Conflict to Cultivation – Emilee’s 14-Day Journey Advancing Therapeutic Horticulture in War-Torn Regions

Virtual

For the past two years, NCBG's Therapeutic Horticulture Program Manager, Emilee Weaver and her colleagues from the non-profit, Partnerships for Nature have been building relationships and supporting Ukraine's quest to utilize plant and nature-based programming as a healing intervention for those affected by the ongoing war with Russia. After providing extensive, free virtual therapeutic horticulture (TH) training, online TH certificate program scholarships (in partnership with the NC State Extension Gardener program), and consultation for five botanical gardens in Ukraine and the largest botanical garden in Armenia, Emilee embarked on a whirlwind, 14-day trip to Armenia and the Poland/Ukraine border in October 2024.

Join us for a virtual tour of this unprecedented trip and learn how our Armenian and Ukrainian partners have leveraged their TH training to create inspiring TH programs that are now serving their communities who have been deeply affected by war, trauma, and displacement. Walk with Emilee through the first sensory healing garden built in Poland, the first two therapeutic gardens created in Armenia, and discover how Ukraine has resiliently kept their rich botanical gardens, cultural legacy, and hope alive in the face of profound adversity.

$10

Native People, Native Plants Symposium

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

The Native People, Native Plants Symposium is focused on celebrating cultural relationships between Native American people and native plants. Through workshops led by local Native American plant knowledge keepers, we will explore and celebrate cultural uses, traditions, and relationships among multiple Native plants and the people who have been tending to and using these plants since time immemorial. We aim to bring more visibility to and awareness of Indigenous uses of plants, not just those native to NC, and uplift historic relationships with plants and people. We also plan to exchange native plant seeds in a community seed swap - please bring seeds to share if you have them!

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: The Carolina Paroquet (Parakeet) and relatives: a look at some natural, un-natural, and cultural histories

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Early naturalists of the 18th and 19th centuries left us with volumes of great plant and animal natural history information based on early explorations of “the New World”. Ironically, they left precious little information about the breeding biology of the Carolina Parakeet. Researchers continue to probe historic documents, and collections, and occasionally make new discoveries. We discovered a set of three eggs in our unarchived holdings at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in 2018, for example. In this program, John will discuss what we know, and don’t know, about this extinct parakeet and relate this to some of the species’ tropical relatives.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: The Home Patch

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

The talk will be covering birds that are frequently seen in spring migration, with particular attention to birds that have been photographed right in the Triangle. The primary birds discussed will be warblers, both resident and migrants.

Darwin Day Lecture: Darwin and the Art of Botany

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Join Highlands Biological Station executive director Dr. Jim Costa for an illustrated exploration of Darwin's impact on the world of botany, through the lens of beautiful botanical art.

Charles Darwin is best known for his work on the evolution of animals, but in fact a large part of his contribution to the natural sciences is focused on plants. His observations are crucial to our modern understanding of so much about plant biology, from the amazing pollination process of orchids to plant carnivory to the way that vines climb. Darwin scholar Jim Costa teamed up with botanical artist Bobbi Angell to explore Darwin's fascination with the plant world in their new book Darwin and the Art of Botany: Observations on the Curious World of Plants.

A celebration of Darwin's often overlooked botanical interests, the book spotlights 45 fascinating plants studied by Darwin, each illustrated with beautiful botanical art selected from the Library at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Join us for this talk and come away with a new appreciation of Darwin's creative botanical investigations, the plants he studied, and the ways in which he helped shape our understanding of the world around us.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: It’s for the Birds, Bees and Butterflies – How to Create Biodiversity in Your Yard

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

This presentation will delve into the essentials of transforming your yard into a haven for wildlife. It will guide you through the selection of plants that attract and support birds, bees, and butterflies, explaining the importance of each choice in fostering a thriving ecosystem. Additionally, the presentation will highlight various elements to incorporate into your yard to enhance wildlife habitat, such as bird feeders, water sources, and nesting sites. By the end of the session, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of how to create a biodiverse environment that not only beautifies your space but also supports local wildlife, contributing to the overall health of your community’s ecosystem.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Residential Restoration – Experiments with Piedmont Prairies

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Amidst increasing public demand for alternatives to turf grass lawns, and a burgeoning awareness of the historic role grasslands and prairies have played in the ecological fabric of North Carolina, demand for large-scale herbaceous plantings is growing. However, information and precedents from regions north and west of the state (as well as Europe), where climate conditions are not as analogous as one might hope, appear to dominate the practice of prairie-making in North Carolina. Plant height, competitiveness, bloom time, and lifespan is different in North Carolina than it is in states as close as Maryland or Tennessee. Even in our state’s larger metropolitan areas, sustained increases in temperature, especially at night, mean that Piedmont prairies in downtown Raleigh may perform differently than in downtown Roxboro. Additionally, many plants designers commonly use come from places with lower nighttime temperatures and shorter summers, or are early successional plants with short lifespans that disappear after a few years, leaving enthusiasts (or clients) with a very different experience than they paid for. As we work to sustain restored habitat in our urban environments, we must continue to develop large-scale herbaceous plantings that perform functionally and aesthetically in the climate we have, not the climate we want.

Join Durham-based landscape architect, Preston Montague, for a presentation on his experience developing Piedmont prairies in a variety of environments in the rapidly developing Triangle. Preston will share an overview of the role herbaceous plantings play in our urban fabric, as well as successes, failures, and approaches in prairie-making in his practice moving forward.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Urban Forestry & Birds

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

This talk will offer an introduction to Urban Forestry, highlighting its importance to birds and how we can contribute to its health. Hannah will cover the various components of your urban forest, its role as a habitat, its connection to bird migration, and the relationships between birds and people. Additionally, there will be a high-level overview of tree ordinances to inform the community about how decisions regarding the tree canopy are made.

Annual Evelyn McNeill Sims Native Plant Lecture: Adventures in Ecological Horticulture

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States +1 more

Who doesn’t love butterflies? Habitat cultivation is a vital component of creating ecologically healthy landscapes, particularly in urban settings. But traditional landscaping practices rarely take biodiversity into consideration, and there is a dearth of effective guidelines to inform this goal.

For ecological horticulturist Rebecca McMackin, biodiversity is central to landscape management. In her 10 years as Director of Horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Rebecca oversaw 85 acres of diverse, organic landscapes, all managed to support birds, butterflies, and soil microorganisms.

Join us to learn how to use ecological insight and experimentation to develop new management strategies – and why careful observation and documentation of the insects, birds, and other wildlife in your gardens is crucial to their success.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Native Grasses and Sedges – Smart Choices for Better Landscapes

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Looking for strategies to boost your landscape’s ecological impact? Join us for a look at plant-based solutions to common landscape challenges. Rather than oceans of mulch and vast expanses of turf grass, try using use native grasses and sedges. These extraordinary plants help preserve and build the soil, outcompete weeds, and offer a host of ecosystem benefits. Discover how greener grasses help build better landscapes and communities.