My quest to eliminate turf in my front yard took a major leap this spring with two large areas moving over to Angelina sedum, purple heart, ponytail grass, sweet broom, orange coneflowers, a Chaste tree, oleander and Texas lilac. And of course mulch.
But the big news is the enjoyable and enlightening tour of Raleigh-area gardens a friend and I took last weekend with Carolina Gardener magazine, which has sponsored 13 of these sojourns to southern cities. Next year's tour might--might--be in Charlottesville, Va.
The trip's highlight for me was Tony Avent's Juniper Level Botanic Gardens, acres and acres of trees, shrubs and perennials, all grown without chemical additives or fertilizers. Tony is adamant about that, claiming nothing should be put into a garden that isn't organic.
Tony travels all over the world seeking new plants and conducts research at the Raleigh site. His mission statement talks about plant conservation, evaluation, identification, exploration, propagation and education. That covers everything.
He and wife Michelle support their research with a mail order business called Plant Delights Nursery. The garden/research center is open to the public eight times per year: two weekends each in spring, summer, autumn and winter.
We also saw private gardens, the garden formerly known as the Hobbit Garden, and the JC Raulston Arboretum. One private garden was exceptionally thrilling and featured a 20-foot tall sectioned mirror in one corner that reflected the entire garden. My first question was: Does the wind blow in Raleigh?
Last spring's Charleston tour was memorable for its small city gardens. The Raleigh area offered gardens on a grander scale. I came home with workable ideas from both (and a van full of plants).
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