the film, and many of them travel with the film and speak on these issues publicly. We are very proud of them; they are amazing kids and great spokespeople for their generation.

What did you hope to achieve with “Play Again”?
In making this film, it was crucial for us to learn about these issues from the children, to understand where they are coming from and what they are up against, and most importantly to give them a voice through “Play Again.” With “Play Again,” we want to put these issues on the forefront of people's minds, start discussions and encourage change. The film asks important questions and offers solutions to this issue that aim to encourage our audience to action for a sustainable future.

INFO: For more information on the film, and a trailer, please go to http://playagainfilm.com. For information on parking and other logistics, please see Duke Gardens' film page.

Tonje Hessen Schei

Class preview: Create stone leaves or planters

2011-09-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Cast stone leaf by Duke Gardens student Lu Howard

Gardeners are inventive people and always look for new methods to display their favorite plants. Creating a stone casting from a beautiful leaf or building your own rustic stone planter is one way to preserve or display a grouping of plants.

Stone leaves, cast directly from a leaf set in concrete, may be displayed as sculpture or functional art, such as a birdbath. Whether rustic or painted, the casting can be displayed indoors or out in your garden.

Rustic stone planters, cast from a lightweight concrete mix called hypertufa, resemble the antique stone sinks that are used so effectively as planters in England.

Hypertufa is a mix of sand, peat moss and other elements, says Beth Jimenez, of Lasting Impressions Concrete Sculptures.

Hypertufa planter by Lu Howard

Jimenez will teach two hands-on classes with business partner Amelia Lane on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Duke Gardens. “Cast Stone Leaves” will be from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by “Artificial Stone Sculptures and Pots: Hypertufa” from 1 to 4 p.m. The classes are for students at all ability levels.

You don’t need a large garden to incorporate hypertufa, Jimenez says. “Creating and gardening in hypertufa trough containers allows those with limited space to garden on a small scale and those with larger spaces to use the trough as the perfect planting container for a special plant or collection of small plants.”

For the cast stone leaves, large leaves such as hosta, colocasia and alocasia work especially well.

“Big is good when it comes to this,” Jimenez says, noting that narrow, pointy leaf tips can break easily when molded. “You wouldn’t want to use a fern or anything that is too finely textured.”

Cast stone leaves by Lu Howard

Students need not have special artistic abilities to create a leaf or hypertufa container. Everyone has ideas that Jimenez can help them realize.

“Everybody works differently and everybody has a unique way of showing their own way of creativity,” Jimenez says. “We love the process of watching people be creative. … There’s an excitement that builds during the workshop when the participants begin to share their thoughts and ideas about how the finished piece of art should look.”

Students especially enjoy imagining the plants they’ll put in their containers once they’re cured and ready to use.

“There are so many different options for shade plants, sun plants, little trees, little bitty shrubs, mosses, you can do sedums – the sky’s the limit,” Jimenez says. “It’s so much fun thinking about what you want it to look like when it’s fully planted.”

INFO: For more information or to register, please call 668-1707 or email slsmith@duke.edu. You can also read about this class and others in our full education and events program guide at gardens.duke.edu.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St. Crystal Cotton, a junior at N.C. Central University and summer intern at Duke Gardens, contributed to this column. Photos by Lu Howard. This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun.

Facebook Photo Contests are on again

2011-08-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we had a photo exhibit+contest on our Facebook page. Let's see if we can get our collective lens caps dusted off and share some more photos. Facebook's structure has changed, so we can no longer do the contests in "events" with ease (thanks, Facebook). So we'll have to resort to a collective album and email and see how it goes.

TOPIC: The topics for September will be (1) water plants, and (2) plants from Duke Gardens plant sales growing in your own gardens.

HOW TO ENTER: Email up to 3 photos for each contest to DukeGardensPhotos@yahoo.com. At least 5x7" or larger at 72 ppi is best, but if you don't know how to resize photos, feel free to send them as is, 1 per email. We will post them in an album on Facebook, with your Facebook name in the photo description. You can then add more information about the photo if you like, and encourage your friends to come see it and vote. You may also post the photo on our wall, but be sure to email it as well, so that it's officially in the contest and album. Only "like" votes on the album photos will count in vote tallies.

PRIZES: We'll have prizes for most "like" votes as well as judges' awards. First prize is a Duke Gardens 2012 calendar. 2nd prize: Duke Gardens greeting cards or a 75th anniversary T-shirt. 3rd prize: discount coupon for the Terrace Shop. Entrants may only win one prize per contest theme.

SHARE: Even if you're not interested in prizes or contests, we'd love for you to share your photos just for fun. We look forward to seeing your favorites.

LEARN MORE: Please check out our education & event listings for photo courses that you may enjoy. We also have a Nature Photography Certificate program that may interest you.

Exploring nature with children

2011-08-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

By Jan Little

Most of us live in some kind of building, one that we call home. But in a larger sense we live in the entire world. That world can be a mysterious place, or it can feel just like home. Imagine a child’s excitement when he can find evidence of animal and insect homes in his own back yard, or know which plants feed the butterflies. Families and children can learn together at Duke Gardens in a variety of classes for all ages.

Water is one of the topics we will explore in a class (pre-registration required) for children ages 6 to 8. Water is necessary for all life, but we rarely think about its source or the water cycle. Most children are surprised to learn that water is a limited resource; additional water is not being shipped in from outer space.
In the program “Drip Drop: Be a Raindrop for the Day,” we will consider how water moves around our planet, beginning by tracing its path in the garden. The children can imagine where they would go if they were raindrops, moving through the garden in drips and splashes or through small streams, watering the plants, and finally joining the ponds and pools before it moves beyond the Gardens’ borders.
Once we are in a watery frame of mind, we can then think about water as a transformer. Liquid, vapor, fog, ice, snow, sleet—how many forms of water can you think of? Regardless of its form, the water we sip today has been moving around this planet for a long time. The water in your cup could be the same water used by George Washington to cook his green beans, or Genghis Kahn could have washed his hands in those very same water molecules, or a dinosaur could have splashed through this water millions of years ago. Water doesn’t go away; it just transforms and moves around the planet over and over.
This class will include creating your own water cycle in a plastic bag, with a pond, land, and eventually a rainy sky for each child to take home and display on a window. All it takes to work is a sunny day.

Other programs to introduce your family to the magic of nature include free drop-in programs such as Nature Storytime and the science and craft activities offered during the four weeks of Fall Family Fun. During Fall Family Fun, you will have the opportunity to investigate the natural world in quick experiments or make a craft to take home. We will also have displays on different weekends of reptiles and amphibians or local wildlife.

Other classes this fall include an introduction to our animal neighbors in “Knock, Knock. Who’s There?” for ages 4 to 6. Their older siblings, ages 7 to 9, can track butterflies and dragonflies through the Garden, learning how these magical creatures partner with plants, in the program “Flying Flowers.”
Youngsters ages 3 to 5 can join us for a month of seasonal explorations in Nature for Sprouts. Children ages 8 and 9 can investigate the impact of trees and shade on temperature in “Shadow World,” and children ages 10 to 12 will complete a foraging experiment over two Saturdays in “Food Fight.” We end the season with the program “Shelter,” which explores the function of shelter as each child builds a shelter and then measures its effectiveness at managing wind, weather, and water.
INFORMATION: For all of these programs, you can get full information at gardens.duke.edu, including a PDF download of our entire July-Dec. events program (or see a quick list in this blog entry). To register, please call 668-1707 or write to slsmith@duke.edu.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Jan Little is the Gardens’ director of education and public programs. This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun.

Local Fauna: Butterflies of N.C.

2011-08-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

American Lady

What can butterflies teach us? Plenty, according to Jeffrey Pippen, an instructor at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. For instance, even as caterpillars, they know instinctively what’s good for them and what’s not. That’s not always true for humans.

“So by studying butterfly/plant interactions, we may discover some properties of plants that could potentially be useful to humans as well,” Pippen says.

You can learn more about butterflies in Duke Gardens’ next “Local Fauna” course, “Butterflies of North Carolina,” which Pippen will teach Aug. 6 and 13. The indoor/outdoor class will cover butterflies’ life histories, physiology, anatomy and behaviors, as well as how to identify them in the field. Read on for a taste of Pippen’s passion for butterflies at Duke Gardens and elsewhere, which he shared in an email interview.

On butterflies’ life stages:
Butterflies are amazing creatures at all of their life stages! Eggs are often camouflaged or hidden and sometimes intricately patterned. Caterpillars are amazing eating machines with interesting self-preservation behaviors. Pupae (chrysalises) undergo a pretty incredible transformation from wingless caterpillar to winged adult. And adults can be incredibly patterned and have interesting "personalities" that are just plain fun to watch!

Pearl Crescent

On survival:
Butterflies show myriad adaptations for survival, including eating poisonous plants as caterpillars and storing or using those toxins (at no harm to themselves) for protection against predators.

On butterflies in the Gardens:
Duke Gardens is a great place to search for butterflies! Participants may see two or three species of swallowtails, a couple of species of sulphurs, Cabbage White, a couple of species of hairstreaks, Eastern Tailed-Blue, several species of brushfoots (e.g. Pearl Crescent, American Lady, Common Buckeye, Monarch, etc.), and several species of skippers (e.g. Silver-spotted Skipper, duskywings, Fiery Skipper, Sachem, etc.)

Cabbage White

On a Duke Gardens rarity you may see:
Brazilian Skipper: They're pretty rare in this part of the state, although if there's enough canna planted, it's certainly a species to look for.

Brazilian Skipper

On this month’s class:
I'd like folks to come away from the class thinking, "Wow, butterflies are kinda cool! I've learned to identify several of them, and they're pretty fun to watch."

I think it's important for more people to be aware of the diversity of butterflies and how they fit into a healthy ecosystem. That way, more people will be concerned about environmental issues that affect all of us, and there will be more folks out there who could add to our understanding of butterfly knowledge in North Carolina. There's still a lot we actually do not know about N.C. butterflies. Perhaps some students of this class will go on to solve some of these mysteries!

CLASS INFO: “Butterflies of North Carolina,” a 2-class course, runs Aug. 6 & 13 from 8 to 11 a.m. The cost is $75; $60 for Gardens members and Duke staff and students. To register, or for more information, please contact Duke Gardens’ registrar at 668-1707 or slsmith@duke.edu. Also, be sure to check out Pippen’s nature photo website. For a full schedule of classes, tours and other events, please see our July-Dec. brochure (PDF) or our quick reference blog post.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

American Lady

Duke Gardens events: July 15-Dec. 31, 2011

2011-07-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Sarah P. Duke Gardens’ new education guide is now online. The PDF includes class descriptions, instructor information, meeting times/locations and fees for all classes between now and Dec. 31.

Below is a quick rundown of the season’s offerings, including page numbers where you can find more information in our full guide.

Gardening and Horticulture

Durham Garden Forum: Dealing with Drought (July 19) – pg. 8
Ikebana International: (4th Wednesday monthly) – pg. 8
Triangle Orchid Society: (2nd Monday monthly) – pg. 8
Cool-Season Vegetables: Extending Your Garden Season (Aug. 21; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series) – pg. 5
Waterlily Walks (Aug. 25 or Sept. 15) – pg. 4
Plants of Distinction: Fall (Sept. 7, Nov. 9 and/or Jan. 18) – pg. 4
Gardening 101 (2 Saturdays, Sept. 10 & 17) – pg. 6
Landscape Plants: Fall and Winter (Fall: 4 Wednesdays, Sept. 14, 21, 28, Oct. 5. Winter: 3 Tuesdays, Nov. 29, Dec. 6 & 13) – pg. 6
Durham Garden Forum: Bryce Lane on gardening trends (registration required) – pg. 8
Historic Gardens Color Walk (Oct. 6) – pg. 6
Gardens of the Doris Duke Center (Oct. 7 or Oct. 28) – pg. 7
Durham Garden Forum: Norm Christensen presents "Treating Your Garden Like an Ecosystem (Oct. 18) – pg. 8
Design Your Home Landscape 1 (Oct. 20-Nov. 17) – pg. 7
Autumn in the Arboretum (Oct. 21 or Nov. 4) – pg. 7
Durham Gardening for Yankees (Oct. 30; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series) – pg. 5
From the Erotic to the Exotic: Tips to Transform Your Garden from Mundane to Magnificent (Nov. 6; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series) – pg. 5
Durham Garden Forum: Jesse Turner discusses "Sculpture in the Garden" (Nov. 15) – pg. 8
Durham Garden Forum: Durham City Arborist Alex Johnson presents "How Do Trees Work?" (Dec. 6) – pg. 8

Botanical Art and Craft

Floral Studio (Fridays, July 22, Aug. 19, Sept. 16 and/or Oct. 21) – pg. 9
Garden Elements: Cast Stone Leaves (Sept. 17) – pg. 9
Artificial Stone Sculptures and Pots: Hypertufa (Sept. 17) – pg. 10
Garden Guild Craft Sale (Nov. 12, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). See blog preview.
Holiday Decorations (Dec. 3) – pg. 10

Natural History

Walk on the Wild Side (First Thursdays monthly: Aug. 4, Sept. 1, Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1) – pg. 11
Local Fauna: Butterflies of North Carolina (2 Saturdays, Aug. 6 & 13) – pg. 11
Penny’s Bend: Prairie Disjunct Display (Sept. 10) – pg. 11
Local Flora: Autumn (4 Saturdays: Sept. 24, Oct. 1 & 22, Nov. 5) – pg. 12
Bird Walks (Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Nov. 5) – pg. 12
Wild Areas and Waterfalls (Sept. 30-Oct. 2) – pg. 13
Local Fauna: Birds of North Carolina (2 Saturdays, Oct. 8 & 15) – pg. 14
Human Impact on the Environment: The Ecology of Change (4 Wednesdays, Nov. 16 & 30, Dec. 7 & 14) – pg. 14

Nature Photography

Durham Photography Club at Duke Gardens (2nd Monday monthly) – pg. 8
Autumn Light (2 Thursdays, Sept. 15 & 22) – pg. 15
Wild Areas and Waterfalls (Sept. 30-Oct. 2) – pg. 15
Introduction to Nature Photography (2 Tuesdays, Oct. 4 & 11, and Saturday, Oct. 8) – pg. 16
Basic Photography for Gardeners (4 Saturdays, Oct. 15-Nov. 5) – pg. 16
Learning to See in Nature (2 Wednesdays, Nov. 9 & 30, and 2 Saturdays, Nov. 12 & 19) – pg. 17
Digital Photography: Understanding Your Camera, Camera to Computer and Photo Editing (3 Tuesdays, Nov. 29, Dec. 6 & 13) – pg. 17

Japanese Tea Gatherings

Chrysanthemum Tea (Sept. 17, 2 seatings) – pg. 18
Harvest Tea (Oct. 14) – pg. 18
Moonviewing Tea (Oct. 14, evening) – pg. 18
Dancing Leaves Tea (Nov. 4, 2 seatings) – pg. 18

Children and Family Programs

Nature Storytime (free drop-in book club; Saturdays, Aug. 20 & 27, Sept. 10 & 24, Oct. 1 & 22, Nov. 5 & 19) – pg. 28
Flying Flowers (Sept. 1 or Sept. 17) – pg. 27
Nature Ranger Cart (free drop-in activities, Friday mornings in Sept. & Oct.) – pg. 28
Drip Drop: Be a raindrop for the day (Sept. 13 or Sept. 24) – pg. 26
Fall Family Fun (free drop-in activities, Sundays, Sept. 18-Oct. 9) – pg. 29
Nature for Sprouts (4 Fridays, Oct. 7-28) – pg. 26
Shadow World (Oct. 8) – pg. 27
Knock, Knock. Who’s There? (Oct. 15 or Oct. 16) – pg. 26
Food Fight (2 Saturdays, Nov. 12 & 19) – pg. 27
Shelter (Dec. 10) – pg. 27
Family Backpacks (self-guided activities; adult chaperone required) – pg. 29

Movies in the Gardens at Twilight (more info)

Sept. 15: "Play Again"

Music in the Gardens

Duke Performances series (more info)

Swing for Scrap

Fundraising swing dance for Durham creative reuse center The Scrap Exchange. See details on Scrap's ticket page. Tickets also available at The Scrap Exchange.

Duke Gardens Fish Pool: post-storm cleanup

2011-07-11T13:59:00.001-07:00

Curator Mike Owens retrieves water plants
from the muddy Fish Pool.

Photos by Gardens intern Crystal Cotton
Report by Crystal Cotton and Gardens staff

Last week's downpours in Durham left the Fish Pool at the bottom of the Terrace Gardens full of clay soil and debris from higher ground – a mix that’s not just unsightly but also bad for the koi fish and water plants that live there. So Historic Gardens curator Mike Owens has had to drain the pool and the pond in the South Lawn in order to clean them.

“We’ve had some really abnormal, heavy downpours of 2 or 3 inches" on July 4 and Friday, Owens said Monday, as he made his way through the muddy water to rescue the plants and fish.
“It just all rushed down at once and didn't have time to drain off properly. In a normal rain, we wouldn't have that problem."

This challenge isn't new. Duke Gardens is located in a ravine. The original Duke Gardens, an iris garden planted in the mid-1930s in what is now the South Lawn, washed away in a storm soon afterward. That led to a new approach for the next incarnation, the tiered Terrace Gardens, dedicated in 1939.

Compounding the long-standing problem of water flowing downward from higher ground is current construction in the allee at Duke Gardens’ main entrance, which exposed mounds of clay soil that the double-whammy of intense storms carried downstream to the Fish Pool, carving ditches in the paths along the way.

These storms necessitated an immediate draining and cleanout – something the Gardens does periodically but had to expedite this time around.

"This heavy clay in here cannot be filtered out,” Owens said of the Fish Pool mud. “It's such a fine clay that the only way I can get it out is to wash it out with a hose.”

As the pool drained,
Owens also rescued the fish for safe-keeping.

While Owens brings the ponds up to par, the water plants and the koi will be given extra care for the next few days. Some will go in water pots

“The Victoria water lilies we just started, so we’re going to take them to the pond behind the Doris Duke Center,” Owens said. Other plants are fine in water pots or sitting out of water for a while.

Owens transferred the fish to water tanks in the greenhouse until the cleanup is done. This way, they can keep their gills clean and be free to swim about freely once again.

Fortunately, storms of this intensity – coupled with construction – don’t happen often. And Owens expects the Fish Pool to be full and photogenic again by the end of the week. The South Lawn pond may take a few days longer to clean and will fill up naturally after the next rainfall.

The drained South Lawn pond
awaits removal of accumulated dirt.

See our previous post for photos of the flooding, and an update on the Asiatic pond and Virtue Peace Pond.

Damage from the mighty storm

2011-07-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today's intense rainfall wreaked havoc on Duke Gardens. The water rushed from the higher parts of the Gardens (including construction areas, with their mud and debris), as well as higher ground at Duke University Medical Center. It made its way into the pond in the Asiatic Arboretum and to the foot of the Terrace Gardens, including the newly renovated Fish Pool.

Not only that, this was the second time this week that we've had so intense a storm. So there is much cleaning up to be done here. The water should recede overnight, unless it rains again. But we'll be looking to find a long-term solution that will prevent such havoc in the future.

Here are a few photos from this evening.

The grassy banks at pondside are submerged,
as are the ends of our iconic Iris Bridge.
The paths were covered, too.

A submerged bench that's normally up on a bank.

(Above is a "before" shot of the same bench.
Note the grassy bank in the background,
leading up to the path that you saw
submerged in the previous photo.)
Photo by Wendell Hull

Above is where the Zig-zag Bridge would be.
It's under there somewhere.

Above is what the Zig-zag Bridge normally looks like.
(Photo by Wendell Hull)

The grassy area and path leading to the
duck-feeding rock beach is now more pond,
which makes the ducks happy.

Duck feeders will recognize this path out to
the beach and our informational sign.

The path from a different vantage point.

To the right in the background is where the
multi-level duck beach normally can be seen.

Above is what the duck-feeding beach usually looks like.

The stream on the other side of the dam.

The rushing water created ditches in our paths.

Our renovated Fish Pool,
home of giant koi, as well as water lilies and lotuses,
is a muddy mess.

The haggard water lilies in the Fish Pool.

A beautiful lotus framed by muck.

More plants with migrated dirt.

The view up the waterfall,
on the other side of the Fish Pool.

Bobby Mottern, director of horticulture,
tries to unclog the drain and filtration areas.

A "before" shot of the beautifully clear Fish Pool
on a gorgeous spring day.
Photo by Rick Fisher

Monday update: Culberson Asiatic Arboretum curator Paul Jones says the water levels have gone down, and that it's not uncommon for summer storms to raise the arboretum pond levels substantially. The water and debris flowing down to the Terraces are a greater worry, he says. Some of the paths really took a beating, as did the Fish Pool.

All the debris that builds up in the Asiatic pond from such storms will eventually have to be removed, though. Much of it settles around the Zig-zag Bridge, which has to be dug out routinely so that the bridge crosses over water, not land.

Water plants specialist Tamara Kilbane says the competition waterlilies in the Virtue Peace Pond are fine, too. The pond ended up with mulch in it from the surrounding area. But she and other staff members cleaned it and the plants were unharmed.

For those concerned about our waterfowl, Paul says the ducks, swans and other creatures love these events, which briefly expand their water world and their menu. They are all content and unharmed. But we're checking on the koi fish now. The Terrace Gardens Fish Pool will need to be drained and cleaned.

Read our update of the Fish Pool and South Lawn pond cleanup.

July + August 2011 events at Duke Gardens

2011-06-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

Floral Studio with Theo Roddy

We've got lots of activities in store for the Duke Gardens community this summer. Here's our July and August schedule. And stay tuned for a link to our entire July-December schedule.

Unless otherwise noted, please call 919-668-1707 to register or for more information about classes and events.

July 5 & 6, 9:15 p.m.
American Dance Festival presents Eiko & Koma
Known internationally for their exquisitely meditative dances that resonate with strength and intensity, Eiko & Koma have created a theater of movement all their own. The choreographers will celebrate their 40th anniversary with the reconstruction of River (1995) in the pond of Duke Gardens’ Culberson Asiatic Arboretum. Through their journey downstream in serene waters, their small nuances of movement will transcend your previous notions of life and time and challenge the relationship of audience to artist. 684-4444. tickets.duke.edu; americandancefestival.org.

July 6, 7 p.m.
Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series presents Holy Ghost Tent Revival. $10; $5 Duke students and employees; free for children age 12 and younger. 684-4444 or tickets.duke.edu.

July 7, 11 a.m.-noon Walk on the Wild Side
Explore wild North Carolina in the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants. Join curator Stefan Bloodworth on the first Thursday of every month to see which plants are in bloom, learn strategies to design with native plants, and discuss regional ecology and global environmental issues affecting native ecosystems and your role in protecting the health of our home planet. $5; free for Gardens members.
July 13, 7 p.m.
Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series presents Lost in the Trees. $10; $5 Duke students and employees; free for children age 12 and younger. 684-4444 or tickets.duke.edu.

July 17, time TBA
American Dance Festival choreographer/instructor Rodger Belman presents a free outdoor performance by ADF student dancers, See photos and videos of Belman's 2010 and 2009 Duke Gardens projects. No registration required.

July 19, 6:30-8 p.m. Durham Garden Forum
The Durham Garden Forum is an informal group that meets once a month to enrich members’ gardening knowledge and skill. Local experts speak about topics of interest to the group. The public is invited. July topic: dealing with drought. $10; free for forum members. Durhamgardenforum@gmail.com.

July 20, 7 p.m.
Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series presents cellist Bonnie Thron with clarinetist Fred Jacobowitz and pianist John Noel in the Kirby Horton Hall of the Doris Duke Center. $10; $5 Duke students and employees; free for children age 12 and younger. 684-4444 or tickets.duke.edu.

July 22, 10 a.m. to noon. Floral Studio
Work with floral designer Theo Roddy to design a stunning display for that special place at your home. Studios will also be offered Aug. 19, Sept. 16 and Oct. 21. Attend one or all four. Please bring your own flowers and container. $30; $25 Gardens members (or take all 4 for $20 per session; $16 for members).

July 27, 7 p.m. Duke Performances' Music in the Gardens series presents the Ciompi Quartet cellist Fred Raimi with violinist Eric Pritchard and pianist Jane Hawkins in the Kirby Horton Hall of the Doris Duke Center. $10; $5 Duke students and employees; free for children age 12 and younger. 684-4444 or tickets.duke.edu.

Aug. 4, 11 a.m.-noon Walk on the Wild Side
Explore wild North Carolina in the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants. Join curator Stefan Bloodworth on the first Thursday of every month to see which plants are in bloom, learn strategies to design with native plants, and discuss regional ecology and global environmental issues affecting native ecosystems and your role in protecting the health of our home planet. $5; free for Gardens members.

Aug. 6 & 13, 8-11 a.m. Local Fauna: Butterflies of North Carolina
Expand your enjoyment of these magical creatures as you learn how to recognize specific butterflies and understand their life stages and cycles. Instructor Jeffrey Pippen, of Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, will teach you about butterfly behavior and the adaptations that allow such seemingly delicate beings to survive. Class time is spent indoors introducing topics and outdoors seeing that information come to life. See Jeff's butterfly page online.$75; $60 Gardens members.

Photo by Jeff Pippen

Aug. 19, 10 a.m.-noon Floral Studio
Work with floral designer Theo Roddy to design a wonderful display for that special place at your home. Please bring your own flowers and container. $30; $25 Gardens members.

Aug. 21, 2-4 p.m. Cool-Season Vegetables: Expanding Your Garden Season
Double your garden production this year in the cooler (and hopefully wetter!) growing seasons. Durham County Extension Master Gardener Faye McNaull will share her methods to extend summer harvest by planting fall crops and strategies to jump-start next spring. Free; registration required.

Aug. 25, 9-11 a.m. Waterlily Walk
Enjoy the waterlily display across the late summer season. Each tour with horticulturist and water garden expert Tamara Kilbane highlights the lilies in bloom. Learn how these unique plants live and how you can enjoy them at home. $5; free for Gardens members. Registration required.

Waterlily Walk

Outdoor films update: Movies in the Gardens at Twilight will not feature an animation series, as originally scheduled. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please plan to come to our Sept. 15 free film, "Play Again," a documentary about the consequences of a childhood removed from nature. You can learn more about "Play Again," and read an interview with the filmmaker, on our website. For information on other free or low-cost movies being shown around the Triangle, please see the comprehensive database at WRAL's Go Ask Mom blog.

An inspired new garden

2011-06-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

The new Page-Rollins White Garden design
in the Doris Duke Center Gardens

By Crystal Cotton

A garden can have many uses. It can support wildlife, provide food for a family or community or serve as a retreat or a place for inspiration.

The newly redesigned Page-Rollins White Garden in the Doris Duke Center Gardens is a source of inspiration as well as the result of inspiration. The garden design got its first inspiration when its donor, Frances P. Rollins, visited the garden “rooms” at Sissinghurst Castle Garden in England. And when Jason Holmes, curator of the Doris Duke Center Gardens, traveled recently to Sissinghurst, he was able to see its White Garden and be further inspired.

You can see the beginnings of Sissinghurst’s influence on a tour of the Doris Duke Center Gardens this Friday at 10 a.m.

One thing that stuck with Holmes after his Sissinghurst visit was the combinations of plants that were used in its White Garden, from annuals to perennials and shrubs.

By combining these ideas with various grass textures, paying attention to forms, height variations and other factors, Holmes is creating a Southeastern U.S. interpretation of Sissinghurst. It’s beautiful now, but it’ll be a knockout when it’s fully developed.

“The combinations aren’t up to par yet because we’re starting with such little, tiny little plants, so they haven’t grown in fully,” Holmes says. “I would say the peak for this garden should be within the next three years, just because the perennials and shrubs have a maturation period. That’s what we’re waiting for now.”

To address the climate differences between England and North Carolina, Holmes is incorporating ornamental grasses.

“They have such a great drought resistance,” he says. “They’re also resistant to many insects and diseases, and grasses are just overall great group of plants to incorporate into the garden.”
Among the annuals and perennials Holmes is planting are white coneflower, liatris, lily of the Nile and daylilies.

Home gardeners can get inspiration and ideas from a walk around the White Garden – both now and over the coming months and years, as the plantings increase in size and variety. On Friday’s tour, you’ll learn more about the designs and plant combinations of the White Garden and other gardens surrounding the Doris Duke Center, and how you might incorporate them in your gardens at home.

As with his own trip to Sissinghurst, Holmes hopes visitors will be invigorated by the beauty of the Page-Rollins White Garden and leave with ideas they can take home.

“I want them to be inspired,” he says.

TOUR INFO: For more information about Friday’s tour, or to register, please call 668-1707 or email slsmith@duke.edu. The Gardens will also offer Doris Duke Center Gardens tours in fall.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Crystal Cotton is a junior at N.C. Central University and a communications intern at Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Big koi in the Fish Pool--finally!

2011-06-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Photos by Rick Fisher and Orla Swift

Fans of the recently refurbished Fish Pool at the foot of the Terrace Gardens have been asking when we'll have koi again. Well, thanks to a phone call yesterday morning from a generous donor, we suddenly have 10 beautiful koi fish joining the goldfish in the pool. They're about 18 inches long and range in color from silver to orange, as well as cream with orange spots.

Our staff members transported the koi in large garbage cans full of water in the back of a truck. To get the koi used to the Fish Pool water, Jason Holmes poured some of the pool water into each can.

Then they waited for the fish to acclimate, while curious onlookers came for a closer look.

Staff members took turns placing the fish into their new home. Here's water plants specialist Tamara Kilbane carrying one of the mega-fish...

...while Megan Morr, of Duke Photography, awaited her underwater portrait opportunities. (Please note that this was a rare, controlled occasion in which someone was permitted to climb into the pool; this is not normally allowed, as it presents a danger to people, plants and fish alike.)

James Jenkins released a spotted koi.

Here's another, from Paul Jones.

And here are a couple of the koi (bottom right) enjoying their scenic new surroundings.
We hope you'll come and see the fish soon. The new filtration system keeps the water quite clear, so you'll be able to see them well. Enjoy!

Class preview: Herbs from the Garden

2011-06-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Learn about tansy and other herbs
in Duke Gardens' Herbs from the Garden class

By Crystal Cotton

A thriving herb garden that produces sugar, spice and everything nice needs some basic planning and care. Horticulturist Jan Watson has some sage advice for beginners, as well as those seeking to expand their herb palette.

The dirt

The best way to have prosperous herbs is by cultivating rich soil, says Jan Watson, a horticulturist at Duke Gardens.

“Work your soil up a little bit, get some nice soil in there, and the herbs will reward you a hundred-fold,” says Watson.

Tilling your soil or adding compost to it will help your herbs tremendously.

What to plant?

“The herbs that are the best are the ones that you find uses for,” says Watson. You may want herbs because of their scent, their taste or even for dyes. But you can also get creative with garden design by picking shapes, colors and textures that go together interestingly.

“You can use tansy, and a specific kind called Tanacetum ‘Isla Gold’ would be gorgeous,” says Watson. “Allium fistulosum, fennel and dill would be awesome. Fennel and dill have a really furry texture. If you mix that with the Allium fistulosum, which is very rigid and onion-like, it’d be a good combination because the textures are so different.”

When to plant & water?

Most people plant their herbs in early spring. But it’s not too late to plant them now, Watson says.

“June is a perfect time to plant,” she says. “You’ve just got to remember to water because they’re not established yet. So even though they’ll be drought-tolerant later, when you first put them in, you obviously have to water them.”

But avoid over-watering, she notes, particularly with rosemary and lavender, which are sensitive to too much water.

Sun or shade?

Most herbs want full sun, though some prefer a little bit of shade.
“Parsleys, basils, cilantro, dill—that’s all going to want some afternoon shade,” says Watson. “Otherwise, it’s going to ‘bolt’—it goes to seed too fast.”

When and how much to cut?

Try to avoid over-cutting, Watson says. And if they’re perennial herbs, don’t cut them back too late in the season. A good rule of thumb is to never cut off more than a third of an herb at a time, and only a little bit more as winter approaches. Cutting them too severely before winter will expose the stems to cold temperatures and may cause dieback.

Think outside of the pot

If you want to grow something different, try Stevia rebaudiana, which has become popular as a sugar substitute. You can add it most recipes that would otherwise call for sugar. But use less, because it’s more concentrated.

You can also try Cryptotaenia japonica, commonly known as Japanese parsley. This is a great substitute for regular flat-leaf parsley and it can be used in any dish that normally calls for parsley, such as soup and spaghetti. Since it’s a little stronger than flat-leaf parsley, you don’t have to use as much.

If you’re more interested in benefiting wildlife, fennel –which comes in black or the traditional green—would be a perfect herb to plant.

“It attracts swallowtail caterpillars. They eat the foliage and they actually lay their eggs on it. So there’s a benefit right there,” says Watson. “Right now in my fennel at home, there are baby praying mantises hiding amongst the foliage of the fennel. So for the wildlife aspect, it’s just so beneficial to the insects.”

Don’t like bugs? Why not plant one fennel for the caterpillars and one for yourself? The same with parsley. And remember, caterpillars become butterflies. So if you like butterflies, this is a way to bring more of them into your garden.

Herbal inspiration

For more ideas about what to plant, you can always visit Duke Gardens. There are several herbs growing at the bottom of the Terraces on the café side, and even in the Perennial Border that leads from the Rose Garden to the pergola. These include flat-leaf parsley, curly leaf parsley, Japanese parsley, chives, fennel, dill, marjoram, oregano, thyme and many others.

If you’d like to learn more, consider taking Watson’s class “Herbs from the Garden” on June 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. For information, call Duke Gardens’ registrar at 919-668-1707, email slsmith@duke.edu or go to gardens.duke.edu to read more.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Crystal Cotton is a junior at N.C. Central University and a communications intern at Duke Gardens.

Q&A: Summer Plants for N.C. Gardens

2011-06-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

Banana is one of the plants you'll learn how to grow in
Duke Gardens' Landscape Plants for N.C. Gardens class.

If this week’s heat has got your brain in “summer” mode, why not take that thought a step further and think about summer gardening? Bobby Mottern, a landscape architect and Duke Gardens’ director of horticulture, spoke to Gardens intern Crystal Cotton about the summer session of his “Landscape Plants for North Carolina Gardens,” which begins this Thursday.

What are some of the struggles N.C. gardeners might face?
A lot of people who take the class have moved down here from other areas, usually from up north, and the first thing that they realize is how difficult the soil is for gardening, because it’s mostly red clay.

The first thing they learn is how to deal with the soils. Then they learn how to use plants that do better in this area, because it’s hot. And it’s not necessarily the heat during the day that’s the problem, it’s the heat at night. Sometimes we just don’t get cool at night and that tends to be the deciding factor for plant material, where they can and can’t live.

Pests are another concern, with deer being the biggest pest. Insects and diseases are different things we have to deal with. But overall, the Southeast is a great environment for gardening; we usually get decent rainfall and temperatures are not too extreme. Because of the climate, the plant palette here is more developed than in other areas. We are able to grow many plants that require chilling during the winter, such as peonies and lilacs, but we can also grow salvia and agapanthus that are cold-tender.

What are some common mistakes people make in gardening here?
There are frequent mistakes that people make. Soil condition is number one. People dig a hole and they put the plant in it. They think it’s going to thrive and then they don’t understand why the plant begins to suffer. You’ve got to have quality amended soil with plenty of organic matter. As they say, “You don’t want to put a $10 plant in a 10-cent hole.” You want to make sure your soil is of equal value to the plant you’re buying.
Other issues: I think people water too much, especially their lawns. They also fertilize too much. They let the TV commercials guide them, instead of really understanding what kind of plant trouble they have, what kind of lawn they have, and understanding what it really needs. So we try to talk a little about irrigation and water practices, because we really have to be smart with how we use our water. And deer—unless you live in downtown Durham or Raleigh, you’re going to have deer, almost no matter where you are. We usually talk about what deer do not eat.

What are some of the some of the plants that will be featured in this class?
We’ll focus on perennials; herbaceous plants that go dormant during the winter and come back every year. Some specific plants we’ll discuss are purple coneflower, rudbeckia, veronica, phlox, herbs, hostas and daylilies, tropical plants like hardy banana trees and elephant ears, ornamental grasses, and many more.

What makes those plants so ideal?
They’re tried and true plants. They do very well. They’re easy to grow. They give us a nice flower or interest level throughout the summertime. Some people think it’s all about color, but it can also be a lot about texture, meaning the size or look of a plant’s foliage when it is not in bloom. Some plants have large leaves with really bold textures, such as banana plants. But then you put things like that beside ornamental grass, which is really loose, airy and light in texture, so that creates a lot of interest from combined textures. So that’s another way to generate interest when you’re not gardening just for color.

What does garden design involve?
How you would use plants, how you would group them, how you combine them with other plant material, how you would use the plant to benefit you. Let’s say something has a really nice flower and is very fragrant—you want to make sure to plant that by your patio or beside the back doorstep, someplace you’re going to be walking or sitting and enjoying that space to appreciate that fragrance. Maybe something attracts butterflies or hummingbirds—you want to plant those things where you can see those animals come into your yard.

By the end of the class, what do you what participants to have learned?
I want them to comfortable with the amount of plant material we’ve discussed in the course and for them to go to nurseries and recognize plant material and know those plants are going to do well in their yards. They’ll also be able to envision their own yard as we’re talking about plants in class, and when I say, “This plant has to be in the full sun and well-drained soil, it can’t sit in a wet location,” they’ll start to think about these areas in their yard.

Where are the best places to find these plants?
I try to recommend plants you’ll find at small nurseries and also plants you’ll find at the big box stores.

There are still a couple of spaces left in this course, which runs for four Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information or to register, please call 668-1707 or email slsmith@duke.edu. The course is part of Duke Gardens’ Home Horticulture Certificate program, though anyone may take the class.

Saturday is Spring Family Fun Day

2011-05-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Making "sound sandwiches"
at Family Fun Day

By Crystal Cotton
Do you recall those days of playing in the woods, collecting rocks, going on wild insect hunts, and making dandelion jewelry?

Well, perhaps you can get back to this during Duke Gardens’ Family Fun Day on Saturday. The point of this day is to enjoy nature and learn more about it through science-themed activity stations.

building a fairy house

Kids and their families may work together to build fairy houses, concoct gel slime, make volcanoes in a bottle, paint with plants, dissect lima beans and see how plants can grow in a plastic glove. Families may also join the Great Fish Release, in which they’ll put the first fish into the newly refurbished fish pool at the foot of the Terrace Gardens.

making "ooze"

Part of Family Fun Day’s mission is to encourage families to bring their children closer to nature in their everyday life. That’s something that Stefan Bloodworth, curator of the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, focuses on often with his own family.

In Bloodworth’s house they have “screen-free Sundays,” in which using screens of any sort – from television to computers – is forbidden.

“It’s just a time for the family to be together and get back to nature,” he says.

“When the kids know those other distractions aren’t an option,” he says, “that’s when they start looking for things to do.”

"sound sandwiches" teach children how vibration affects sound

Simply by starting with amphibians and insects, he says, you can begin to explain exactly how dependent a frog is on all of these other little pieces of its environment.

“Keep it simple, keep it interesting, and then really challenge them to make connections in their own brains,” he suggests.

learning about plants

An event like Family Fun Day can be helpful for parents who may have difficulty getting their kids outside and playing.

Durham mother Catherine Clabby likes her 12-year-old daughter to get outside and have fun because “it’s real free play.” Being outside allows kids to move their bodies and release energy, she says. “It just calms everybody down.”

“The Gardens are so great because it’s a refuge where you can come and walk and just be enveloped by all the beautiful plant life,” she says. “It’s just a place to go and relax.”

Participating in the Duke Gardens Family Fun Day could be the start of a whole new family adventure full of hiking, biking and becoming more familiar with our natural surroundings.

Family Fun Day will be Saturday, May 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about that and other nature-focused events, including summer day camp, please go to gardens.duke.edu or call 668-1707.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.
Crystal Cotton is a junior at N.C. Central University and a communications intern at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the May 21 Herald-Sun.

Can this stick be part of a fairy house?

The Spring Plant Sale Continues

2011-05-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

By Lauren Sims

Thanks to all who shopped at our fund-raising Spring Plant Sale. Duke Gardens raised roughly $10,000 after expenses. And the preview sale for members drew our highest gross ever. The preview also attracted new members who wanted first dibs on the wide array of plants -- including about 40 Duke employees who took advantage of a membership discount.

If you missed the sale, all is not lost. There are still some fabulous plants available at the Gardens' Terrace Shop, just waiting for you to give them a loving home. And for an added "Duke appreciation" perk, Duke employees may have a 20 percent discount on these plants from May 18 through May 25. (Update: this sale is now open to the general public & the plants will remain on sale until they're gone.)

There are a collection of colorful hanging baskets to choose from, full of flowers such as pink verbena.

We also have the stokesia 'Mary Gregory,' which will have a feathery yellow bloom.

The kaleidoscope abelia is a great option and always keeps you guessing; its leaves change color throughout the year.

There are some gorgeous bushes available, like the red-tipped cleyera japonica or santolina.

Cleyera japonica

Santolina

And we have a selection of the ever-popular hostas (see our hosta video) and the hardy banana plant.

Banana

If you're looking to attract wildlife to your garden, come check out the Joe Pye weed (which your neighborhood butterflies will love) and nepeta “catnip,” (which will please both the cats and the bees).

Joe Pye Weed

Nepeta 'Catnip'

(cats love it)

And if you’re looking to attract the envious glances of your neighbors, you can’t beat the sheer beauty of plants like the camellia, the spice rose, and the peony 'Scarlett O’Hara.'

Spice Rose

Duke Gardens can also help you stock your edible gardens this season. We still have a wide variety of herbs available, including rosemary, oregano, lavender, chives, chamomile and sweet basil.

Add that to our squash plants and blueberry bushes, and you are well on your way to a delectable summer garden!

Blueberry

Make planters with flowers, herbs & succulents

2011-04-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Learn how to create a living carpet from sedums
in a class at Duke Gardens
Photo by Jason Holmes

By Lauren Sims
One of the perks of the spring gardening season is having fresh cut flowers in your home – a small gathering of blooms on the coffee table, a fragrant mix of flowers and blooming branches in the entryway. Such arrangements bring the outdoor garden indoors. But no matter how diligently you tend them, within a week or so that perfect arrangement will have wilted and died.

Floral arrangements need not have such a short life, says florist and gardener Jay Stolz, who will lead several courses on living designs this spring at Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Instead of relying solely on cut flowers this season, consider a more natural design strategy, Stolz says. His living flower baskets combine differently shaped plants and flowers with blooming branches, sticks, stones and even live grass.

“I hope to be able to create something like a natural setting outdoors and move it into the home in the form of this arrangement,” he says.

The key to creating an appealing live display is to pay close attention to the patterns and boundaries of nature, Stolz says. Look for how a plant grows out in the garden and notice what it requires of the environment in order to thrive. If your arrangement does not reflect the needs of and relationships between your plants in nature, then whatever you will create will look false or unbalanced. Respect the information that the natural world provides, and your plants will be more likely to survive and flourish.

Such live indoor designs are not restricted to flowers and grasses. Indoor herb planters are another way to bring the outdoors in, and they have the added benefit of being useful in the kitchen. Again, Stolz cautions us to be mindful of the needs of these plants. For one, it is a mistake to crowd a bunch of herbs into a small space. The fullness of your planter may look nice, but your plants’ health will suffer. Each plant needs about 6 inches of unimpeded space in a deep planter. Herb roots grow down, not horizontally, so a shallow or crowded container will hold them back significantly.

In the end, planting live arrangements is a matter of aesthetics and attending to nature. When you’re designing, combine and rearrange plants until you like what you see. Then ask yourself, will these plants grow well together? Are they useful to me in such a way that I will be invested in helping them to thrive?

Learn how:
To work with Stolz’ guidance on your own planters, consider taking his spring Duke Gardens classes: “Spring Flower Basket,” April 21, 3-5 p.m.; “Herb Planter,” May 5, 3-5 p.m.; “Create a Living Carpet: Sedums and Succulents,” May 19, 3-5 p.m. To register or for more information, please email registrar Sara Smith at slsmith@duke.edu or call 668-1707. Please also see our full class and events schedule (PDF) online (or a brief roundup on our blog).

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun on April 16.

Plant Sale Preview: celandine poppy

2011-04-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Photos & text by Lauren Sims

With the Sarah P. Duke Gardens Spring Plant Sale just three weeks away, I sat down with curator Stefan Bloodworth to find out more about this year’s plant offerings from the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants.

This year, the Blomquist will feature a wide variety of woodland perennials. Among them, one great option to consider is the celandine poppy. Its sunshine-yellow blooms are reason enough to bring this plant home. But Stefan says that this plant has more than looks to recommend it. The celandine poppy is a naturalizing woodland perennial, which means that it spreads by seed very readily. So you could plant a couple of these poppies this year and, within three or four years, you could have quite a collection of them. This is a great way to fill out a garden bed. “You get more bang for your buck,” Stefan says.

If you’d like to see these flowers in their element, they’re blooming right now in the wildlife garden of the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants. That's the garden just to the right of the Blomquist's gate house entry. Come on out and take a look!

The Spring Plant Sale is April 30 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. Duke Gardens members may attend a preview sale from 5 to 7 p.m. on April 29. You can sign up for membership on site or in advance. For membership info, call 684-5579 or write to millicent.snow@duke.edu.

Stay tuned for more preview videos and blog posts.

Author lecture: "The Founding Gardeners"

2011-04-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Author interview roundup by Lauren Sims

When UK-based author Andrea Wulf first visited the United States in 1987, she found the caricatured nation she had heard about—full of big cars, huge malls and endless billboards. As she explained in an interview with Kirkus Reviews, “In America, I believed, I was more likely to see someone driving a riding-mower than pruning roses.”

But Wulf also found much more than that caricature. “At its roots America is a gardening nation,” she said in the same interview. She explores those roots in her new book, The Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature and the Shaping of the American Nation, which she'll discuss in her appearance at Duke Gardens on April 14 at 7 p.m. The book looks at America’s founding fathers (Jefferson, Washington, Adams and Madison) and how their lives as gardeners and farmers influenced their political sensibilities.

For the founding fathers, gardening was intrinsically linked with revolution and the new America. “They not only created the United States in a political sense, they also understood the importance of nature for their country,” Wulf told Kirkus Reviews. “Golden cornfields and endless rows of cotton plants became symbols for America’s economic independence from Britain; towering trees became a reflection of a strong and vigorous nation; native species were imbued with patriotism and proudly planted in gardens, while metaphors drawn from the natural world brought plants and gardening into politics.”

Furthermore, founders such as James Madison spoke out early about the need for environmental preservation in this resource-wealthy nation. Tobacco had become an incredibly important cash crop in the colonial economy by the 18th century, Wulf explained in an interview with c-ville.com. Unfortunately, it drained the land of nutrients within just a few years. In order to keep production high, farmers would simply clear virgin forests and begin planting on new fertile soil.

As early as 1818, Madison spoke out against these practices and warned that deforestation could not continue unchecked. This belief was radical for the time, but Madison understood that Americans could only benefit from their resources as long as they guarded and nurtured them. For Andrea Wulf, Madison’s preservation politics was eye-opening. “For me that was the greatest surprise in writing this book: he’s this forgotten father of environmentalism,” she told c-ville.com.

For more about Andrea Wulf, you can read a short biography online.

TICKETS: For tickets to Wulf's April 14 Duke Gardens appearance, please contact the Duke Box Office at 919-684-4444 or tickets.duke.edu.

BUY THE BOOK: Duke Gardens' Terrace Shop has copies of The Founding Gardeners for sale.

Praise for The Founding Gardeners:

"This is a timely and passionate book, with resonances beyond today's legion of new gardeners, worrying about the cost in air miles of the food they eat. Wulf traces the birth of the modern environmental movement back beyond Thoreau and Muir to the founding fathers' passion for nature and plants, and in particular to a speech by Madison in 1818. Humankind, he said, could not expect nature to be 'made subservient to the use of man': man, he believed, must find a place within 'the symmetry of nature' without destroying it.

-Katherine Swift, The Guardian

“This book will fascinate anyone interested in gardening, agriculture or American history, offering new insights into four familiar lives and conjuring up the gardens of the new republic.”

-James Grande, Mail on Sunday

“There is a huge amount of fresh research in this valuable book, including the first proper examination of the gardening exploits of presidents James Madison and John Adams. The Founding Gardeners is a great achievement and deserves its place on the shelves of political as well as garden historians.”

-Tim Richardson, Country Life

More reviews

Class preview: Season-Long Bloom

2011-04-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

Christmas fern

By Lauren Sims
Photos by Jason Holmes

Human beings are creatures of habit. This makes our lives and choices easier, when you know what is for breakfast, or look forward to the favorite TV shows, for example. But in your garden, repeating the same plantings over and over simply loses its appeal.

For people aching to escape the humdrum garden this year, Duke Gardens instructor Lauri Lawson, of Chapel Hill’s Niche Gardens, has some tips for creating a stunning season-long perennial garden.

First of all, think of your backyard garden as a year-round companion. Triangle gardeners can take advantage of an extra-long growing season that lasts well into the autumn months. Lawson urges people to make use of the full year of bloom, “from the little spring ephemeral bloomers that start the season off to the more boisterous blooms of summer,” and on into the oft-neglected fall plants which can significantly expand your color and texture palettes.

Hardy ginger lily

Lawson advises gardeners to keep in mind the nature of perennial plants when planning and planting a perennial border.

“I think the beginning gardener wants bloom, bloom, bloom, bloom all the time,” she says. But this is not the basis of a low-maintenance perennial bed. Instead, you’ll need to learn the growing times of your plants and plan for the sequence of blooms they display. That way, there will always be something interesting to see in the garden. Also, take note of the textural properties of your plants and incorporate non-blooming structural elements like ornamental grasses for added visual interest.

Finally, Lawson suggests that local gardeners take advantage of the horticultural knowledge and displays in the Triangle area. In addition to several excellent nurseries, Triangle gardeners have access to a variety of public botanical gardens, including Duke Gardens, and even private homes that hold exquisite garden tours.

“We live in one of the horticultural meccas, where there are almost too many gardens to tour,” she says.

Poke around area gardens and take notes of what plants and plant combinations appeal to you, says Lawson. Then take that inspiration home and transform your own backyard space.

If you’d like to learn more, consider taking Lawson’s Season-Long Bloom class at Duke Gardens on April 5 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The class is part of the Gardens’ new Home Horticulture Certificate program, but anyone is invited to take it. For information or to register, please call 668-1707 or email slsmith@duke.edu. See our full list of classes & events here. Also, mark your calendars for Duke Gardens' Spring Plant Sale, featuring Duke Gardens plants, other plants ideal for this region from Duke Gardens and other vendors, and other nature-related gift items. The sale is April 30 (9 a.m.-2 p.m.), with a preview sale for members on April 29 (5-7 p.m.).

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the April 2 Durham Herald-Sun.

Indian Pink

Field trip: meet the critters

2011-03-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

Spotted salamander

By Lauren Sims
Photos by Jeff Pippen

Do you know who your neighbors are? I’m thinking about your garden neighbors—have you gotten a chance to meet them? If you’d like a fun introduction, consider a field trip into Duke Forest to learn more about the critters that live just out of sight. You can see skinks, non-biting worm snakes, or beautiful spotted salamanders.

The home garden is full of all sorts of interesting and beneficial critters that populate and preserve your backyard oasis, says Jeff Pippen, an instructor and research associate at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, who’ll lead Duke Gardens’ “Herp Hunt” field studies trip to Duke Forest on April 2.

Meet the skink, for example. Skinks are small lizards that eat various types of insects and tiny creatures. Many of them have yellow body stripes and blue tails when they’re young. Catch a peek quickly, though, because they will scurry off very quickly.

Worm snakes are another prevalent garden companion. They’re very small and incapable of biting humans and they are commonly found under leaf litter in the yard, says Pippen. Fortunately for us, they feed on the small bugs and worms that might harm our plants—a task that toads also take on.

Even larger garden snakes such as the earth snake and ring-necked snake can come in handy in Piedmont gardens, Pippen says.

“Most of them are harmless,” he says. “And most of them are beneficial to have in terms of keeping various bugs or pests in check.”

If you’re interested in meeting your neighbors face to face, try putting down a critter shelter, or coverboard, in your garden.

“It’s easy to just go ahead and lay down a couple of pieces of wood or tin or some type of coverboard that can be made aesthetically pleasing if you have artistic abilities,” Pippen says. “A lot of these creatures are around anyway and this gives you a chance to see and appreciate them.”

A few of our backyard neighbors are even individually identifiable, Pippen notes. Spotted salamanders, found throughout the Piedmont area, spend much of their time underground but can sometimes be found underneath logs or other garden coverboards. Each has its own pattern of yellow or orange spots, so if homeowners pay attention they might find that they are being visited by the same salamanders over and over again.

The Herp Hunt field trip will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 2. To register, or for more information, please call 668-1707 or e-mail slsmith@duke.edu. For information about other Gardens events, please see our full events brochure (PDF) at gardens.duke.edu, or our abbreviated list. See more of Jeff Pippen's nature photos.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the March 19 Herald-Sun.

Fowler's toad

Spring is on the way!

2011-03-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

Photos and text by Lauren Sims

Well, it seems the groundhog was right this year. My recent stroll through Duke Gardens tells me that spring is on our doorstep.

Buds are giving way to beautiful and fragrant blooms throughout the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum.

The pinks and whites are lovely right now.

The oversized blooms of the Yulan magnolia are definitely a must-see.

More pinks popping...

What better complement to a Carolina blue sky?

And even on the cloudiest spring day, the daffodils throughout the Gardens are enough to make you smile.
This time of year, Duke Gardens seems to change and grow every day--new shapes, new colors, new scents. Come on out and see for yourself, and be sure to bring your camera to capture all the beauty!

Tour our gardens to plan yours

2011-03-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Allium and golden yarrow make a vibrant team

By Lauren Sims

The time has come to think about this spring’s garden. The seed magazines are waiting on the coffee table. Garden stores await your visit. The only question left is what to choose. If you’re at a loss, the curators at Sarah P. Duke Gardens may be able to fire your imagination and supply some home garden inspiration on your visits or with our guided tours.

Intriguing colors and plant combinations are the order of the day in the Historic Gardens this spring. One of curator Mike Owens’ favorite groupings is that of a golden yarrow with the purple allium ‘Ambassador,’ which stands about 4 feet tall. The mixture of colors, heights and shapes makes quite the conversation starter.

“That is probably the one combination of plantings for the spring that we get the most questions about,” Owens says.

Another fun focus this year in the Historic Gardens will be the blending of roses, like the knockout and drift rose, with annuals and even grasses like the pennisetum ‘Princess Caroline.’ This plant, while not hardy, has a dark burgundy foliage that appears almost black and would be an attention-grabbing addition to any home garden.

Grasses are also on display in the beds and containers of the Doris Duke Center Gardens this year. They add structure and visual interest to the garden, and curator Jason Holmes hopes to highlight opportunities to incorporate grasses into the landscape, whether it’s in a perennial border, shrub border or annual planting. Among the offerings to check out this season are the African feather-top grass pennisetum villosum, switch grasses and pink muhly grass. Another great grass option this year would be foxtail grasses, which are resistant to hot, dry Carolina summers.

If your garden focus this season is more of a full-sensory affair, a tour through the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum with curator Paul Jones may be just the ticket.

“We just try to make it a delightful experience,” Jones explains, “a walk through the garden talking about whatever is on people’s minds.”

While the plants are primary on the agenda, Jones moves beyond that to examine the overall atmosphere of the garden. Consider the fragrances of your plants, he says. Think about the design of your garden, the placement of your various plants and structures. Look beyond the blooms of your plants and notice their underlying form and structure. Also, take time to listen to the sounds that permeate your backyard garden. The landscape is about more than blooms, after all. Enjoy it with all your senses.

SCHEDULES: Spring Flower Walks in the Arboretum will be at 10 a.m. March 11 and April 8. Historic Gardens Color Walks will be at 9 a.m. April 7 and May 12. And Doris Duke Center Gardens tours will be at 10 a.m. May 27 and June 24. The Gardens also offers a Walk on the Wild Side through the Blomquist Garden on the first Thursday of each month, as well as periodic guided bird walks and Water Lily Walks in summer.

To register, or for more information, please call 668-1707 or e-mail slsmith@duke.edu, or read our full program guide (PDF) at our website., please go to gardens.duke.edu (or scan our abbreviated list). Our garden walks page also has tour information.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the March 5 Durham Herald-Sun.

Tour the Duke Herbarium

2011-02-28T06:29:00.000-08:00

Passiflora specimen, courtesy of Duke Herbarium

By Kathleen M. Pryer

Just what makes an oak an oak or a pine a pine? Until recently, it was based upon what we could see about a plant. For centuries, botanists and plant collectors have searched for plants in remote and isolated jungles, in urban waste lots and along railroad tracks, in order to document the diversity and distribution of the earth's flora.

The dried plant specimens are stored and studied in herbaria, which can be thought of as a library of plant life. As we lose natural habitats across the world, herbaria provide a record of plant life, and they serve as a repository of precious genetic information. Herbaria hold the tools for our understanding of the plant world.

Each herbarium specimen is key to understanding plant relationships, geographic distributions and economic usefulness. More recently, genetic and molecular studies using herbarium specimens have allowed us to see plants at an entirely different level. This refinement in our understanding of how plants may be related is a dramatic story in the botanical world.

Some early herbaria were established in Europe in the early 1600s, a time of great exploration. New plants were being found at such a rate that botanical gardens could not keep pace by growing living examples of every new species found. Representatives of many known (and even undescribed) species of plants can be found in herbaria today, carefully mounted on sheets of archival quality paper, labeled with important collection information about them, and stored on shelves in cabinets in climate-controlled rooms.

All in all, the quiet herbarium holds a fascinating story. At the Duke University Herbarium you can see 800,000 diverse specimens of algae, fungi, lichens, mosses and vascular plants. These include samples of rare passionflowers discovered in the 1970s by Duke scientists working in Costa Rica, grasses from the 1890s Biltmore Estate, and Amborella, a small shrub found only on the island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific.

Duke Gardens is offering a tour of the Duke Herbarium on March 4 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. You will have the opportunity to see the collection, hear from a botanist who studies and manages it and learn about the amazing work being done across the globe. For information or to register, please call 668-1707 or e-mail slsmith@duke.edu.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Kathleen M. Pryer is director of the Duke Herbarium and an associate professor of biology at Duke. This column first ran in the Durham Herald-Sun on Feb. 19.

For more Duke Gardens classes and special events, please see this previous post.

Adiantum specimen, courtesy of Duke Herbarium

Garden design: where to start?

2011-02-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

By Lauren Sims
Photo by William Cullina

This spring, many of us will head to a local nursery or garden center and select a few new plants for our yards. Perhaps you are looking for a couple of containers to sit on the front porch, or maybe some brightly colored annuals to line the path to the door. This seems simple enough, right? But for a lot of people, “designing” a garden space is a completely different and more daunting endeavor.

“I think design is intimidating for most people,” says William Cullina, a gardening author and director of horticulture at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. “There’s a sense that there’s a right way and there’s a wrong way to do it, and if you do it wrong it’s out there in your front yard and everybody is going to see it and you’ll be embarrassed.”

But Cullina is quick to point out that garden design does not have to be intimidating, and there is no such thing as right and wrong.

“In a sense, design is all about perception, right? It’s our perception of beauty.”

Some homeowners like the idea of a garden space that blends in with the natural landscape surrounding it, or one that suggests a landscape that they wish surrounded them, says Cullina, who counseled many Triangle gardeners back when he was nursery manager at Chapel Hill’s Niche Gardens. Others prefer a more abrupt design that sets the garden apart from its surroundings. Choose what you like, he says; no one aesthetic is better or worse than another.

One key to designing a garden space is to take the time to think abstractly, Cullina says. Right now, before that spring trip to the garden center, is the perfect time to play around with new ideas. Daydream about what you would like for and from your garden. Sketch out some ideas. Take digital photos of plants, or cut them out of a seed catalog, then lay them out and shuffle them around to see if and where you like them. And if you don’t like what you see, just grab a new piece of paper or snap a few more photos and experiment some more. No harm done.

The most important part of garden design is to enjoy yourself, says Cullina.

“Everybody has an opinion about what’s beautiful and everybody thinks that their opinion is the best one,” he says. “So I think you have to take it all with a grain of salt and have fun with it.”

You can learn more from Cullina when he visits Duke Gardens for two special events this month. On Feb. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon, he’ll lead a workshop called “Beyond the Surface: Soil Demystified.” Then from 3 to 5 p.m., he’ll present a talk titled “The Botany of Design.” For more information, please call 668-1707 or e-mail slsmith@duke.edu. To see Duke Gardens’ full roster of discovery programs, please go to gardens.duke.edu.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun on Feb. 5, 2011.

Training new docents. Join us!

2011-02-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

Duke Gardens is pleased to announce the dates for this year's docent training. We are expanding programming in children’s education and hope to train 7 or 8 new children's docents. We would also like to offer more trolley and walking tours in our adult tour program.

Docent trainees must attend each of the three trainings listed below. The deadline to sign up is Feb. 16.

Dates: February 21, 23 and 25

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Please contact Chuck Hemric if you would like to sign up or are seeking more information. You can also read more on our website about our volunteer opportunities in education, as well as other volunteer opportunities.

Thanks for your interest!

Soil Demystified

2011-01-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

By Lauren Sims
Photo by William Cullina.

Red clay soil, like sweet iced tea, is an ever-present and oft-romanticized symbol of Southern living. However, not everyone waxes poetic about it. For many Triangle gardeners, the clay can be more of a bother than a blessing.

William Cullina commiserates.

Going through a gardening magazine and selecting plants you like may be a challenge for clay soil – some plants just don’t like to grow in clay, says Cullina, former nursery manager for Chapel Hill’s Niche Gardens and now director of horticulture at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

But don’t give up on your garden just yet. That same troublesome soil also has some great advantages. Cullina likens it to a sponge, absorbing and retaining both water and vital nutrients.

“Clay soils can be very fertile soils and rich soils,” he says, “if they are managed the right way.”

Those management techniques will be the subject of Cullina’s Feb. 12 workshop at Duke Gardens, “Beyond the Surface: Soil Demystified.”

The growth and activity that is ongoing below the ground in a garden is really more important that what you see above the ground, says Cullina. “But it’s hard for us to get a handle on it, since we don’t live underground and we’re not microscopic.”

Cullina aims to make the science of soil intriguing and accessible to home gardeners, so that they can tie it in with their everyday horticultural practices. He has helped many a home gardener with his books on plants, including “Understanding Perennials: A New Look at an Old Favorite” and “Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants.”

Healthy soil contributes to healthier plants and greater ecological function, and Cullina encourages natural methods to maintain it. There are organic solutions to every situation that are more effective than synthetic solutions for a lot of different reasons, he explains. And the more living material those organic solutions involve, the better.

One common practice is to add compost, or organic soil amendments, to your garden. Effective organic amendments have two components: the living and the dead. If you purchase compost directly from the supplier who produces it, you’ll receive not only the dead material but also a wide array of living micro- and macro-organisms that can feed and enrich your home garden.

It is, at its core, a simple idea. “This is just nature,” he says. “This is the way that life on earth has functioned for millions of years.”

Cullina’s soil workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon in the Doris Duke Center. He will also make a presentation titled “The Botany of Design” from 3 to 5 p.m. For information or to register for either event, please call 668-1707 or email our registrar. You may also read more about these events and others in our full program guide (PDF), or glance at a full list of Jan.-June 2011 classes.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun on Jan. 29.

Annuals or Perennials?

2011-01-28T08:29:00.000-08:00

The echinacea coneflower is among perennials
that live for a long time.

By Lauren Sims
Photo by Alice Le Duc

As we prepare to flip to the next page on the calendar, we are reminded that spring is inching ever closer. That means it’s time to start thinking about our spring gardens, and one of our initial planting questions may be, “Annuals or perennials?”

Bill Cullina, author of Understanding Perennials: A New Look at an Old Favorite and other plant books, and director of horticulture at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, would have us ask an even more fundamental question first: "What does it mean for a plant to be perennial, anyway?"

Often, says Cullina, people operate under the assumption that “perennial” indicates a plant that continues to grow and bloom for many years. While some perennials do last for generations, many of them only live for a few years. Perennial plants must store away enough energy to survive months of dormancy every year and regenerate the following season. This is a costly process, and many of the plant’s resources are invested in preparing for and living through this dormant period.

Annuals, on the other hand, have no need to store energy or conserve resources. They give everything they have for a short period of time, burning brightly but extinguishing quickly. The biological strategy for annuals is to produce the most seed possible.

“So it’s hard to find perennials that bloom the way an annual plant does or a tropical plant does, that doesn’t have to worry about stocking things away for the dormant season,” says Cullina, whom local gardeners may recall from his days as nursery manager at Chapel Hill's Niche Gardens.

“The idea of the non-stop blooming perennial, while there are a few things that might fall under that category, is sort of a pipe dream because when it’s blooming it’s using up its resources.”

To learn more about perennial plants and the design opportunities they offer, join Bill Cullina on Feb. 12 from 3-5 p.m. for “The Botany of Design” presentation at Duke Gardens. Cullina will also do a 9 a.m.-noon workshop for a small group titled “Beyond the Surface: Soil Demystified.”

The fee for “The Botany of Design” is $35; $30 for Gardens members. The soils workshop is $70; $55 for members. For more information or to register, please call 668-1707 or e-mail registrar Sara Smith. Please also see our online education booklet (PDF) for other discovery programs for adults and children.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens.

Duke Gardens: Exploring Winter Botany

2011-01-18T06:36:00.000-08:00

Article by Lauren Sims
Photos by Rick Fisher

For many, a walk through the woods to identify plants is an activity restricted to the spring and summer seasons. Plants, after all, are identified by their leaves—nature must be in bloom in order to learn about them. Right? Not so fast, says Ken Moore.

“Take a walk in the woods in the wintertime, and try and contrast it with a similar walk that you would make in the middle of the summer,” says Moore, the former assistant director of the N.C. Botanical Garden. “In the wintertime, you don’t have all those leaves on the trees. So you can really see the whole nature of the landscape. You can see the ups and downs, you see the beautiful architecture of the whole forest.”
A forest is lovely in the summer, Moore says. But despite the cool shade and the vibrant greens, “you can’t really see the forest because of the leaves. You’re so busy looking at the color of trees and flowers and the texture of ferns, you’re sort of unaware of the characteristics of individual plants.”

“With all the leaves gone, you’re forced to concentrate on other aspects of the plants,” he says. And, surprisingly, bare branches can actually be more clearly identifiable than foliage. According to Moore, leaves on the same plant may vary widely in their color, their size and even in their shape. In many cases, using them for identification purposes can be more confusing than helpful. More stable identifiers like bark and the configuration of buds at the ends of branches are often a surer bet, and they are showcased during the winter months.
Winter may appear to be a barren or uninteresting season for nature lovers, but do not be fooled. There is much to learn about your favorite plants this time of year. In fact, you may come to prize those winter nature walks even more than their summer counterparts.

“Most of us walk around in the winter saying, ‘I don’t know what any of these things are, I’ll have to wait until the leaves come out so I can tell you.’ My feeling is, ‘I can’t wait until the leaves all fall off, and then I can have the forest back!’ ”
To learn more about nature in winter, consider taking Moore’s “Winter Botany” 2-day class at Duke Gardens on Jan. 23 and 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. For information or to register, call 668-1707, e-mail the registrar or see page 12 of our full education brochure (PDF).
Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This article first appeared in The Herald-Sun on Jan. 15.

Duke Gardens greeting cards are here!

2010-12-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

Duke Gardens' 2010 greeting cards are in, and they're available for sale at the Terrace Shop -- a fantastic gift for your nature-loving friends and family.

The first four images below come in a 12-pack of 4x6 cards for $10. The final image is our winter scene, which you can buy as individual 5x7 cards for $2.

If you're a Duke student or employee, you can get 20 percent off those prices during the holiday sale through Dec. 23. (That applies to our 2011 wall calendar, too. See a PDF preview.) Be sure to bring your i.d.

Ayamebashi (Iris Bridge) in the W.L. Culberson Asiatic Arboretum. Photo by Lee Capps.

Wisteria-covered Pergola in the Terrace Gardens.
Photo by Alice Le Duc.

Great blue heron in the Virtue Peace Pond in the Doris Duke Center Gardens.
Photo by Tamara Kilbane.

Bird-Watching Shelter in the H.L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants.
Photo by Ed Albrecht.

Blomquist Gate House. Photo by Rick Fisher.

Doris Duke Center Holiday Decorations

2010-12-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for some holiday cheer, the Doris Duke Center has an array of festive and unusual trees for you to see.

Each year, five local organizations are assigned to one tree each, with an overarching theme and sub-themes. The main theme this year is A Potager Garden Holiday.

The first photos below from decorating day are of the tree made by the Durham Woman's Club, with a fruit theme. This tree is in the center's lobby, so if there's an event in the Kirby Horton Hall that prevents you from seeing the other trees up close, you'll definitely get to see this one.

Below is the fruit tree topper.

The Heritage Garden Club worked on an herbal theme, with rosemary mini-wreaths and even beads made from herbs, all seen below.

And here's their topper.

The local chapter of Ikebana International worked on a flower theme.

They even made little origami cranes.

And here's their topper.

The Treyburn Garden Club's theme was pollinators. They had lots of fun with it.

Here's their hive topper.

The Duke Campus Club worked on our fifth tree, with a vegetable theme. Check out the beets, turnips and carrots and -- what do you expect with carrots nearby? -- a rabbit!

And their topper.

You can see these trees anytime during visitor center hours, as long as there's not an event going on in the Kirby Horton Hall. (The center is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.) Call 684-3698 if you want to check the event schedule in advance. We'll take them down on Jan. 5.

A big thanks from Duke Gardens to all the artistic minds who put together such an imaginative selection of themed trees. And we also thank the many generous and devoted Duke Gardens volunteers who helped put up the trees and decorate the center. This festive scene is spreading lots of joy to visitors and staff alike.

(For more holiday cheer, please check out our new greeting cards. They include a 12-pack of 4 garden shots, and a 5x7 card sold singly with a Blomquist Garden snow scene.)

Duke Gardens: holiday decorations class photos

2010-12-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

Our holiday decorations class was great fun, especially with the winter wonderland developing outside the cozy & pine-scented classroom.

If you couldn't make it but still want to make your own winter centerpiece, here are a few tips. And below is some visual inspiration, photos of students working on their decorations, as well as some beautiful examples that instructors Michelle Rawlins and Harry Jenkins created.

(Above are two a student-made decorations.
And below are those by our instructors,
showing the huge variety in what you can create.)

Duke Gardens: 2011 events schedule

2010-12-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

(Update 6/1/11: Please see our fall/winter 2011 schedule on this blog post)

Sarah P. Duke Gardens’ new education guide is now online. The PDF includes class descriptions, instructor information, meeting times/locations and fees for all classes between January 1 and June 30, 2011, plus summer camp.

Below is a quick rundown of the season’s offerings, including page numbers where you can find more information in our full guide.

(*4/14/11 update: for those seeking information about our outdoor movie series Movies in the Gardens at Twilight, we'll have 2011 information soon. But the theme is animation and the films will be on the four Thursdays in August. We'll also have a special showing of "Play Again," a documentary about the consequences of a childhood removed from nature, on Sept. 15, in partnership with Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. All films are free and for all ages.)

Remember, if you join Friends of Duke Gardens, you'll get a discount on all classes, among other perks. Duke faculty, staff & students also get the Friends rate.

To register, please e-mail Jan Little or call 668-5309. You can also mail our registration form to Jan Little, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Box 90341, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0341.

Gardening and Horticulture

· Maintaining the Land: Landscape Maintenance and Management (Jan. 9; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series)—pg. 7
· Durham Garden Forum: container vegetable gardens (Jan. 18)—pg. 9
· Planting the Landscape: Design II (3-class course, Jan. 20-Feb. 3)—pg. 2
· Beyond the Surface: Soil Demystified, with author William Cullina (Feb. 12)—pg. 2
· The Botany of Design, with William Cullina (Feb. 12)—pg. 3
· Durham Garden Forum: deer-resistant plants (Feb. 15)—pg. 9 (special free admission)
· Permaculture (Feb. 20; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series)—pg. 7
· Rose Care and Pruning (Feb. 24)—pg. 6
· Spring Pruning (March 10)—pg. 3
· Durham Garden Forum: summer and fall bulbs (March 15)—pg. 9
· Cool Perennials for Cool Places (March 20; part of the Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardener Series)—pg. 7
· Season-Long Bloom (April 5)—pg. 3
· The Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature and the Shaping of the American Nation, with author Andrea Wulf (April 14)—pg. 4 (Read more here)
· Landscape Plants for N.C. Gardens: Spring (4-class course, April 14-May 5)—pg. 5
· J.C. Raulston Arboretum Tour (April 17)—pg. 8
· Durham Garden Forum: tropical trends (April 19)—pg. 9
· Spring Plant Sale (April 30). More info.
· Durham Garden Forum: making the grade (May 17)—pg. 9
· Montrose Gardens Tour (May 20)—pg. 9
· Landscape Plants for N.C. Gardens: Summer (4-class course, June 2-23)—pg. 5
· Basic Botany and Plant Growth (4-class course, June 4-25)—pg. 5
· Herbs from the Garden (June 17)—pg. 8
· Durham Garden Forum: container gardening (June 21)—pg. 9

Botanical Art and Craft

· Ikebana Demonstration (Feb. 23)—pg. 10
· Spring Flower Basket (April 21)—pg. 10
· Floral Design for Fun (6-class course, April 22-May 27)—pg. 10
· Drawing from Nature (5-class course, April 28-May 26)—pg. 11
· Herb Planter (May 5)—pg. 11
· Create a Living Carpet: Sedums and Succulents (May 19)—pg. 11
· Buy, Draw, Eat (June 2)—pg 11
· Floral Design II (4-class course, June 3-24)—pg. 10

Natural History

· Walk on the Wild Side (Blomquist tour; 1st Thursdays, Jan. 6, Feb. 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, or June 2)—pg. 17
· Winter Botany (2-class course, Jan. 23 and 30)—pg 12
· Geology: The Ecology of Change (3-class course, Feb. 9-March 9)—pg. 13
· UNC Herbarium Tour (Feb. 26)—pg. 13
· Duke Herbarium Tour (March 4)—pg. 13
· Early Spring Jewels: Field Studies Trip (March 27)—pg. 16
· Herp Hunt: Field Studies Trip (April 2)—pg. 16
· Local Flora: Spring (4-class course, April 2-May 14)—pg. 16
· Bird Walks (April 9 or April 30)—pg. 17
· Drawing from Nature (5-class course, April 28-May 26)—pg. 17

Nature Photography

· Digital Photography: Understanding Digital Camera, Camera to Computer & Photo Editing (beginner level; 3-class course, Jan. 20-Feb. 3)—pg. 18
· Photoshop for the Nature Photographer - *canceled* - (3-class course, Feb. 11-25)—pg. 19
· The Impact of Nature Photography (3-class course, Feb. 22-March 8)—pg. 19
· Spring Awakening: Close-up Strategies (March 26)—pg. 19
· Intro to Nature Photography (2-class course, April 26 & May 3)—pg. 20
· Photographing Plants (2-class course, May 11 & 18)—pg. 20
· Improving Photo Quality (May 21 & 22)—pg. 20

Japanese Tea Gatherings

· First Voice of Spring Tea (Feb. 18)—pg. 21
· Dolls Festival Tea (March 5)—pg. 21
· Cherry Blossom Festival (April 3)—pg. 21
· Spring Blossoms Tea (April 22)—pg. 21
· Boys’ Day Tea (May 6)—pg. 21
· Mother’s Day / Children’s Day Tea (May 7)—pg. 21

Tours and Field Trips

· Walk on the Wild Side (Blomquist tour; 1st Thursdays, Jan. 6, Feb. 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2)—pg. 17
· UNC Herbarium Tour (Feb. 26)—pg. 13
· Duke Herbarium Tour (March 4)—pg. 13
· Spring Flower Walk in the Arboretum (March 11 or April 8)—pg. 6
· Early Spring Jewels: Field Studies Trip (March 27)—pg. 16
· Herp Hunt: Field Studies Trip (April 2)—pg. 16
· Historic Gardens Color Walk (April 7 or May 12)—pg. 6
· Bird Walks (April 9 or April 30)—pg. 17
· J.C. Raulston Arboretum Tour (April 17)—pg. 8
· Montrose Gardens Tour (May 20)—pg. 9
· Gardens of the Doris Duke Center (May 27 or June 24)—pg. 8

Children and Family Programs

· Nature for Sprouts (Feb. 4, 11, 18, or 25)—pg. 24
· Nature Story Time (March 12)—pg. 24
· Arts in the Garden: Duke’s Hoof ‘n’ Horn troupe (March 26)—pg. 24
· Nature Ranger Cart (free drop-in activities; Friday mornings in April and May)—pg. 26
· Nature for Sprouts (April 8, 15, 22, or 29)—pg. 24
· Nature Story Time (April 9)—pg. 24
· Sunday Science (free drop-in activities; April 17, 24, May 1, 8, May 15 canceled, May 22)—pg. 26
· Nature Story Time (May 14)—pg. 24 - CANCELED.
· Arts in the Garden: Paperhand Puppet Intervention (May 28)—pg. 24
· Spring Family Fun Day (free festival; May 28)—pg. 26. Info here.
· Nature Adventures Camp: Animals in the Garden (for ages 8-11; June 20-24)—pg. 25 ( (June 13-17 is canceled)
· Nature Adventures Camp: Animal Homes (for ages 6 & 7; June 27-July 1)—pg. 25
· Nature Adventures Camp: Drawing on Nature (for ages 12 & 13; July 11-15. Sorry, this session is also canceled, due to low enrollment)—pg. 25

Holiday Decorations with Help from Duke Gardens

2010-11-29T06:48:00.000-08:00

With guidance in Duke Gardens' workshop,
you can make your own holiday swag, wreath or centerpiece.

Photo and article by Lauren Sims

Winter evergreens and berries present countless opportunities for indoor decoration during the holidays. But how do you get from a collection of stems and leaves to a cohesive arrangement? Jan Little, director of education and public programs at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, gives us some tips.

First, arrange plant materials into distinct piles, Little says. This will give you a better idea of the sizes and shapes you're working with. Next, find a container that suits the location and purpose of the finished arrangement. Set a piece of pre-soaked florist’s foam snugly in that container. As you begin, place your tallest stems in the foam first as a way of visually delineating the height and breadth of the arrangement.

Continue, varying heights and textures of evergreens, until the foam base is disguised. Little recommends turning the container regularly as you go in order to get an equal distribution of plants all the way around. Also, use as much of your natural materials as possible—even those small or unimpressive stems can help to fill out the container.

Once the foam is fully disguised, spend a minute locating those areas that need some extra pizzazz. Fill them in with flowers, berries and interesting leaves.

If you’d like some guidance, consider taking Duke Gardens’ “Holiday Decorations” class on Dec. 4 from 2-4 p.m. The class will include demonstrations of six to eight different types of arrangements with varying styles and ingredients, followed by help in making your own. The fee is $60, or $40 for members, and it includes plant materials & other supplies (but students should bring pruners and any embellishments they'd like to add besides the bow provided). Please e-mail or call 668-5309 for information or to register.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This article first appeared in the Herald-Sun's Homes & Garden section on Nov. 27.

Class: Landscape Plants for N.C. Gardens

2010-11-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor)

Photo by Jason Holmes

By Lauren Sims

As the temperature falls and the leaves follow suit, area gardens are taking on a new feel.

“You see different things in the wintertime,” says Duke Gardens director of horticulture Bobby Mottern. “When deciduous trees and shrubs have shed their leaves you start to see shapes and form a lot more than you do during the other parts of the year when your eye is focused on other things. Evergreen material really does provide the show for the next four months around here.”

Evergreen trees and shrubs may not always flower heavily, but they create impact with form to the garden during the coldest months of the year, he says. Even when the brightly colored flowers of spring and summer have faded away, these hardy plants retain their structure, silhouette, and visual interest.

Many evergreen plants can add exciting outlines to the landscape during winter, for example, Mottern says. Hardy palms like the dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) and needle palm (Rapidophylum hystrix) grow well in North Carolina and lend a hint of the tropics even in the middle of January. And the bright red berries of the deciduous winterberry (Ilex verticillata) not only provide rich color but also attract wildlife in the late winter.

“You really appreciate them when everything else has lost its leaves and that’s really all you have going on in the wintertime,” Mottern says of these cold-tolerant plants.

Mottern advises local gardeners to keep their planting options open in the coming months. Many people tend to think that they can’t plant during the winter, he says. In fact, with proper plant care and soil conditions, planting can continue this time of year as long as the ground is not frozen.

If you would like to learn more about winter gardens and planting, consider taking the Duke Gardens class “Landscape Plants for North Carolina Gardens.” Mottern teaches the three-class series, which runs Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 and 14 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Mottern will teach students not only about the plants themselves but also where they can find them and how to utilize them in their own gardens.

For information about this class and other events in November & December, see our previous blog post or call 668-5309. Our Jan.-June schedule will also appear soon in the "news" section of our website, gardens.duke.edu.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the Nov. 20 Homes & Garden section of The Herald-Sun.

Silhouette Photo Class

2010-11-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

Do the dwindling flowers of the coming winter leave you lacking photo inspiration? Try our Silhouette photo class this Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. To register, call 919-668-5309. The cost is $180; $150 for Duke Gardens members. The class is open to photographers of all levels.

Here are some teaser photos by instructor Kevin Adams.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St. in Durham.

Duke Gardens: A Student's Eye View

2010-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Blooming Now at Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Photos and text by Lauren Sims

Duke Gardens Curators Jason Holmes and Mike Owens and horticulturist Tamara Kilbane all agree that the camellias are not to be missed right now at Duke Gardens. The “Maiden’s Blush” camellias that line the Perennial Allee are in full bloom. Their pale pink blossoms reach nearly 15 feet in height, and their spicy fragrance fills the air. It is a sight to behold!

In the next few days, you can also catch a glimpse of the ginkgo biloba in all its glory. Its leaves are a brilliant shade of yellow, which looks spectacular against a deep Carolina sky. But hurry on over to take your pictures—in just a matter of days the show will be over and it will drop all its leaves into a thick golden blanket on the grass.

Along with the ginkgo, you will want to wander around and take in the colors of the rest of the fall foliage, Jason says.

“We have a lot of the wonderful southern sugar maples, which are in full bright yellow-to-golden color right now," he says. "The sourwoods are a brilliant red, a lot of the red maples are really turning their fall colors, and the pin oaks are brilliant burgundy red right now.”

The Gardens also boasts a wide variety of grasses and evergreens, as well as a lovely collection of pansies, which lend some deeper shades to the color palette. And as the leaves fade and fall, the new berries on the winter hollies will stand out even more.

Come visit us and enjoy the colors, and the brisk fall weather for yourself.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St. in Durham.

Lauren Sims is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School and a work-study assistant at Duke Gardens.

Duke Gardens craft sale preview

2010-11-11T07:12:00.001-08:00

Our volunteer Garden Guild works tirelessly all year long making gift items for sale in the Terrace Shop and at our annual holiday craft sale. This year's sale is Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Doris Duke Center. Admission is free and parking is free until 1 p.m. Groups in buses are welcome. All proceeds from the sale go directly to Duke Gardens.

We hope you'll come and take a look at the sweets, ornaments, stationery, knitted items and other treasures they've made. Here's a preview for you.

gourd birdhouses

gourd ornaments

origami gift boxes

origami gift boxes made from recycled Gardens publications

woven reed ornaments

"goldfish" soap

sweet treats

decorative vases

cubby clocks

photo or note holders

floral fabric brooches

And a few more surprises, like this kitty gourd
who'll have his colorful painted coat by Saturday

Hope to see you here!

Duke Gardens class: Planning Your Garden

2010-11-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Article & sample design by Jan Little

Your personal garden should be a dream come true. It should charm you and improve your everyday life.

But how do you get there?

For some people a garden just happens. They buy plants and put them in the ground. Some seasons, they may move the plants from space to space until they and the plants are happy. And that process itself may the dream come true, a place to putter with their hands in the dirt, getting to know each plant through the seasons.

For others, the blank areas outside their doorways are just too big and overwhelming. They can’t seem to get started. That is when a landscape plan can make a difference.

Designing a landscape follows a process. The steps are not completely linear. Sometimes a step will cause you to loop back and reconsider an earlier decision. But with some effort, you will be able to complete a design.

The first rule of designing a landscape is to release yourself from needing to know what the end result will look like. Almost all creative processes require you to delay seeking a solution. That delay gives you the time to develop a sophisticated understanding of the challenges, and to set aside your preconceived notions. It also makes the end result more satisfying.

You do know what is in your landscape and your view right now, and that is the place to begin. Make a list or a scaled drawing that shows everything about your house and landscape. Include window locations and heights, doorways, walkways, driveways, patios, decks, water sources, trees and fences. It is often convenient to use the land survey that you received when your house was purchased as your base plan. List and evaluate existing conditions. Which do you like and which would you prefer to screen?

Next, you will put together a wish list. Just what do you want in your garden? A vegetable garden, a perennial border, a swing set, an ornamental pool, a shade garden, cutting flowers, fruit trees, a play space, patio or deck? Do you prefer low maintenance? What are your plant preferences? Bright, colorful flowers? Soothing tones of green? Fragrance? Consider your time budget and your financial budget as two line items on your list.

Now take your wish list and begin considering sizes. Should you plan for a 20-by-20-foot vegetable garden, or only 5-by-10? The more detailed your wish lists, the closer you will be able to approximate the sizes of different garden elements. For patios or decks, list the furniture you would like and that will help you estimate size.

Once you have the basic sizes, you can begin to shape how the garden will look. Using tracing paper over your base plan, begin to place your requirements on the paper. Further develop your plan by using some geometric shapes. Maybe the built elements are rectangular and the plant beds curvilinear. What happens when you turn the rectangles on a 45 degree angle? Perhaps that is more interesting.

Working on paper and using tracing paper helps you consider varied solutions. Making mistakes on paper is much easier that making them in the landscape itself.

Have fun with it. And if you could use more guidance, consider signing up for our “Design Your Home Landscape” four-week course beginning Nov. 18 from 6 to 9 p.m.

For information about this and other classes, please see our full schedule online at gardens.duke.edu or call 668-5309. You can see our full Nov.+Dec. schedule in this post.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens creates and nurtures an environment in the heart of Duke University for learning, inspiration and enjoyment through excellence in horticulture. The Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Jan Little is a landscape architect and the Gardens’ director of education and public programs. She will teach “Design Your Home Landscape.”

This column first appeared in the Herald-Sun's Homes & Garden section on Nov. 6.