in this issue........

Arboretum News

NC Zoo Trip Recap

Garden Reading

Tanglewood Arboretum News

October was a difficult month for most with the deaths of David Dutcher and Vergie Kinch.  Their volunteer spirit and friendship will be remembered.

Moving on…… Our 2007 Gala for the Friends of the Arboretum was a success. We officially kicked off our fundraising program for 2008!  The power point presentation given by Tom Tisdale informed the Friends of the past and present and our goals for 2008. A very big thank you to the decorating team (Sherry Sheets & Mary Conroy), appetizer/food team (Sandi Peterson, Anne Hester, Carol Wiggins, Creola Tuning and Costco), and let’s not forget our refreshment team (Tom Tisdale & Bill Conroy).

upcoming events .........

November 14, 11:00 AM

Toby Bost will give a talk about “Planting Spring Bulbs” in the greenhouse. We will have a demonstration and the opportunity to purchase paper white narcissus and unique amaryllis.

December 3, Noon

MGV volunteers of the Arboretum will have their Christmas pot luck luncheon in the manor house. Refreshments are provided. There will be a White Elephant exchange for entertainment. (Do not buy anything new for this.  It is a gift exchange of stuff you no longer need or use. Wonder who will have the funniest item to swap).  If you have questions call Elen Knott at 723-6152.

This is the last newsletter for 2007; therefore I need to include dates for January and February, 2008.  Our Volunteers of the Arboretum meetings are scheduled every 3rd Wednesday of the month with a garden related talk from Toby Bost.

January 16, 11:00AM

We will meet and our adult education talk that month will be announced via email.

February 6, 9:00AM - 12:00PM

9:00AM - "Greenhouse 101" in the greenhouse. You will learn the steps and techniques of running the greenhouse and have ample opportunities to help out with this major event. Activities will include planting seeds and plugs.

11:00AM - 12:00PM - Pruning workshop for adults presented by Toby Bost.

Note: Work will continue in the greenhouse until 12:00PM for anyone not wanting to attend the pruning session.

Submitted by Connie Little and Toby Bost

Volunteers tour behind-the-scenes at NC Zoo

Only the heartiest (or craziest) Forsyth County MGVs turned out for a field trip to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro Oct. 25. It was a chilly, rainy day that delivered the slow, soaking that we’d all been hoping for. No complaints, though. We were so grateful for some drought relief that we cheerfully endured getting drenched.

Despite the weather, we enjoyed an informative behind-the-scenes tour of the horticultural workings of the zoo. Our interpreter was Virginia (Gin) Wall, Curator of Horticulture, who heads a staff of over three dozen people who select, install and maintain the plant material used in zoo exhibits and landscaping. Wall’s staff manages about 1500 acres in all. In addition to the zoo site, they are responsible for a few protected sites of botanical significance, including two that are home to the endangered Schweinitz’s sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii).

Fortunately, there was plenty to see indoors on the day of our visit, including parts of the Streamside exhibit that features some of the plants and animals that could be found along a stream as it flows from the mountains to the coastal plain. We also visited the R. J. Reynolds Forest Aviary, a free-flight exhibit of plants and birds from rainforests around the world.

Our last stop was to the zoo’s production greenhouses, where plants are grown for use in the exhibits.

Throughout the tour, Wall emphasized the zoo’s environmental commitment. Their “green practices” include energy and water conservation, onsite composting to manage solid wastes, and measures to control insects, diseases and invasive exotic plants. Because the health and safety of the zoo’s animals is of primary importance, Wall said, the zoo was a pioneer in use of Integrated Pest Management techniques.

Our visit was cut short due to the weather—no one felt like strolling among the outdoor exhibits—so we stopped for a hearty, warming meal and then headed home early.

Many thanks to Don and Nan Wolfe for coordinating the outing and to Stephen Greer for chauffeuring us safely despite the nasty road conditions.

Submitted by Sheilah Lombardo

Garden Reading
by Don Wolfe

Pam Stewart, Terra Firma editor, asked if I had read a good garden book recently, and would I write a review of it. I hadn’t read a good garden book recently, but with confidence arising from pure ignorance, I accepted the assignment; thereby confirming that no good deed goes unpunished.

I had no idea where to start, so on the recent NC Zoo MGV field trip Elen Knott and Peg Cochrane suggested I study Henry Mitchell, who was once a beloved garden columnist for the Washington Post. I’m indebted to them for the suggestion. Forgive me if you are already a Mitchell reader, and indulge me while I share what I’ve learned.

What do gardeners read? They probably read nursery and seed catalogs; after that they turn to the never-ending updates of plant dictionaries and encyclopedias and finally in desperation, they pick up Gardening for Dummies. In the dead of winter, however, can these books feed the souls of impounded and inert gardeners? Elen and Peg enjoin us to read the likes of Henry Mitchell who wrote about the successes and failures of gardening, thereby illustrating many of life’s lessons along the way.

Henry Mitchell (1923-1993) is best known for writing two regular columns,“Earthman” and “Any Day,” for the Washington Post. He also wrote three books: Any Day (1997) and One Man’s Garden (1999); and Henry Mitchell on Gardening with Lucy Allen (1999). A fourth book, The Essential Earthman (2003) was published posthumously.

Mitchell is loved for his spare but elegant prose. He captures the thrill of discovering a forgotten plant. He paints a word picture of uncovering a toad that stands its ground and refuses to flee. He accepts failure as much a part of gardening as reveling in a new blossom.

There is nothing like the first hot days of spring when the gardener stops wondering if it's too soon to plant the dahlias and starts wondering if it's too late. Even the most beautiful weather will not allay the gardener's notion (well-founded actually) that he is somehow too late, too soon, or that he has too much stuff going on or not enough. For the garden is the stage on which the gardener exults and agonizes out every crest and chasm of the heart. The Essential Earthman, p. 17

All four of Henry Mitchell’s books are available through Amazon.com. Alternatively, your favorite bookstore will gladly order them for you.

Websites: Henry Mitchell on Gardening and Life. http://home.austin.rr.com/neumeyers/Mitchell_index.html

Garden Rant. http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/ ;
also “Have a Henry Mitchell Moment.” http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2006/08/have_a_henry_mi.html;
also “Does Henry Mitchell Stand the Test of Time.” http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2006/10/henry_mitchell.html