April is World Landscape Architecture Month. This internationally recognized celebration represents a highlight of our year at The North Carolina Arboretum, although others outside the profession of landscape architecture have likely never heard of this particular...
The wonder of fall color in the natural world can be scientifically explained, but sometimes a story is the best way to describe and remember this annual phenomenon. The story told to my daughters, who are now 24 and 27, goes something like this: “Daddy,” she says,...
The “dog days” of August have never been high on my list of favorite times of the year, but this year, something is different. The days, although hot and humid and punctuated with afternoon rain showers or downpours, are filled with plants that are actually thriving –...
The North Carolina Arboretum Award, given by the Garden Club of North Carolina (GCNC) and sponsored by Mary Reeves, director of District 1 for GCNC, recognizes a garden club’s commitment to furthering the Arboretum’s mission and cultivating connections between civic...
Daylilies can be grown from South America to Alaska, making them one of the most popular and prevalent flowers for gardeners all over the world. Visitors and members will be able to see hundreds of different daylily cultivars and hybrids at The North Carolina...
Soon after I moved to Asheville, I decided to plant a few roses in memory of my mother. I remembered my mother’s small rose garden, set off to the side of our house in the sun, and how the bouquets picked from that garden would fill our house with fragrance. Since...
Just one year ago on April 22, 2016, The North Carolina Arboretum unveiled the first-ever standing sculpture of Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. Olmsted’s career, vision and influence has touched many – in fact, his vision of...
When is the spring season these days? In February this year, Western North Carolina enjoyed warm, spring-like weather that made the tulips jump, buds swell and sap rise. Gardeners were out and about mulching and cleaning gardening beds of debris and leaves, wearily...
Winter and gardening are two words that do not naturally go together. Yet, in the southeast, a number of interesting plants and gardening tasks can be enjoyed in winter. Over this past weekend, I spent time in my garden enjoying unnaturally warm temperatures and...
In the fall, I catch myself rushing. Rushing headlong with my swirling thoughts to clean up the garden; rushing to spruce up the tired summer garden and turn it into a presentable decorated fall tableau; rushing to harvest the last of the red and green tomatoes;...