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Things Are Looking Up

  • August 10, 2011 11:26 am

I know I haven’t been posting as often as I should lately.  So here’s a nice picture to get back in the groove.

I love this photo and had fun trying to get the shot.  Let me know what you think of this pic:

The plant is Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri ‘Grape Sensation’

Otherwise known by its common name:  Winkler’s White Firewheel-Purple selection.  That’s a mouthful, but you could just call it Purple Firewheel.

This cultivar (cultivated variety) is a selection by the Stephen F. Austin State University Mast Arboretum in
Nacogdoches, Texas in honor of the school color.

The natural variety is white with a yellow center and is found only in one county in Texas.  Gaillardia
aestivalis depends on fire to reduce competition in its native habitat (hence the common name).

See more on the plant and its development here.

And more on the variety, winkleri.

This plant was growing at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC.

More JCRA events

  • April 3, 2011 8:24 pm

The Friends of the Arboretum Lecture this Thursday night is by Director Ted Bilderback himself.  His talk is entitled “A Walk in the Park” about some wonderful New York City parks.

There’s another plant sale at the JC Raulston Arboretum this weekend.   This is the Pi Alpha Xi sale.  The honor fraternity at NCSU holds two sales a year with some fantastic plants.  This Spring sale is Saturday from 8-4 and Sunday from 10-3.  Do check it out (after you’ve come to my pruning class in Cary!) and bring home some goodies.

You can find out all about these events and much more here.

Friday Flowers–too many to choose

  • April 1, 2011 7:00 am

I had a chance to stop by the JCRA today to look around for my Friday Flowers entry.  It’s hard to decide what to include so today I’ll take advantage of that ‘s’ in flowers.  In this post I’ll add a couple of runners up.

The winner today is this gorgeous Euphorbia rigida.  Those flowers are truly amazing.  The orange bits are the petals and the green parts are the anthers and stigmas of the flower.

Gorgeous green and orange flowers of Euphorbia rigida

The two runners up will perform all the duties of the winner if the winner… OK, I just couldn’t decide, so here goes.

This Yucca torreyi stopped me in my tracks as I was walking down the steps from the rooftop garden.  Simply gorgeous.  I couldn’t detect a scent, but it was a bit cold out there.  I’ll check it out tomorrow at the plant sale to see if anything’s present.  

Yucca torreyi

 

The little white bells belong to a Sinojackia xylocarpa cultivar called ‘La Grima’.  This tree is right next to the Visitor’s Center.  It’s the first time I’ve caught it in bloom with a camera.

Sinojackia xylocarpa 'La Grima'

Plant Sale at JCRA

  • March 31, 2011 10:14 pm

It’s time for the second annual plant sale at the JCRA.  This sale is by and for the Arboretum. 

April 1, 2011 (Friday) – 4:00 PM-7:00 PM – Members Only Preview Sale
April 2, 2011 (Saturday) – 9:00 AM-5:00 PM

Lots of growers have donated plants for this sale.  You can check out the plant list here.

JCRA Events

  • March 15, 2011 2:13 pm

The JC Raulston Arboretum has some great events coming up.

Thursday night, the Friends of the Arboretum lecture features renowned plantsman and all around great guy, Tony Avent.  His talk is titled Driving Mrs. Dracunculus—Plant Exploration in Crete.  No registration required.

Sunday 20 March, Charlie Kidder’s The Year in Trees continues.  Please register for this class.

Wake Up! It’s Spring! is a new way to enjoy the arboretum with your children.  Register and plan to come on Saturday 26 March.

Sunday 27 March Cheryl Kearns gives an Herbaceous Perennials Class.  Registration is required for this one.

There’s always a lot going on at the Arboretum.