Arthur in the Garden!

May 24, 2013 · 12:00 PM

A walk around the North Carolina Botanical Gardens.

North Carolina has many beautiful public gardens. I am very thankful the land was saved for these and, in a few instances, they were private gardens that were left to the public upon death of the gardener.

The North Carolina Botanical Garden (http://ncbg.unc.edu/) is a beautiful garden located in Chapel Hill and is part of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It has focused on native plants for over forty years.

They have other sites throughout North Carolina with the main display gardens and education center located on Old Mason Farm Road in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The Education Center below is surround with theme gardens and a large ecological preserve with a nature trail.

There is a small nursery to purchase native plants. Here is a Carolina Anole sunning itself on this cloudy day.

Examples of sustainable gardening with native plants surround the main building. There are several large tanks to store rain water from the building’s roofs.

And examples of small plot vegetable gardening.

I love all the sustainable features of the main building: solar panels and all the gutters are connected to large water tanks.

The property is surrounded by an 8 foot fence to keep out deer and there is a poisonous plant garden, a carnivorous plant garden and a sand-hills plant area, too.

Visit their website for more information and other locations throughout the State of North Carolina. It well worth a visit.

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Filed under public gardens

Tagged as Chapel Hi, North Carina Botanical Gardens

May 19, 2013 · 9:47 PM

Inspiration from the clearance aisle!

Sometimes you find inspiration for a new garden bed on the clearance rack at your local nursery. I am such a bargain shopper! I love the challenge of bringing a plant back from near death and a few years down the road I brag that I only paid a few dollars for that now beautiful plant.

I found the below Blue Flag Water Irises on clearance and decided they would make an excellent border around my pond that is only half buried.

I am also not against taking plants others have thrown away for garbage. The below St Joseph’s lilies ((Hippeastrum x johnsonii) came from a pile someone had placed on the curb. There must have been thirty or forty? There were enough that now I have them down the drive and around the patio. This is historically considered the very first hybrid amaryllis and it multiples freely!

This iris came from a curbside garbage pile,too!

These Oakleaf Hydrangeas were from the clearance aisle of a nursery a few years ago. After a few seasons of care they are beautiful! Hard to believe I only paid a few dollars for them.

And, yes, even Gus was a discount dog. He came from the local dog shelter!

Pass-a-long plants are a wonderful way to grow your garden on the cheap! Keep an eye out as you are driving around as you may never know where your next idea for your garden may come!

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Filed under Design, Plants

Tagged as Gardening, Gus, Hippeastrum x johnsonii, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Pass along plants, Raleigh, St Joseph's Lilly

May 17, 2013 · 4:00 PM

Art in the parks and around town.

Around Raleigh there are many gardens with various art installations. Sometimes they are just civic pieces were the city or county has dumped a piece of art or sculpture somewhere only for the sake of saying they have public art somewhere, and then other times pieces are thoughtfully placed.

Here are a few examples throughout the City of Raleigh.

A fountain in the gardens of The Executive Mansion of North Carolina. That is a robust Japanese Climbing Hydrangea (Schizophragma hydrangeoides) behind it.

Not really a garden but I love the dinosaur trail at The NC Museum of Life and Science. It is actually in Durham. (http://lifeandscience.org/dinosaurs)