Nature journaling day camp for tweens

By Jan Little
Photo by Lauren Sims

Artists, gardeners, writers, scientists and others have kept journals in which they can jot notes, observations, ideas they want to explore and details to be drawn. Leonardo da Vinci’s journals are maintained in a number of museums around the world. In his journals he kept everything from grocery lists to sketches of helicopters!

Journaling is a way to focus your thoughts and explore a concept without losing track of ideas. For an artist, a journal provides a quick way to record a view or a detail for later use. Some artists work on small versions of a larger project in their journals first, searching for just the right composition to help them move forward on the full-size version.

Children ages 11 to 13 will have the opportunity to try out nature journaling in “Drawing on Nature,” two one-week Nature Adventures Camp programs in August. As a group, they will explore nature in the Gardens. Individually, they can record notes, sketches, ideas, poems and observations. The journal requires careful observation and helps develop a vivid understanding of nature, perhaps even a delight in your findings.

The children will be following a popular tradition. Thomas Jefferson maintained decades of garden journals in which he recorded a calendar of when seeds were sown and seedlings planted, the timing and amount of harvest, and plant evaluation. Those journals are still being studied and used by gardeners and researchers to understand gardening and landscaping in Jefferson’s time.

Chuck Hemric, Duke Gardens’ volunteer director and an avid gardener, maintains a garden journal that began when he moved to his home and garden eight years ago.  It helps him track types of plants, planting locations, the plant source, weather trends, and seasonal notes such as first bloom or first fruit.
“It helps me learn and remember what conditions work for a plant and determine just what is meant by part shade, full shade, so I can learn the conditions unique to my garden in which a plant will thrive,” he says.

Self-discovery is inevitable as you maintain a journal, and it will be fun to see what the youngsters who participate in “Drawing on Nature” will learn about themselves. The program will be guided by local artists and experienced journal-keepers, who will help the children pursue their own interests and hone their skills. The children need not have exceptional artistic or writing abilities to participate.

Camp dates & information: Drawing on Nature camp runs from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 6-10 or Aug. 13-17 (children may attend both). Extended care is available from 1-4 p.m. The cost is $150 per child per week; $75 more per week for extended care. For complete information, please visit gardens.duke.edu or call 919-668-1707.

UPDATE: We regret to announce that we are canceling the journaling camp due to low enrollment. We thank the many families who filled our other summer camps to capacity, and we look forward to shaping another exciting camp season next summer. If there's a themed camp you would love to see offered, please feel free to suggest it to education coordinator Kavanah Anderson.

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.

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

Patterns in Nature

Can you see the Fibonacci sequence in this coneflower?

Photo by Robert Ayers

By Jan Little

Why is it that some things simply appear “right” to our eyes? How is it that we recognize immediately when a flower is misshapen or a fruit has grown incorrectly?

It all has to do with pattern. There are patterns in the world that appear over and over in a variety of plants, animals and even humans. Think of the pinwheels in the middle of a daisy flower, the spiral line of a pine cone, or the average dimensions of a human face. Each of these is part of a pattern called the golden ratio, or Phi. This ratio is commonly written out as a dimension of 1 to 1.65, easily understood as a rectangle that measures 1 along the short side and 1.65 along the long side of the rectangle.

You can measure the width of your face compared to the length of your face and find the same dimension, or the length of your leg from the hip down compared to the length from the knee down to the floor. The same dimensions, drawn graphically as a spiral, are seen in nautilus shells, pineapples, branch distributions on trees, and sedum plants.

People have adapted this golden ratio into everyday objects in our lives. Buildings, such as the Parthenon, are built using these dimensions, and the Chicago-style window and 3 x 5 index cards are all examples of the golden ratio.

Artists use “golden” relationships in their compositions and many books have dissected the geometric compositions of classic artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and others.

Even today people are still using this ratio as a guide to assist them in designing objects, buildings, landscapes, paintings, or photographs that are seen as beautiful and compelling.

Students in design programs, if they are struggling with a shape or solution but don’t feel that it is quite right, are frequently advised to double-check the dimensions.  Their problems are often solved if they can introduce a “golden ratio” within their design.

This golden ratio is a tool used in nature photography as well. Over and over again, if you introduce these numbers into your photograph it will gain strength in composition. The main subject can be set at a “golden” place within the photograph. Or multiple objects can sit along a graphic “golden” relationship.

Many of the photography classes at Sarah P. Duke Gardens help participants practice creating and capturing this sequence, along with other skills. A 3-class workshop beginning June 14, “Composition and Light,” taught by Paul Wingler, will work to take you beyond your preconceptions and challenge you to thoughtfully use this and other tools. Not only will you have the opportunity to learn how to effectively apply this tool, you will also learn from other students. Seeing what another individual does with the same instructions helps each of us find our way to new perspectives and insights. It is one of the primary benefits of class participation.

In your next nature walk, take a moment to look around. Patterns will simply appear where you did not see them before. They are there for us to find, and each discovery is a moment of wonder. Enjoy.

For more information about classes and programs at Duke Gardens, please go to gardens.duke.edu or 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.

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

Terrarium: a garden in miniature

 By Jennie Carlisle

Terrariums have made a big comeback. You see them in the pages of interior design magazines and do-it-yourself crafter websites. You can even find terrarium necklaces with tiny planted pendants.

The recent surge in terrarium popularity is easy to understand, says florist and terrarium enthusiast Jay Stolz. Terrariums give you all the pleasure of a garden without the effort or expense. 

You can learn to create your own miniature garden in a terrarium workshop led by Stolz on Saturday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to noon at Duke Gardens. Stolz will introduce the basics of making both closed- and open-form terrariums—those with and without lids. Then each participant will select plants and build a terrarium in the glass container they bring to the workshop.

To assemble one at home, you need to do little more than fill an interesting clear glass container with layers of gravel, soil and plants.

Select a container with an opening through which you can fit your hand. Place an inch or two of pea gravel or sand at the bottom of the container. If your terrarium will be closed, add a thin layer of activated charcoal (the kind used in aquarium filters) over the gravel to filter the air. Add a layer of sphagnum moss as the next layer to lessen the draining of dirt into the gravel. Add two or more inches of potting soil.  Finally, place your plants, lightly mist them and add the lid if you are creating a closed terrarium.

Low-growing plants generally work best. Try using a miniature African violet (Saintpaulia) or lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicans). Silver leafed pilea (Pilea cadierei), baby tears (Soleirolia soleirolii), small ferns such as button fern (Pellaea rotundifolia) and mosses are also great choices.

“Plant only half of what you think you need, to account for their growth,” Stolz advises. “You need to know how to space them, just as you would in your yard.”

As for care, that’s the easy part. Observe your terrarium closely for the first few weeks after planting and remove dead leaves and plants to minimize disease. If the terrarium seems too moist, remove the lid to dry out the container a bit.  A closed terrarium only needs to be lightly watered every four to six months, an open terrarium perhaps monthly.

After that, all that’s left is the enjoyment of your very own miniature world.

To register for the Terrarium workshop or for more information on all the programs offered by Duke Gardens, please call 919-668-1707 or go to gardens.duke.edu. The cost is $70; $55 Gardens members and Duke staff and students.

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.

Jennie Carlisle is an events assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun.

Nature Journaling Camps in August

Do you love nature and art?  Duke Gardens is offering two nature journaling camps in August for youngsters ages 10-13. 

Drawing on Nature is Aug 6-10 and Aug 13-17. Explore nature in the Gardens through art and nature journaling. Sharpen observation skills with drawing, wordplay and stories from the land while you are inspired by the nature surrounding you. Develop a relationship with the Gardens, where a moment of quiet observation could reveal a dragonfly emerging from its shell, a blue heron’s wings spreading out for takeoff or the intricate pattern of a spider web. No experience is necessary and all skill levels are welcome. Join us for one or both weeks.

Drawing on Nature is from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., with an extended day available from 1-4 p.m.

To register or find out more about this and other themed camp programs for children ages 5-13, call 919-668-1707 or go to our camps pdf at gardens.duke.edu.

Durham Garden Forum Advice Fair

 

Jason Holmes, curator of the 

Doris Duke Center Gardens,

will be among the presenters

at the Gardener's Advice Fair.

The Durham Garden Forum will host a free Gardener's Advice Fair on Tuesday, July 17, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Duke Gardens.

The fair is sponsored by the forum, Duke Gardens and N.C. Cooperative Extension.

Informational booth topics and experts will include the following:

Rain barrels: Mike Runk, cofounder of the local company Rainwater Solutions. Mike will also do a rain barrel giveaway.


Repellants: Marilyn Cox, owner of the local company I Must Garden 

Garden Tools: Stone Bros. & Byrd of Durham 

Vermicomposting/composting: Extension Master Gardeners Lynne Nelson & Sara
Smith 

Soil: Robin Watson, N.C. Department of Agriculture soil agronomist. Bring your soil test results so Robin can help interpret them during the fair. 

N.C. Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers: Answering general gardening questions 

Bird Baths and Houses: Cynthia Fox, owner of Wild Bird Center in Chapel Hill 

Trees: Alex Johnson, certified arborist and urban forester for the City of Durham 

Rain Gardens: Laura Webb-Smith, storm water educator for the City of Durham 

Right Plant, Right Place: Jason Holmes, curator at Sarah P. Duke Gardens 

Durham Garden Center: Barbara Albertus will talk about the hottest new plants 

Durham Photography Club: This club meets on the second Monday evening of each month at Duke Gardens. Photographers of all levels are welcome.

For more information about the Advice Fair, please email or call 919-668-1707.

Summer Landscape Plants

oakleaf hydrangea

photo by Jason Holmes

By Jennie Carlisle

Plants are the bread and butter of good landscape design. Ornamental plants can be used as either an accent or focal point in a yard or garden—adding shape, color, texture and fragrance. Their flowers, foliage and fruit provide seasonal flare. Beyond just looking good and smelling nice, ornamental plants add value to a property.

With so many choices available at local nurseries and garden centers how do you go about picking the right ones for your landscaping needs?

Landscape architect Bobby Mottern, Duke Gardens’ director of horticulture, leads a series of seasonal workshops at the Gardens that focus on dozens of plants that are ideal for gardeners in our region. The latest installment, “Landscape Plants for North Carolina Gardens: Summer,” will run for four Thursdays—May 31 to June 14 and June 28—from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Mottern shared some thoughts about some of the plants he’ll discuss in the workshop, and tips for selecting them.

What are your favorite plants to use in landscaping? “I like plants that are easy, plants that tolerate many conditions, plants that look great and that provide multiple points of interest. I love oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). It’s a big shrub with bold, textured, large leaves that turn brilliant red in the fall, and it has huge white flowers in the summer. Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is also a nice large shrub that has 8-inch long blue flower spikes in June and July. It’s also deer tolerant. I also love torch lily (Knifophia uvaria), which is a June-blooming perennial with tall spikes of orange, red or yellow flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Are there any new plants on the market we should know about? Yes, new introductions are available every year. A relatively new panicle hydrangea is called ‘Limelight’ for its lime-green foliage. A new dwarf butterfly bush called ‘Blue Chip’ is now quite popular, and coneflowers are available in a variety of colors other than the traditional pink/lavender shades.

Do you have any other suggestions for finding and growing ornamental plants? Be adventuresome.  Always be willing to try new and unusual plants, and share plants with your friends. Perennials always need dividing, and seedlings of certain plants need transplanting. Plants are a great gift and it’s always nice to have a story associated with your plants. I still have plants in my yard that my grandmother grew!

REGISTRATION: To register for Mottern’s class, or for more information, please call our registrar at 919-668-1707. The  class is limited to 15 students, so there is plenty of time for addressing gardeners’ questions and concerns. The fee is $105; $85 for Gardens members. For information about other classes and public events at Duke Gardens, 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. 

Jennie Carlisle is an events assistant at Duke Gardens. This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun.

Creating a Photogenic Garden

By Paul Salazar
Photos by Paul Salazar

As a photographer, I am always on the lookout for eye-catching scenes, vibrant colors and interesting subjects. Browse through any photography book or magazine and one is overwhelmed with photographs that we all long to take but never do because we don’t have the time or money to travel to the exotic places pictured in these publications.

Does your camera sit on a shelf most of the winter when scenes outside are dull and all the leaves have fallen from the trees? When spring arrives, our desire to take photographs blossoms like the world around us. Every year, I make a conscious effort to get out and photograph often, even during the dull winter months. I don’t take long trips, I just step out into my back yard.

I have set aside a couple of corners of my yard for photography gardens. These are not the symmetrical, well planned and pristine gardens featured in the garden magazines.  My gardens don’t require a lot of work and are purposely cluttered with interesting items that I collect randomly anytime I see something of interest. I have an old wagon wheel, a banged up watering can, old gardening tools, a section of split rail fence, a section of barbed wire fence and a section of picket fence. Interspersed among these items, I have dragged in some interesting boulders and several pieces of trees that have interesting shapes and knot holes.

Among all these items, I plant flowers and shrubs. Generally, I plant the taller items behind the shorter and evergreen trees and bushes at the very back of the garden so that I have a green background even in the winter months.  A few winter-blooming plants keep color in my photographs year-round. My garden’s layout is constantly changing as I move different items in and out to create new interesting scenes for photographs. My garden is a habitat for birds, butterflies and small animals like chipmunks, squirrels and lizards and for spiders and insects. I’m trying to create mini-scenes for interesting photographs, scenes that include color, shape and form.

TIPS

Here are a few tips when laying out your photography garden:
1.    Birds are attracted to the sound of running water. Include a bird bath and/or a small garden pond that has a pump to move the water.
2.    I generally do not include white flowers in my garden as they are too bright and distracting in photographs. If you want white flowers, put them in their own section and don’t intersperse them throughout your garden.
3.    Bury several sections of 18-inch-long, 8-inch in diameter plastic pipe in a semi-circle  around the perimeter of your garden  so that you can readily insert and change out interesting posts and sections of trees with interesting shapes and knot holes. I put peanut butter suet in the knot holes to attract birds to natural-looking perches for photographs. 
4.    Place bird feeders around the perimeter. I do not photograph birds at their feeders but include all sorts of interesting objects, branches, logs, etc., throughout the garden for them to perch on. I often plant colorful flowers behind these items for a splash of color.
5.    Check with your local nursery for plants and flowers that attract birds and butterflies.  Save money and buy perennials instead of annuals.
6.    Finally, grab your camera and keep shooting all year!

Columnist Paul Salazar is a photographer and photo instructor whose work has been published in “Our State” magazine, in the book “Forever These Lands” and elsewhere. You can see his photos at paulsalazar.com. 

PHOTO CLASS

To learn more about photography from Paul Salazar, consider signing up for his 3-session workshop “Photographing Plants,” which runs Wednesday, May 16 & 23, from 6:30-9 p.m., and Saturday, May 19, from 8 a.m. to noon, at Duke Gardens. To register, or for more information, please call 919-668-1707.

To learn more about classes and public events at Duke Gardens, please visit gardens.duke.eduhttp://gardens.duke.edu.

More photos from Paul Salazar

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.


This column first appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun.