May this be the year the Arboretum finally gets 

proper signage so everyone can find us!

 

To all

a

wonderful and happy

new year

WINTER SOLSTICE

The earliest winter since 1896 arrives at 6:12 AM tomorrow, December 21st.  The Old Farmer's Almanac describes the First Day of Winter:

"The word solstice comes from the Latin words for "sun" and "to stand still.” In the Northern Hemisphere, as summer advances to winter, the points on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets advance southward each day; the high point in the Sun’s daily path across the sky, which occurs at local noon, also moves southward each day. At the winter solstice, the Sun’s path has reached its southernmost position. The next day, the path will advance northward. However, a few days before and after the winter solstice, the change is so slight that the Sun’s path seems to stay the same, or stand still. The Sun is directly overhead at "high-noon" on Winter Solstice at the latitude called the Tropic of Capricorn.  In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice days are the days with the fewest hours of sunlight during the whole year."

Why is there such a large lag between the first day of winter and the coldest day of the year?

"Answer: This is the shortest day of the year—the time when the Sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky. Although this part of Earth is cooling, its great thermal mass still retains some heat from the summer and fall. As the gradual cooling process continues over the next two months, temperatures will continue to fall, and the coldest temperatures will be recorded. The same pattern holds true for the summer solstice in June, as the year's highest temperatures are recorded later, in July and August."

So stay warm, dream about  the planting to be done, the weeding to be done, the watering to be done, and the spring that is sure to come.

PITT COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS SHARE

The Master Gardener Volunteers recently held their annual Holiday Party.  In lieu of bringing an overabundance of homemade goodies to sample, they opted to divide the group in half.  One half did bring the delectable foods to eat and the other brought non-perishable goods to donate to the local food bank.  When all was tallied up, they donated 92 pounds of food.

Not only are they generous this time of year, but throughout the growing season fruits and vegetables harvested from our Arboretum Gardens are also given to the food bank.  Dan and Bill, our curators, and their helpers picked over 500 pounds of fresh produce this year.  So we thank all for the extra work it took to make this happen in 2012 and look forward to what the next year will bring.

"SEEING TREES" with Nancy Hugo

SPEAKER EVENT - Nancy Hugo

Saturday, January 26, 2013

10:00 AM

Pitt County Ag Center Auditorium

403 Government Circle

Greenville, NC

$20 General Public

$15 Friends of the Arboretum

Call 252-902-1709 for ticket information.

Nancy Hugo shares some of the secrets she and photographer Robert Llewellyn discovered in their intense, two year investigation of the seeds, catkins, cones, flowers, resting buds, emerging leaves, and other small phenomena usually overlooked on backyard trees.  She also emphasizes the importance of planting long-lived, legacy trees and argues that trees make the best landscape investments.

Visit Nancy's WEB PAGE

Also, there will be a raffle for 2 beautiful botanical prints.

All proceeds for this even support the Pitt County Arboretum.

HOLIDAY DECOR FROM NATURE

Join the Master Gardeners on Thursday, Dec. 6th
for the next free
WALKING TOUR of the
Pitt County Arboretum.

They will be giving tips on decorating your home for the holidays using greenery, pine cones, berries, twigs, and other natural findings from your garden.

The tour begins at 10:00 AM starting in front of the Ag Center under the Green Roof Shelter.



403 Government Circle
Call 902-1709 for more information.

GARDEN BY THE SHED

Last year we planted a vertical wall with succulent plants that would thrive in hot, dry conditions.  It hasn't behaved as we thought and we are working on ways to make it a success (more on this planting at a later date).  However, beneath the wall planting we put in a bed to catch plants that might break off from the parent plant.  We also planted a few starter plants.  While the vertical planting struggles, the bed plantings have flourished.  These are definitely plants to recommend for a year round garden.

PLANT IDs from left to right:

• Sedum rupestre 'Blue Spruce'   (Blue-green)
• Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'      (Yellow-orange)
• Orystachys sp.                       (White flower)
• Sedum acre                            (Green, low growing mat)
• Sedum 'Autumn Joy'             (Taller with rusty colored flowers)

Here is the entire length of the "Catch All Bed"

HOLIDAY DECORATING

It's November, so it must be time to start thinking about Christmas.  Here's a suggestion to not only have your front doorstep look pretty for the holidays, but all winter long.  Instead of purchasing a fake tree in an urn, why not plant a real evergreen in a large pot.  It can be decorated any way you fancy (lights, ornaments, bows, etc.) and when the decorations come down, you will still have an entryway tree.

At the Arboretum we have used evergreens in our containers.  We will leave them in for a growing season or two and then plant them in the ground.  We have had success with Thuja plicata 'Green Giant' arborvitae which has the desirable pyramid shape.  Purchased in the smaller 1 gallon pots for under $10 it will survive nicely in a large container outdoors.  Keep in mind it eventually could reach 40', but by then you will have planted it in a proper spot in your garden.  Another choice could be the rosemary plant clipped to a tree form as shown in the picture.

Click here are some tips for caring for your Winter Container Garden

MASTER GARDENER TRAINING IN PITT COUNTY

Want to learn more about gardening and then share what you learn?  That is something to ask yourself if you are thinking about becoming an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.  Time is running out to send in your application for the upcoming training.  Click here for the details:

 MASTER GARDENER TRAINING

Of course, the best reason to join is so you can hang out with the greatest group of people in Pitt County!  (So says this totally unbiased blogger!)

THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY

 Thank you all to who came out on a beautiful fall morning to help celebrate the Pitt County Arboretum's 10th Anniversary.  Danny Lauderdale led the group through the gardens, stopping in each area to listen to the curators tell about their plantings.  Additionally, everyone had a chance to ask their own questions about gardening problems and practices.  Each guest received a bundle of 'Ice Follies' daffodils to plant as a remembrance of the tour.  If you missed this tour, you can catch the next one on December 6th starting at 10:00 AM where Master Gardeners will be giving tips on "Holiday Decor from Nature."  Self-guided tours can be taken any day of the week from dawn to dusk.  Pick up a Visitor's Guide under the shelter in front of the Ag Center.

10th ANNIVERSARY ARBORETUM TOUR

Thursday, November 1st will begin the 10th Year Celebration of the Pitt County Arboretum.  You are invited to come out and tour the gardens with Danny Lauderdale and the Extension Master Gardeners.  Bring your gardening questions, cameras, friends, neighbors, and family for an informative walking tour.

FREE

WALKING TOUR

PITT COUNTY ARBORETUM

403 GOVERNMENT CIRCLE, GREENVILLE, NC

MAP

10:00 AM

MEET UNDER THE SHELTER

IN FRONT OF THE AG CENTER

Call 252-902-1709 for more information.

PUMPKINS

This post is a slight departure from usual items posted about the Arboretum, but you may enjoy this video: THE GREAT PUMPKIN from NC Produce Lady (you see her on TV and can follow her at The Produce Lady).  She gives great tips on pumpkin growing in North Carolina, preserving them and cooking with them.

OUR ARBORETUM BRIDE

We Master Gardeners are used to seeing photographers among our blooms, but today we had a special treat to see a beautiful bride being photographed next to the muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) by the Children's Garden.  We got their permission to post these pictures (thanks, CT).  It was a lovely, blue sky, fall day with lots of flowering plant choices to pose by.  Our best wishes to the bride.  Maybe someday we can see the professional shots.

Photos by CT

The Arboretum is free and open 7 days a week, dawn to dusk.

Come, bring your cameras!

MULCH

MULCH MOUNTAIN

Master Gardener Volunteers are muscling their way though a mountain of mulch this week.  They are spreading the mulch in the paths winding through the Pitt County Arboretum and in some of the planting areas.  The mulch used is from the Pitt County Transfer Station which is available for all residents.  Call 902-3350, Option #1 for the Scale House to find out availability and hours of loading.   The cost is now $5.00 a load - quite the bargain.  Remember to take a tarp to cover your mulch before leaving the Transfer Station.  To read more about mulch and compost,  the how and why and when, click COMPOST AND MULCH for links to all this information and more.

THE MERRY MULCHERS!

Oh so pretty!

EVERGREEN GROUNDCOVER

Origanum vulgare - Oregano

Oregano in bloom

Looking for an evergreen groundcover or a perfect "spiller" plant for your containers?  Look no further than the Herb Section in your local garden center.  Oregano is a perennial herb.  It will blend in nicely with flowering plants as well as mixed with other herbs in a separate herb garden like ours at the Arboretum.  You can easily keep it in bounds by snipping the ends and using it in your cooking.  Its summer blooms will attract our pollinating bees and butterflies.

Here is a link to a general fact sheet on 

GROWING HERBS IN NORTH CAROLINA

FALL & WINTER CARE FOR ROSES

Join the Master Gardeners

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4th

10:00 - 11:00 AM

FREE WALKING TOUR OF THE

PITT COUNTY ARBORETUM

They will be demonstrating what needs to be done now with your roses so they survive and thrive through the winter months to look gorgeous again come spring!

Our Rose Garden at the Arboretum is looking Fall Fabulous with most of the roses in full bloom.  Bring your camera for some beautiful photos.  You also will see our fall blooming perennials and the beginnings of fall color in our deciduous trees and shrubs.

MAP to Arboretum

Fall Leaf Color

Today the Master Gardeners were busy with their monthly 'Work Day' at the Arboretum.  One of their tasks was raking up leaves that had already fallen.  With the cooler days we've been having, it seems that summer is over and fall has begun just like the calendar says.  If you are one that longs for more yellow, orange, red and purple leaf color in your landscape, it is the perfect time to head out to the Arboretum to see our trees and shrubs and find the color you are looking for.  We have a variety of deciduous trees and shrubs to view over the next several weeks as they change colors.

Here is a great site to refer to as it will monitor the fall colors for you:  

Fall Color Report for North Carolina

P.S.  What do we do with our fallen leaves?  They go right into our compost bin behind the herb garden.  

WALKING TOUR OF ARBORETUM

On Sunday, September 23rd starting at 4:00 PM  Master Gardeners will be leading a free Walking Tour. The tour will focus on "Gardening You Can Do" which is what the Pitt County Arboretum is all about.  We grow and test plants from containers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, perennials, wildflowers, roses, shade plants, plants for wet sites, and shrubs and trees of all sizes.

Come out and see the beginning signs of fall and enjoy a leisurely Sunday stroll

around some beautiful gardens.  Bring your gardening questions.

Muhlenbergia capillaris
Pink Muhly Grass is always a fall showstopper.

For a preview of what you'll see, click here to view our Visitors Guide
Call 252-902-1709 if you have questions.
Click here for the Arboretum/AgCenter MAP at 403 Government Circle, Greenville.

Muscadine Grape Harvest

The Master Gardener Volunteers have been busy harvesting our muscadine grapes over the past 3 weeks.  To date, 116 pounds of grapes have been picked and donated to the local food bank.

In our Small Fruit Section at the Arboretum we are growing 4 varieties of muscadines:
*Nesbitts - a black colored grape 
*Carlos - bronze colored and the leading variety grown in NC
*Higgins - pink/bronze colored
*Hunt - dark purple colored

If you are considering growing grapes, click here for help:  MUSCADINES

ONION CHIVES

Allium schoeonoprasum - Onion chives

You will find onion chives in our Herb Garden, but they also would be appropriate in our Perennial Border (as they are perennials) or in our Butterfly Garden (as the flowers attract many pollinators).   As they grow throughout the year, you can snip off the green shoots to use in your recipes.  Should you let them flower, you can even eat them.  Here is a fact sheet on growing these in your garden:  CHIVES

DEER RESISTANT PLANTS

Join the Master Gardener Volunteers on their next free WALKING TOUR. September's Theme is 'DEER RESISTANT PLANTS'. While no plant is 100% deer proof, come let the Master Gardener's show you which are the least tasty to them!  Meet under the Shelter in front of the Ag Center at 403 Government Circle, Greenville, NC.  MAP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

10:00 am - 11:00 AM

FREE WALKING TOUR

PITT COUNTY ARBORETUM

SPIDERS IN THE GARDEN

This great little (and growing bigger everyday) spider and it's buddies can be found growing in several areas around the Arboretum.  It can grow up to 3 inches from leg tip to leg tip. As with most spiders, it is a welcome site in the garden.  Spiders are generally considered to be beneficial in gardens as they don't eat plants, but do dine on plant eating insects.  From the NCSU Entomology Notes comes this information:

Yellow Garden Spider  The yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia is one of the araneid or "orb weaver" spiders that builds the widely recognize  circular spider web in which they snare their prey. Argiope aurantia is a common, distinctively colored (black and yellow), large spider that is frequently seen in the Fall in gardens, yards and along roadsides. The female (shown here) builds a web that has a conspicuous zig-zag band of white silk in the center of the web. For this reason, these spiders are often called "writing" spiders. For more information about spiders in your garden, read  Common Spiders in the Landscape.

TOMATO WAR UPDATE

BUSH GOLIATH

HUSKER CHERRY RED

We have been watching our 'Tomato Showcase' in the Vegetable Garden to see which plants are stand out performers and which are lacking in luster.  To date, about 50 pounds of tomatoes have been donated to the Eastern North Carolina Food Bank.  As a whole, they are producing well and we are quite proud of that.

Our Vegetable Garden Curator, Dan, submitted the following report on the individual types:

Currently, Husky Cherry Reds and Juliet Romas are doing the best. They are fast growers and provide the most tomatoes. About the size of golf balls, the Husky Cherry Red’s are providing many bright red tomatoes in small clusters of 6 to 8 tomatoes. The Juliet Romas are also bright red long oval sized tomatoes ranging 3 to 4 inches in length. 
The Tami Grape and Parker’s Whoopers are the most disappointing. Given the same care and feeding as the other 9 plants, these varieties appear to be struggling. It’s hard to determine the exact reason for poor performance, but it could have been over fertilization or poor quality plants to start with.
The Beef Master, Big Beef, German Johnson and German Queen are plants showing good growth of dark green leaves but very little produce. The plants appear healthy so perhaps they will yield more tomatoes later in the summer. 
Despite its name, the Bush Goliath is currently the smallest plant in the showcase. It appears to be growing more slowing, and is very healthy yielding some fruit each week. 
The Better Boy, Cherokee Purple plants are currently average performers. They are healthy plants producing a few tomatoes each week. 

If you are having problems with your tomatoes, check out this article for help: TOMATO PROBLEMS.  Need more help, call the Master Gardener HotLine at 902-1705.

SUMMER BLOOMING SHRUB

This Anthony Waterer Spirea is growing next to our Herb Garden and across from the Perennial Border at the Arboretum.  It is a reliable summer bloomer that attracts butterflies.  Here are some details about this spirea from the NSCU Plant Fact Sheet:

Spirea x bumalda 'Anthony Waterer'

	Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
	Habit: Deciduous
	Growth Rate: Rapid
	Site Requirements: Sun to partial shade; tolerates range of soil types
	Height: 2 to 3 feet
	Width: 3 to 4 feet
	Texture: Medium to fine
	Form: Upright, broad, flat, compact shrub
	Flower/Fruit: Small purplish red flowers on 4 to 6" flat cluster in summer
	Foliage: Alternate, simple dark green leaves; 1.5" long; new growth is pink-tinged; reddish fall color

FIGS

BROWN TURKEY FIG

In the Spring of 2011 our Small Fruit Garden at the Arboretum was expanded to include this Brown Turkey Fig.  The tree is now about 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide and as you see, loaded with figs.  Soon they will be ripening and we hope to harvest them before the mockingbirds do.  Click here to read about planting figs in your home garden:  FIGS

PURPLE FLOWERING GROUNDCOVERS

Blooming right now even in the hot, humid weather are three tough groundcovers.  Click on the plant name to read more about each plant.

IN OUR HERB GARDEN:  (Can you find the yellow skipper? He sees you.)

Verbena rigida (Rigid verbena)

IN OUR PERENNIAL BORDER:

Cuphea glutinosa (Hardy Mexican Heather) 

IN OUR MIXED BORDER:

Delosperma cooperi (Trailing Hardy Ice Plant)

Want to see more plants that don't mind our summer weather?  Join the Master Gardeners this next Thursday, August 2nd for the free monthly walking tour of the Arboretum where we will be highlighting just such plants.  The tour begins at 9:00 AM under the Shelter in front of the Ag Center (403 Government Circle, Greenville, NC). Click her for MAP.

SWEET CORN IN PITT COUNTY

Tomatoes and cantaloupes were harvested this week from the Vegetable Garden at the Arboretum.  Soon we will be picking corn to add to the produce we donate to the Food Bank.  Want to grow your own corn?  Check out these publications and you can be enjoying your own home grown corn:

GROWING ORGANIC SWEET CORN  AND  GROWING SWEET CORN

Mr. McGregor's Corn Crop
Pitt County Arboretum 

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOUR CHILDREN IN PITT COUNTY?

Did you know there is a Children's Garden in Greenville?  Come out with your family and explore the Pitt County Arboretum (MAP TO ARBORETUM).  We are open for self-guided tours, 7 days a week, dawn to dusk.  Begin at the  Shelter in front of the Ag Center where you will find a Visitor's Guide.  Bring a picnic to enjoy on the picnic tables in the shade.  Click here for a fun look at why your children should be outside: 

The Dirt on Dirt. 

Here are some pictures from the Arboretum:

ABC GARDEN

PIZZA GARDEN

FAIRY GARDEN

RABBIT TUNNEL