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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.