NCSU Arboretum Announces Raulston Blooms! Garden Festival, Southeastern Plant Symposium & Rare Plant Auction

RALEIGH, N.C., April 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Saturday, April 30, following a two-year hiatus, JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University reintroduces Raulston Blooms! – a springtime garden festival and plant sale for all ages.

"Especially exciting for staff right now is seeing the truly eye-popping, mouth-watering selection of plants coming out of our greenhouses and from nurseries around the country," said Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum (JCRA).

The garden gates open at 10 AM and close at 4 PM. Exhibits and activities include:

  • JCRA’s Spring Plant Sale – Superior Plants Nursery, Pine Knot Farms, DirtBag Gardens, Raleigh PawPaws Urban Farm
  • The 20th Annual Birdhouse Competition – competitive categories from Serious to Flights of Fancy plus four age groups 4 to 16
  • Fun, hands-on activities for children and adults
  • Invited artists and crafters ­– Cedar Works by Frank, Katie Brooks’ paintings on dried leaves, Elisabeth Wheeler’s wood pattern scarves, Bonsai Bottles Terrariums
  • Four food trucks plus NC State Howling Cow ice cream
  • Gardening talks with the experts, including Danielle Hochstetter’s Tea 101; Bryce Lane’s Spring Gardening Tips; Danesha Seth Carley, Ph.D. Pollinator Gardening, and the Horticulture Hour (with JCRA Staff and Friends)
  • Educational displays and demonstrations: Bluebirders of Wake County, Five County Beekeepers, Wake Audubon, Entomology Student Association and Herpetology Club at NCSU, North American Rock Garden Society
  • Family scavenger hunt
  • Used gardening book sale

Raulston Blooms! proceeds help fund the daily operations of the Arboretum.

Southeastern Plant Symposium & Rare Plant Auction

On June 10 and 11, JC Raulston Arboretum and Juniper Level Botanic Garden combine resources to host the 4th Southeastern Plant Symposium and Rare Plant Auction. This year’s program is live and in-person in Raleigh’s vibrant downtown and internationally online.

"Southeastern Plant Symposium is designed for serious gardeners, people who love plants, nurserymen, nurserywomen, horticulturalists, botanists, and plantaholics," said Weathington. "It’s high-level, featuring many of the world’s top botanical and horticultural experts. If you want to learn about plants, we want you there."

Expert presenters:

  • Eleftherios Dariotis (aka Liberto Dario on social media), Horticultural genius, Athens, Greece
  • Dan Hinkley, Plantsman/founder, Gardens of Windcliff, and Director Emeritus/founder, Heronswood, Indianola and Kingston, WA
  • Kelly D. Norris, Gardener, Curator, Artist, and Owner, Three Oaks Garden, nationally renowned garden designer, Des Moines, IA
  • Peter Zale, Ph.D., Associate Director of Conservation, international plant explorer, Plant Breeding and Collections, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA
  • Tony Avent, Founder and Co-owner, Juniper Level Botanic Garden and Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, NC
  • Ian Caton, Co-owner, Wood Thrush Natives, Floyd, VA
  • Shannon Currey, Marketing Manager, Hoffman Nursery, Rougemont, NC
  • Janet Draper, Lead Horticulturist, Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
  • Richard Hawke, Plant Evaluation Manager, Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, IL
  • Hayes Jackson, Urban Regional Extension Agent, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, AL
  • Adrienne Roethling, Executive Director, Paul J. Ciener Botanic Garden, Kernersville, NC

"We hope you’ll join us for two intense days of talks and the chance to visit both JC Raulston Arboretum and Juniper Level Botanic Garden," said Tony Avent, Founder and Proprietor of Juniper Level Botanic Garden (JLBG). "You’ll have a chance to chat with the speakers and participate in the now famous, Rare Plant Auction. Many of the plants in the auction will not be found anywhere else in the world."

Southeastern Plant Symposium is presented by Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs.

Fundraising efforts operate under The Endowment Fund of North Carolina State University, a 501(c)3 non-profit. Proceeds from the Southeastern Plant Symposium and Rare Plant Auction benefit the endowments of Juniper Level Botanic Garden (tax ID 56-6000756) and JC Raulston Arboretum (tax ID 56-6049304). Donors receive official receipts for contributions to the fund.

Click here for Raulston Blooms! details

Click here for Southeast Plant Symposium details

Contact:

Mark Weathington, Director
JC Raulston Arboretum
NC State University
919-513-7006

334427@email4pr.com
 

Tony Avent, Founder
Juniper Level Botanic Garden
Raleigh, North Carolina
919-772-4794

334427@email4pr.com
 

Robert B Butler
www.RBButler.com
www.NCPressRelease.org

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SOURCE NC State University Raulston Arboretum