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Click here for a printable registration form. 2010 Winter Lecture Series
Sponsored by Tom Nunnenkamp,
CRPC, AAMS
Tai Chi
Tuesdays, February 23 – March 30, 10 to 11:30 am Tai Chi has been practiced for centuries in China to improve physical health, reduce stress, and promote vitality. While it incorporates martial arts movements, Tai Chi is more commonly practiced today as a moving meditation for health benefits. Tai Chi movements gently massage the body, encourage the proper function of the organs, promote muscle tone, increase blood and lymph flow, and develop joint flexibility. Regular practice clears the mind and can reduce stress, providing a sense of being centered and inner peace. Rob first began his study of chi practices in 1996 with classes in basic chi gong exercises and the comprehensive Eight Treasures chi gong practice introduced to the west by Master Hua-Ching Ni. He received his certification as a Golden Flower Instructor in March 2004 and has taught classes in the Golden Flower tai chi form at various locations in the Charlotte area since the fall of 2004.
Redefining Bonsai
Thursday, January 21 at 9:30 am The thousand year old horticultural tradition of bonsai is thriving at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, where the emphasis is on an artistic expression of the natural world, and orientalism has nothing to do with it. Bonsai curator Arthur Joura will explain how a little free thinking led to a new view of an old idea. If your concept of bonsai is something along the lines of "funny little Japanese trees", this program will be a revelation. Arthur Joura has been the Bonsai Curator at the North Carolina Arboretum, in Asheville, NC, since the inception of the bonsai program in 1992. He has studied bonsai with some of the leading bonsai authorities in the United States, and was received as an official student to the Nippon Bonsai Association in Japan. He has toured extensively in the eastern US as a lecturer and teacher, and has been featured in numerous regional and national publications for his work with the Arboretum’s bonsai collection.
Elizabeth Lawrence’s Winter Garden
Monday, January 25 from 9:30 until 11:30 am How beautiful it is when the pattern of the garden becomes clear again…when hidden nests are revealed, distant treetops unveiled, and lost vistas regained. From Gardens in Winter by Elizabeth Lawrence. Although many of us find that winter can be a challenge in the garden, those of us who live and garden in Charlotte should take advantage of our mild climate and enjoy the winter months. During this workshop, we’ll take a cue from Elizabeth Lawrence and discuss ways to improve your winter garden. Topics will include garden structure, vistas, and plants of winter interest. Lawrence’s book, Gardens in Winter, will be available for purchase at the workshop. Jeff Drum, Wing Haven’s Garden Curator, has more than 25 years of gardening experience and has worked in Charlotte’s best gardens. Katie Mullen, BS in Horticulture from NCSU, is currently serving as the Garden Conservancy’s 2009 Marco Polo Stufano Fellow in the Lawrence garden. Katie has 15 years experience in the horticulture and design industry.
Exploring Watercolor in the Lawrence Garden
Eight Mondays: January 25 – March 15 from 1 to 4 pm Using the garden in bloom as inspiration, explore color, paint, brushes and paper in an expressive and experimental way to gain confidence and knowledge of the medium. This course is intended to be “looser” than traditional botanical painting yet based on floral subject matter. Students can work in any way they desire, from tight to loose and from realistic to abstract. Janis has been drawing and painting ever since she could hold a pencil and brush. She has studied at Bennington College, received a B.A. in Fine Art from Queens College (CUNY), Botanical Painting at the Horticultural Society in NYC and privately with the past president of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA). Like many botanical artists, she has been a textile designer for many years and has worked as a designer for various apparel and home furnishings companies. Her designs have sold nationally in major department stores and upscale catalogues. She has exhibited at the National Academy of Design in NYC and currently teaches Illustration and Botanical Illustration at CPCC in Charlotte and at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, NC.
The Year-Round Vegetable Garden
Tuesday, January 26 at 7:30 pm Mary Beth and David Blackley believe that a backyard garden should provide vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers of some kind 365 days of the year. And, they maintain that it’s not hard. In fact, they’ve taught tons of people how to do it and are ready to teach us! They’ll have lots of information on what you can grow in your own backyard throughout the seasons and will even bring along some of the seasonal vegetables and herbs from their garden. Mary Beth will share some of her favorite recipes and will also show us how to preserve vegetables and herbs for out-of-season use. The Blackleys have owned Renfrow Hardware since 1984 and enjoy growing lots of their own food.
Efficient Maintenance
Thursday, January 28 at 9:30 am Pat Linton believes that efficient maintenance begins with a fit gardener, and she’ll start the morning with a review of gardening positions to keep your actions fluid. Pat will cover the importance of developing realistic goals and her 15-minute method. Favorite tools and gardening techniques will be discussed along with the annual timetable of tasks. Details on pruning guidelines, soil preparation, planting methods and mulching will be included in the discussion. Pat established Living Color in 1991 offering the services of skilled gardening, pruning, and color expression in the garden and 19 years later her focus is still the passion for beautiful colorful places maintained with expertise. Pat earned a BS (CU) and a MS (UCD)in horticulture and continues to grow her interests in the natural world by raising chickens for eggs, beekeeping, and vermicomposting.
Designing in Elizabeth Lawrence’s Footsteps
Tuesday, February 2 at 9:30 am This lecture will examine some of the design principles embodied in the writings of Elizabeth Lawrence. She was the first woman to graduate from the NC State College School of Design with a degree in Landscape Architecture and was highly regarded as one of the world’s best garden writers in the English language. This session will familiarize you with Elizabeth’s work as a writer and designer in the gardening world. Edith Eddleman has a great interest in plants and gardens. She worked as a volunteer on the perennial borders at the JC Raulston Arboretum for 20 years and wrote the introduction for the 50th anniversary edition of A Southern Garden.
Gardening in Harmony with Nature
Wednesday, February 3 at 7:30 pm As more land area is used by humankind, it becomes increasingly important that we consider the needs of wildlife as we design our own landscapes. Many people have native plants in their gardens because native plants are well-adapted to our local soil and climate. Native plants also provide food and habitat for wildlife in ways that non-native plants cannot. Learn about the interactions of wildlife with native and non-native plants, and the ways in which native plants “give back” to the communities where they live. Discover how to help your garden provide a bit of wildlife habitat in an increasingly developed world. Carrie DeJaco has been a professor of botany and ecology at Queens University of Charlotte since completing a PhD in Ecology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006. She is an active member of both the local chapter of the NC Native Plant Society and the Mecklenburg County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Invasive Species Task Force.
Introducing a Water Feature to the Garden
Thursday, February 4 at 9:30 am Johnny Massengale of Ponders believes that a water feature should blend in with its surroundings and offer the homeowner a respite from everyday life. In this lecture Johnny will touch on a variety of subjects related to pond installation and maintenance. Topics include location of the water feature, style and use, filtration, algae control, and plant tips. The presentation will be illustrated with a variety of his installations. Johnny began building ponds in 1988 in Chattanooga for the Watergarden. In 1995 he moved to Charlotte and opened Ponders with his wife Michelle. In the last 21 years they have been involved in the construction of nearly 1,000 water features from 50 gallon ponds to lakes of more than a million gallons. They have received over 25 awards in recognition of excellence in design, implementation, and artistic style.
Make your own Jewelry!
Saturday, February 6 from 10 am
to 2 pm Just in time for Valentine’s Day…you can make your own JEWELRY! Join Jill for a Precious Metal Clay (PMC) workshop. PMC is a clay-like material made of silver powder and organic binders. It can be shaped, carved, stamped and molded. The clay is then fired in an electric kiln. Once fired, only the precious metal remains, durable and .999 fine silver. Participants will learn the basics of using, manipulating and firing PMC and will make a pair of earrings and a pendant in this class. (Workshop fee includes all materials and meets at the Lawrence House.)
Landscaping With Natives
Tuesday, February 9 at 9:30 am From skunk cabbage in late winter to climbing aster in fall, our North Carolina native plants (trees, shrubs, vines and wildflowers) offer a wide variety of colors, shapes and textures. Landscaping with Natives will cover spring bloomers, summer flowers, and plants for fall and winter interest as well as information on where they grow naturally in NC and where they can be found in nurseries and seed catalogs. The program also addresses “ecoscaping,”—creating corridors for the safe passage of plants and pollinators across urban landscapes. Katherine Scholsser is a member of the board of directors of the NC Native Plant Society and the Friends of NC Plant Conservation. She also serves on the board of the National Herb Garden at the US National Arboretum in Washington DC, and as chair of the Native Herb Conservation Committee for the Herb Society of America. Kathy wrote the Herb Society of America’s Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking with Herbs and writes a regular column on native plants for the Greensboro News & Record.
Pushing the Limits of Zone 7
Thursday, February 11 at 9:30 am Scott McMahan is a homegrown "Georgia boy" from Decatur and an extreme plant fanatic. He has a Bachelor's degree in English from Wofford College and an Associate's Degree in Horticulture from Spartanburg Technical College. Scott was the propagator for a large wholesale grower for 5 years as well as the nursery manager at the Atlanta Botanical Garden for several years. In 2003, Scott left the garden to open his own business. Located just north of Lake Lanier, McMahan’s Nursery specializes in hardy, unusual perennials, shrubs and trees for the southeastern U.S. Scott has traveled to China, Japan, Bhutan, Vietnam and many spots in the southern and northwestern United States in search of rare finds. He finds great joy in pushing the limits of what will grow in zone 7.
The Reasons & Proper Seasons for Pruning
Saturday, February 13 from 10 am to 2 pm (lunch included)
Contrary to popular practice, pruning techniques are not instinctive. Join Jeffrey Drum for an in-depth pruning workshop in the Lawrence Garden. Learn the reasons for pruning—beautification, renovation—as well as the proper time of year to prune. Proper techniques and tools for pruning shrubs and small ornamental trees—nandinas, mahonias, camellias, roses, Japanese maples, boxwood, hollies and hydrangeas—will be addressed. Participants will have the opportunity to work with Jeff as he makes pruning decisions in the garden. Jeff will be assisted by Katie Mullen--our Marco Polo Stufano Fello. Enrollment limited to 15 participants. Jeffrey Drum is Wing Haven’s Garden Curator. With over 25 years experience, Jeff has worked in many of the finest gardens in Charlotte.
Growing with
Vegetables
Thursday, February 18 at 9:30 am The workshop will provide the basics for a home gardener and will also explore the community garden as a site for growing one’s own food. We will review soil preparation and composting, choices for vegetables that grow best in the small home garden or on a larger scale, water needs, pollination issues and harvesting. For anyone interested in growing food for fun or just finding ways to have fresh food for better health, you will find this a helpful way to learn. Ellen Kirby lives in Winston-Salem where she is one of the volunteer managers of the Food Bank Community Garden, a two acre community garden at The Children's Home. The garden grows produce for the Second Harvest Food Bank which then distributes it to soup kitchens, food banks and Kids' Cafes in 18 counties of northwestern NC. She also has taught courses at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where she worked as Director of the Community Horticulture Program. She has her own vegetable garden at home where she mixes vegetables into her perennial flower border.
Private Gardens of Georgia
Friday, February 19 at 9:30 am Join Polly and Helen on a tour 30 of the most beautiful gardens across Georgia. The largest state east of the Mississippi River, Georgia has a rich and varied terrain which supports a diverse mix of botanical species. These unique gardens abound with radiant color and elegance and provide invaluable tips for your own garden plans. Plus, you’ll see wonderful ideas for incorporating architectural elements such as potting sheds, greenhouses, fencing, gazebos, and more. With their mother-daughter collaboration on their book The Private Gardens of Georgia, Polly McLeod Mattox and Helen Mattox Bost have invited us to look to some of the finest private gardens in the South for inspiration. Polly is a native South Carolinian who has spent most of her married life in Georgia where her daughter and coauthor Helen was born. Mother and daughter are interior designers and share a deep appreciation of southern gardens. Copies of The Private Gardens of Georgia will be available for sale at the conclusion of the lecture.
Garden and Nature Writing
Saturday, February 20 from 9 am to 4 pm You’ve read books and magazines that transported you to places you’ve never seen, taught you needed skills, deepened your understanding of gardens and nature. Learning to write like the authors you admire allows you to document your own experiences and unique observations. In this one-day workshop, we’ll discuss tools for making your words as powerful and inspiring as those that have resonated most deeply in your life, with a special emphasis on capturing the intricate detail inherent in plants and gardens, birds, and other aspects of nature. We’ll talk about ways to revise your work without stamping the life out of it, and at the end of the day, we’ll chat a bit about getting published. Whether you’re interested in publication or simply recording your private thoughts, this class will help you produce work you’ll be thrilled to have written. Pam Baggett is the author/photographer of ¡Tropicalismo! Spice Up Your Garden with Cannas, Bananas, and 93 Other Eye-Catching Tropical Plants (Timber Press, 2008). A freelance writer and photographer, she is a contributing editor for Horticulture magazine. Pam has taught garden writing for Longwood Gardens, Duke University, the JC Raulston Arboretum, and other programs. She previously owned Singing Springs Nursery, a mail-order nursery that specialized in tender and hardy tropical plants.
Shady Characters
Tuesday, February 23 at 9:30 am Gardening under tall trees is a blessing in the hot summer, when the canopy of leaves offers a cool environment. However, growing ornamental plants in shade can be challenging, especially with the competition for water and nutrients from massive trees roots. In addition, it may be difficult to find colorful flowering plants that will bloom all summer in minimal light conditions. In this presentation, you will be introduced to those perennials and woody plants that enhance the understory woodland garden for twelve months of the year. A self-taught horticulturist, Rita Mercer learned to garden when she moved onto the 2-acre woodland site in Apex, NC twenty-two years ago. Gardening is now her passion. Rita’s garden has been featured in Carolina Gardener magazine and in Raleigh’s News and Observer. The garden has received the Apex Appearance Award and is certified as a Native Plant Habitat and also as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Rita is an Accredited Gardening Consultant. She is past president of the Raleigh Garden Club; is its current and past Horticulture Study Group Chair; has been chair of the club’s yearly Plant Sale for many years; and has received its award for Outstanding Member. She recently received the Garden Club of North Carolina’s Wildflower/Native Plants Garden Award. Her volunteer services include the JC Raulston Arboretum, the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, and a Wake County Master Gardener.
Sex (and owls and mice) and the City
Tuesday, February 23 at 7:30 pm According to the text books, Barred Owls are supposed to need large stands of old-growth forest to survive. Yet the species is abundant throughout the older suburban neighborhoods of many cities in the southeast. Intrigued by this apparent contradiction, we initiated a study of Barred Owls in the Charlotte region in the central Piedmont of North Carolina in 2001. One of our initial questions, simply put, was whether the books were wrong or have the local Barred Owls simply neglected to read the books? Over the subsequent 8 years, three graduate students, a small flock of undergrads, and I have studied Barred Owls in both suburban and rural habitats around Charlotte. Besides figuring out what Barred Owls are doing in this unusual habitat, we are comparing the natural history of the two populations. Are the city birds reproducing as well as their country cousins? Are territory sizes the same? How exactly do the two habitats compare structurally? Do the city and country birds rely on the same prey species? How far do the young travel when they leave their natal territories? Rob will address these questions and more in this lecture, illustrated with photos of the owls and their habitat and video clips from Barred Owl nest boxes. Since 1995, Dr. Bierregaard has been teaching Ornithology and Ecology in the Biology Department of UNC-Charlotte, where he has been the major advisor for 6 M.Sc. students, past and present. Previously (1988-1993) he managed the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project out of the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History. Dr. Bierregaard was the original field director of the BDFFP in Manaus, Brazil. While running the project for 8 years, he and his students collected data from over 50,000 mist-net captures of understory birds in continuous and fragmented rainforest habitat. Dr. Bierregaard focuses on the conservation and ecology of raptors and Neotropical birds. His publications include Conserv. Biol. Vol. 20: 1212-1223, J. Raptor Res. 40: 156-158, J. Raptor Res. 32: 19-27*, Ornith. Mongr. 48: 111-128*, BioScience 42:859-866*, J Raptor Res. 42: 214-19*. Dr. Bierregaard co-authored the Osprey account for the Birds of North America Project, wrote the 81 species accounts for the Neotropical Falconiformes in the Handbook of Birds of the World, and edited Tropical Forest Remnants: Ecology, Management and Conservation of Fragmented Communities, and Lessons From Amazonia: The Ecology and Management of a Fragmented Forest*. He has presented papers as senior author at annual meetings of the American Ornithologists' Union, Society for Conservation Biology, Brazilian Ornithological Society, International Ornithological Congress, Ecological Society of America, Raptor Research Foundation, and International Association of Landscape Ecology. His present research focuses on the ecology of Barred Owls in suburban and rural habitats in the North Carolina Piedmont, Osprey population dynamics in southeastern New England, and the migration of juvenile Ospreys in eastern North America.
My Formula for a Sustainable Landscape
Tuesday, February 25 at 9:30 am Tara's landscape design formula was created after years of observation in America, Europe & the Middle East—with a particular emphasis on noticing which landscapes succeeded at beauty and survived with little care, little money, little water, and no chemicals. Her formula works for beginning gardeners, experienced & professional and can be used to create a landscape that's beautiful, attractive to birds/butterflies, organic, sustainable, enriching to your soul, and raises property value. Tara believes that you can create your own unique landscape by learning the historical landscape design rules and why breaking them is liberating. Tara Dillard is a nationally recognized garden designer, author, and speaker who has hosted her own TV program, The Better Gardening Show, on CBS. After earning degrees in engineering and horticulture, she began designing and installing sustainable landscapes emphasizing the balance of home-garden-life. An award-winning author of 5 books, including Garden Paths and Stepping Stones, Beautiful by Design, and The Garden View, Tara writes magazine articles and maintains a landscape design blog, www.TaraDillard.com. Based in Atlanta, GA, she lectures nationally. Tara knows creating a beautiful landscape will create a beautiful life.
Design for the Do-It-Yourself Gardener
Saturday, February 27 at 10 am Do you love to work in your yard, but don’t know how to get the look of a professionally designed garden? Sharon will share pointers on where to start, what to do and how to avoid costly mistakes. Sharon Hockfield of Plantin’ Plans is a garden designer in Charlotte. As a retired teacher, she especially enjoys coaching do-it-yourself gardeners. She has a landscape design certificate and recently became an accredited Landscape Design Consultant for the National Garden Clubs.
Gardening for Pollinators
Thursday, March 4 at 9:30 am Chatham County Agricultural Extension Agent Debbie Roos will give an overview of North Carolina pollinators and discuss the role of native bees and managed bees in crop pollination. Participants will learn about the principles of planting a pollinator garden and how to select trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, herbs, vines, and grasses to attract a diversity of pollinators. Debbie Roos is an Agriculture Agent for the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension where she is responsible for programming in the areas of commercial vegetable production, organic production, alternative agricultural enterprises, and beekeeping. Debbie worked for three years as an agroforestry Extension agent and technical trainer for the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa, and later completed graduate degrees in applied anthropology and horticulture at the University of Florida. Debbie delivers educational programming to growers through regular workshops and her award-winning Growing Small Farms website (www.growingsmallfarms.org). She also works with area farmers’ markets and is involved in statewide efforts to strengthen local food systems. Debbie is passionate about pollinator conservation and has planted demonstration habitats and developed resources to teach others about the importance of bees and other pollinators to our agriculture ecosystem.
Get those Skeletons Out of My Garden!
Saturday, March 6 at 10 am The bare skeleton of an outdoor container should never happen in Charlotte, regardless of the month. Resist overplanting your garden pots for instant effect in May and then tattered and overgrown mish-mash until frost and then a graveyard across winter. Plan for four season interest so that bulbs, succulents, seasonal annuals and houseplants join the chorus of making a variable and interesting container composition. Save money by starting with healthy smaller plants and allow them to prosper with a bigger share of the container soil. Anything can be a container planter, just as any plant can be used to shine within it. Learn to plan for year-round interest in a variety of container sizes, changing the color and texture on that container skeleton with plant fashions you like. James (Jamie) Burghardt studied horticulture in Australia and contributed to committees at Longwood Gardens before professional gardening and designing in South Florida. He was responsible for the planting design and opening presentations of The Orchid Conservatory at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and is now a horticultural editor with Learn2Grow.com and freelance writer living in Lake Wylie. He has a BA in biology and MS in public horticulture.
Charlotte: A New South Story Filled with Colorful
Personalities & Predicaments
Thursday, March 18 at 9:30 am Founded in 1768 at the crossing of two Indian trails, Charlotte has a rich heritage. In her book, Charlotte: Spirit of the New South, Mary Kratt has chronicled the history of Charlotte from the earliest Catawba inhabitants to the development of finance, culture and transportation. In this program she will share with you the voices of discovery, hardship, wars, privation, segregation and achievement that bring to life the fascinating history of the people who made Charlotte a queen among southern cities. Mary Kratt is the author of more than a dozen books of regional history and poetry. A prizewinning author, her work includes biography, women’s history and lively stories such as New South Women: Southern Is…; A Bird in the House: The Story of Wing Haven Garden; The Imaginative Spirit: Literary History of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County; Marney; and My Dear Miss Eva. She is the winner of the St. Andrews Writer in Community Award, the Brockman Poetry Book Award and the Peae History Book Prize.
Vegetable Gardening 101
Saturday, March 20 at 10 am Growing vegetables in your backyard can be a fun, even tasty experience…and the first day of spring is a great time to start planning your garden. Join Dia for some tips on how to grow and harvest fresh, delicious produce in your garden. We’ll cover the basics of soil preparation as well as those varieties of vegetables and herbs that perform well in our Carolina summers.
Dia Steiger is Wing Haven’s Executive Director. Although
she’s been an avid gardener for years, she got serious about
growing veggies last summer. Join her for a look at her
successes…and she’ll even show you what didn’t end up on the
dining room table. |
Wing Haven
Gardens and Bird Sanctuary
248 Ridgewood Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28209
704.331.0664
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