Join us early Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM as we begin our spring meeting weekend with a really special treat in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanic Gardens will open his place just for MAC members to see his more than 1700 unique, rare, and native perennial plants. Tony is a well-known speaker and plants-man and if you have never visited his gardens, or even if you have been a frequent visitor, you’re sure to enjoy a wonderful afternoon. You may pre-order some of the incredible plants Tony has available for sale from his catalog or web site and pick them up during your MAC visit on Friday afternoon. Keith Lukowski, Interim Garden Supervisor, notes that the web site offers a much greater selection of plants than the catalog does, so please check out ordering on-line at www.plantdelights.com.. Although your plant orders will have already been pulled, if you change your mind about any selections, you are not obligated to take the pulled plants. Just be sure to leave room for yourself and your passengers to make the return trip home!
If you can manage to pull yourselves away from Plant Delights, make the short drive to Durham, check into our Hilton meeting hotel, and pick up your meeting registration materials. You may enjoy dinner on your own in the hotel restaurant or at one of many nearby restaurants. A brand new Ruth’s Chris Steak House is also now open as part of the hotel dining options. The Streets at Southpoint Mall is within walking distance of the hotel and has over 150 shops and restaurants available. You may also make your Flower Show entries and purchase a few gardening books before our evening program begins.
Don Hyatt, who is well known not only to members of the Rhododendron Society but to members of many other garden organizations as well, will present our program Friday evening. During his presentations, Don always weaves in a great deal of humor along with his dazzling photography. Don will also catch us up on plans for the 2016 National Meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia. You’re sure to have a good time catching up with folks you haven’t seen for a while and maybe even meeting some new ones. The evening will conclude with the Spring Plants For Members (P4M) Sale. Entry to the sale, as usual, will be based on the date of your meeting registration. Jay Gillenwater will be supplying a choice selection of beautiful, healthy plants from which you can choose. There will also be a last chance to make your Flower Show entries and to purchase a couple more books.
We will begin Saturday morning with an All American Breakfast Buffet (included in your registration) served in our meeting room area. After breakfast, we’ll all gather to carpool to our first garden visit just a short distance away. The Sarah P. Duke Gardens are located on the campus of Duke University and feature a variety of gardens and plants including the H. L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants. There are more than 900 species and varieties of regional native plants. There are 55 acres and 5 miles of walks and pathways of landscaped and woodland gardens including an endangered species garden, wildlife garden, carnivorous plant collection, and historical gardens with its large Azalea Court area. We’ll enjoy taking our time walking through the many distinct garden areas before making a quick carpool trip back to the hotel for our Pasta House Lunch Buffet.
After lunch, we’ll once again form up our carpools to travel to the JC Raulston Arboretum located at NC State University in close by Raleigh. Raulston is a nationally known arboretum. The 8 acre garden includes a White Garden, Japanese Garden, and an award winning 350 foot perennial border. Raulston staff will provide us with guided tours through the gardens, provide information on the development of the Arboretum, and answer our questions about their plantings.
After a day of visiting some beautiful sites we’ll return to our hotel for a brief break to prepare for the rest of the evening’s activities. The evening will begin with a cash bar in the meeting area to get everyone prepared to bid often and bid high at our Plant Auction. Please bring your own special selections to be included in the Auction Sale. Books will also still be available for purchase. After a fantastic Chesapeake Bay Dinner Buffet (There’s also London Broil for all you who prefer some red meat.), we’ll be both informed and entertained again by our evening speaker, Elissa Steeves. Elissa is a MAC member who is a nationally noted speaker and you’re sure to enjoy and learn a lot from her presentation. After the evening program, there’ll be one last chance for P4M purchases and book sales.
On Sunday morning, after breakfast on your own, and hotel check out, Paul James has arranged for MAC members to visit the Graham Ray Gardens. If you can make the trip to the Ray Gardens you will be rewarded by seeing what Paul has called one of the nicest gardens he has ever visited. There are many other garden visit opportunities, as well as many great nurseries, available in the Chapel Hill and Greensboro areas as you make your way back home. Additional information will be provided at the meeting.
Enclosed is meeting and hotel registration information, as well as directions to Plant Delights and to the hotel. Please don’t miss the opportunity to visit with old and new garden friends, to see some wonderful gardens, and to purchase some new and exciting plants for your garden.
SEE YOU APRIL 24-26, 2015 FOR THE GARDENS OF PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA
Directions to Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanic Gardens, 9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh, NC. 27603. 919-772-4794:
From the North or West: Take I-40E to US 401 South (Exit 298A). Take US 401 South to the intersection of Ten Ten Rd. At the stoplight, turn left at McDonald’s. Go 4 miles, then turn right onto Sauls Rd. at the traffic light. PDN and JLBG is 1 mile on the left.
From the South or East: Take I-40W to NC 42 West. Go about 4 miles. Turn right onto Sauls Rd. PDN and JLBG is 3 miles on the right.
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