Winter in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden

Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden after last week's dusting of snow.

by Lindsey Fleetwood
horticulturist, Doris Duke Center Gardens

Winter at Sarah P. Duke Gardens is an exciting time of year. Last year most of our fall sown crops were able to withstand our lowest temperatures, which dipped to 19 degrees. This year has been more challenging, with our lowest temperatures reaching single digits. On the bright side, these frigid temperatures will help to kill some of the overwintering harmful pests and diseases, such as mildew spores and squash bugs!

To help fend off the cold, we have set up several hoop houses with frost fabric 
over some of our broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.

Winter is a time for planning and reevaluating, ordering seeds, planting seeds, anticipating the taste of that first ripening tomato. Here in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden we are doing all of those things. On these very cold mornings, we have been settling in with our mounds of seed catalogs, eyes feasting on colorful images of golden green beans, orange tomatoes, red okra and so many more neat varieties of edibles. This is one of my favorite parts. I love to see that big orange envelope of seeds arrive in the mail. They're here!

Late January is a good time to start seeds that require a longer growing season, such as peppers. This is also a good time to sow seeds that you wish to have larger transplants, like eggplant.  We have been sowing other seeds to plant back in the spring garden once these frigid temperatures let up, such as warm season onions, arugula, mustard and kale.

Two of our volunteers, Patty and Cynthia, 
work on sowing seeds in peat pots.

Keep checking back for more updates from the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden!

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 receives roughly half of its operating budget from Duke University. The rest comes from people like you, who value all that this public botanic garden has to offer.

Tips to Improve Your Landscape

The Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden

is a great place to get landscape guidance.

Photo by Robert Ayers.

By Erika Zambello

Each home has its own unique landscape. And a successful landscape requires design and forethought to align with the lifestyle and needs of the home. Jeff Evans, a licensed landscape architect and instructor of Duke Gardens’ “Twelve Ways to Improve Your Landscape” course, spoke to me about how to approach improving your own landscape.

Envisioning your future outdoor space and how it will enrich your life is the goal of landscape design. “Does the homeowner want more parking, a rose garden, more privacy?” Evans asks. Does the homeowner want to be actively engaged in the landscape garden, or is it primarily meant to be viewed? In addition to space-use concerns, a homeowner must consider whether there are potential site problems, such as drainage or a need for seating and entertaining areas.

The second set of questions homeowners must ask involves what challenges their properties may pose to their overall vision. Are the outdoor areas shady or exposed? Is there too much drainage or too little? Challenges, Evans tells me, are really opportunities to address how your individual landscape fits within the broader environment, and they are thus opportunities to be creative.

As an example, many homeowners are dissatisfied with their outdoor living spaces. Clients often come to Evans complaining that their space is uninteresting and too small, he says. How can this be addressed by altering the landscape?

To answer this question, you must ask another. A rectangle is just a rectangle, Evans says. “How can we take that space and make it better accommodate the way you want to use it?” If you envision a private enclave, divide a larger outdoor space into smaller areas using plants or other building materials. If you need a larger space for family and friends, you can still make it your own through creative use of materials. Instead of a concrete slab, use cobbles, bricks, stone or other interesting ground materials.

“Add personalized elements like a fountain or colorful furniture,” Evans suggests. “It’s a question of who you are.” Use fun fabrics, decorations, or natural objects on walls or other flat spaces. Plant special bushes or flowers for their color or fragrance. If budget is a concern, don’t be afraid to repurpose decorations, statuary or materials from other parts of your house, or from thrift stores or consignment shops.

“I love working with people,” Evans says. Asking the right questions about each home’s landscape priorities, he says, is the first step toward explaining what they can’t put into words.

If you want to learn more ways to improve your own landscape, check out Duke Gardens’ “Twelve Ways to Improve your Landscape” on Jan. 23, from 7-8:30 p.m. The cost is $15; $12 Duke Gardens members. You may register by calling 919-668-1707. To see additional class offerings and events, please go to our calendar page.

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 receives roughly half of its operating budget from Duke University. The rest comes from people like you, who value all that this public botanic garden has to offer. Duke Gardens is at 420 Anderson St.

Blogger Erika Zambello is a graduate student studying Ecosystem Science and Conservation at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.

Species Spotlight: Great Blue Heron

The Garden Pond in the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum is home to numerous species of exotic and native waterfowl, but it is also the favorite hunting ground for one of North America's largest birds: the great blue heron. 

 
This feathered resident stands at over 4 feet tall and sports a handsome array of blue and white feathers. Though their color and size have obviously earned them their name, great blue herons are also known for their bright yellow eyes and long, dark, feathered eye stripe.

 
To catch their prey, great blue herons stand stalk-still waiting for a fish or frog to approach. As the Cornell Lab of Ornithology writes, "Watch for the lightning-fast thrust of the neck and head as they stab with their strong bills." The catfish in the Asiatic Arboretum Pond are their particular favorites.

Great blue herons are habitat generalists, and they can be found near saltwater or freshwater, along lakes, ponds, rivers, mudflats or salt marshes. Here at Duke Gardens, our heron prefers the Virtue Peace Pond of the Doris Duke Center Gardens, the Garden Pond of the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum, or surveying his kingdom from the top of one of the tallest pines overlooking the Historic Gardens.

Next time you visit Duke Gardens, keep an eye out for our resident heron. Though visitors must be careful not to approach too closely or disturb the heron (it is a wild bird), he is sure to provide some picturesque views and photographs!

Blogger Erika Zambello is a graduate student studying Ecosystem Science and Conservation at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.