A note about a new Blomquist staff member...

Katherine Wright will be my new assistant and the new Horticulturist in the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants starting January 4th. Katherine comes to us from the Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) where she has been an Easement Steward, working with property owners to develop plans to help them conserve the land they own and the plant and animal species that call their property home.

TLC and the Blomquist Garden have developed a close relationship over the last year, and having Katherine as a Duke Gardens employee in the Blomquist Garden will only strengthen that tie with an organization that we believe is very important to all of us, as their mission of conservation helps create a tapestry of intact wild landscapes throughout the Triangle. To learn more about TLC, who they are and what they do, use this link, and please join me in welcoming Katherine next month.

Good afternoon...

I wanted to fill you in on a recent conference I attended. The NC-EPPC annual meeting (North Carolina Exotic Pest plant Council) was held last week in Chapel Hill at the new visitor center for the North Carolina Botanic Garden. These meetings bring together botanical professionals from across the region to discuss strategies and methods of curbing the spread of invasive plants in our wild landscapes. If you would like to learn more about the council, it's mission, or this year's conference, visit this link. If you'd like to become a council member, you can download a membership form from that same link. Enjoy!

We had a great tour yesterday in the Blomquist. The "Walk on the Wild Side" focused on cold weather adaptations that allow plants, native or otherwise, to survive the winter months. Thanks to the folks who came out for their great questions. The January class/tour will focus on winter interest in the native plant garden. See you January 7th at the Blomquist gatehouse at 11:00.

Now, for something completely different...

I'll be giving a presentation at the 2010 Cullowhee Native Plants Conference. The topic will focus on conservation education at botanic gardens with an emphasis on what we've done in the Blomquist Garden as well as our community outreach work to connect the public with native plants and habitats. I feel honored to be given the chance to speak to this topic, as it's one that is near and dear to my heart. If you've never been to the conference, and have an interest in native plant horticulture and conservation, consider attending. You can learn more at this link. See you soon.

update..

the walk on the wild side tomorrow will focus on winter adaptations. This will be a follow up to our discussion last month about fall color. Tomorrow we'll discuss how native plants survive the cold winter months, and what goes on below the soil during this time of year that we can't see.

See you there!