Monthly Archives: July 2012

ADKINS ARBORETUM
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 2012

EVENTS

MAGIC IN THE MEADOW
Saturday, September 29, 6–9:30 p.m.
Enjoy an elegant yet relaxed evening celebrating Adkins Arboretum! Set against the backdrop of the Arboretum’s 400 acres of majestic native forest, meadows, and gardens, this signature fundraiser supports the Arboretum’s education and conservation programs. The evening includes fresh local fare prepared by PeachBlossom, delicious wines, and the music of B Natural of Chestertown, featuring Pres Harding on guitar and a special appearance by renowned pianist Joe Holt. Live and silent auctions will include exciting travel packages, an exclusive collection of wines, local dining experiences, and unique art, jewelry, clothing, and collectibles. Tickets are $125 per person ($75 tax deductible). For more information or to reserve tickets, call 410.634.2847, ext. 23 or visit www.magicinthemeadow.org.

Fall Native Plant Sale
Members-only Sale
Friday, September 14, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Public Sale Days
Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Enjoy fall in the garden! Take advantage of autumn’s cool, moist weather to add color and wildlife habitat to your landscape. The region’s largest selection of native perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees will be for sale. Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions, and Arboretum docents will be on hand to lead guided walks. Members, including those who join on any sale day, receive a 10% discount on plants, gift shop items, and new books. Members who join at the Contributor level and above receive a 20% discount on plants. Sale days are popular and can be crowded, so please leave dogs at home. The sale benefits the Arboretum’s education programs and introduces the public to the beauty and benefit of gardening with native plants.

The Tent Symposium presents: Sources of Inspiration
Sunday, September 30, noon–4 p.m.
Fee: $65 members, $85 general
Registration required. Limit: 125
Immerse yourself in a full day at Adkins Arboretum for the second annual fall symposium. Take a walk along the paths that bisect the Arboretum’s rich and unique native plant habitat—mature and young native forests, meadows, wetland, and native gardens. Visit the Native Plant Nursery and plant sale, then enjoy lunch followed by inspiring presentations by Thomas Rainer and Dan Benarcik.

Thomas Rainer will present Artful Interpretations of Native Plant Communities.
As native plants grow in popularity, there is surprisingly little information about how to design with them in gardens and landscapes. As a result, native landscapes often end up looking messy and wild, thus discouraging gardeners from gardening with natives. This talk offers a critique of the current approach to designing with native plants and suggests an alternative: composition based on artful interpretations of native plant communities. This talk will focus on selecting appropriate native communities as inspirations for designed landscapes; identifying patterns, and artfully replicating those patterns in gardens; and creating bold, modern designs that celebrate the beauty of natives.

Thomas Rainer is a registered landscape architect, teacher, and writer living in Arlington, VA. He is a passionate advocate for an ecologically expressive design aesthetic that interprets nature rather than imitating it. His planting designs focus on creating a modern expression of the ground plane with a largely native palette of perennials and grasses. Thomas has designed landscapes for the U.S. Capitol grounds, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and The New York Botanical Garden, as well as more than 80 gardens from Maine to Florida. He teaches planting design for George Washington University and blogs regularly at the award-winning site Grounded Design.

Dan Benarcik will present Inspiration.
Inspiration: where does it come from, and how do we find it? Join Dan Benarcik, one of the creative team of horticulturists at Chanticleer, as he shares his thoughts on finding that sometimes elusive spark from which creativity starts. Approaching his twentieth year at the garden, Dan is challenged with bringing new ideas, sourcing new plants, and breaking new ground at Chanticleer. Visitors come to the garden annually to be delighted, to be challenged, and to be inspired, in what Adrian Higgins refers to as one of the most “interesting and edgy gardens in America.”
As a horticulturist at Chanticleer, Dan oversees the Courtyard Gardens, concentrating on tropical, sub-tropical, and tender perennials for seasonal display. A University of Delaware graduate with a degree in plant science, he serves as regional director of the Garden Writers of America and sits on the Rare Plant Auction and Perennials conference committees. Dan lectures frequently in the Delaware Valley and nationally, and his articles have appeared in Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Martha Stewart Living and Rodale’s gardening books.

ART EXHIBITS

The sixth biennial Outdoor Sculpture Invitational—Artists in Dialogue with Nature continues in the Arboretum’s forest and meadow through September 15. Here’s a chance to see the landscape through the eyes of seven artists from the Mid-Atlantic region. Using materials ranging from branches scavenged from the Arboretum’s brush pile to brightly colored garden hoses, these artists explore how we relate to our nature and the environment.

Julia Sutliff—Found Accident
on view through September 28
Julia Sutliff loves to be surprised by nature. Searching out the remaining pockets of natural landscape within easy driving distance of her home in Cockeysville, she paints the light, colors, and textures she finds there. In her show, she captures intimate, fleeting moments with an immediacy that can only come from direct observation.

PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS

Fall Harvest—Last in the Season’s Bounty series
Friday, September 7, 10 a.m.–noon
Fee: $15 members, $20 general public
Registration required. Limit: 35
Just because we can stop worrying about what to do with yet another summer squash doesn’t mean the food season is over. Late summer is the time to plant a fall garden and the time you’ll find the widest variety of produce all year. Elizabeth Beggins will show how a little preparation now can yield big returns as the weather turns cooler. Greens, garlic, and gorgeous local offerings available at markets and roadside stands are the focus of this program. As always, savory treats and tools to use at home are an added bonus.

Identifying Fall Wildflowers
Saturday, September 8, 10 a.m.–noon
Fee: $15 members each program, $20 general public
Registration required. Limit: 20
Learn to identify the Arboretum’s beautiful yellow, white, and purple autumn flowers. Take a walk with ecologist Dr. Sylvan Kaufman for a close look at Delmarva’s native fall wildflowers. Identification will focus on flower and leaf characteristics and learning to recognize plant families. We will try different field guides to see how they differ in their approach to identification. Participants should bring a wildflower field guide and a hand lens if they have them.

Plants with a Purpose: Ecological Design and Edible Landscapes
Saturday, September 15, 1–2:30 p.m.
Fee: $15 members, $20 general public
Registration required. Limit: 35
Beyond their beauty and bountiful flavors, edible landscapes provide socio-cultural, economical, and environmental benefits within homes and communities. The food and garden movement is bringing to light the unsung role of edibles as a sustainability catalyst for green infrastructure design solutions. Jeanette Ankoma-Sey will present a series of various approaches to explore how edibles can play a key role in planning and design and as tools to restore, mitigate, and improve how landscapes function to support stormwater management, soil health, and habitat creation and biodiversity.
Jeanette is a trained landscape designer and horticulturist, and gardener who lives and works in Alexandria, Virginia. She specializes in plant-based landscape solutions with a particular interest in those that engage users with their surroundings: edible gardens, children’s gardens, campus design, public and urban spaces, and more. She teaches an edible landscape and ecology and the environment course within the George Washington University’s Sustainable Master’s Program.

Backyard Hobby Farm Field Trip
Saturday, September 22, 10–11:30 a.m.
Fee: $15 members, $20 general public
Registration required. Limit: 35
Robyn Affron and her arborist husband have transformed their half-acre property in Chestertown into a sustainable, productive, and lively oasis. Learn about Robyn’s backyard farming journey in this visit to her hobby farm and lush chicken garden. See sustainable land practices in action, meet the farm animals, and taste the difference of fresh free-range chicken eggs by taking home a few fresh eggs to share with family and friends. Participants will meet at Robyn’s home in Chestertown.

Wetland Plant ID: Know ’em and Grow ’em
Wednesday, September 26, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Fee: $40 members and general public
Registration required. Limit: 35
Facilitated by Environmental Concern, an organization dedicated to understanding wetlands, this program provides educators and docents with an understanding of wetland plant ecology and adaptations, and the resources to identify plant species in the field. Materials will also cover native and non-native species and planting tips. In addition to acquiring valuable tools to increase their audiences’ interest in wetland plants, participants will gain inspiration to construct schoolyard or backyard wetland habitats. Register at www.wetland.org or by calling 410-745-9620.

Living in the Trees—Speaking to the Times
A Conversation in Music and Art
Saturday, September 8, 6:30–9 p.m.
Rain date: Sunday, September 9, 6:30–9 p.m.
Fee: $20 members, $25 general public
Registration required. Limit: 60
Join a special program in which music and art cast a spell on one of the last evenings of summer. The Pam Ortiz Band will set the scene with thought-provoking songs that probe the bittersweet richness of life in our times. As the dusk fades into night, take a walk into the forest to see Night Walk, photographer Penny Harris’s images of human figures magically projected onto the trees. As if the spirits of the trees themselves have become visible, Harris’s figures hauntingly evoke the primal link between trees and human life. After a walk through the woods, lit by luminaries and flashlights, return to the Visitor’s Center for more music and refreshments.

Contemporary songwriter Pam Ortiz has a clear voice and a rare gift for lyrics that touch deeply. Playing acoustic guitar as she sings, she is joined by her husband, Bob Ortiz, on percussion, Ford Schumann on guitar, and Nevin Dawson on viola and violin. Based in Chestertown, the band will release a new album in September. This follows three albums showcasing Ortiz’s songs with Terra Nova, a group that played to packed coffeehouses in the Baltimore-Washington area throughout the ’90s and was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center for Bill Clinton’s first inauguration.

A native of Baltimore, Penny Harris photographs landscapes and people around the world. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is in museum and university collections around the country. While she has created stage sets and done curatorial work involving theater, music, and poetry, this is her first installation using light in the outdoor environment. Seeming almost to emerge from within the tall trees of the Arboretum’s forest, the ghostly glowing figures in Night Walk blur the relationship between humans and nature as they challenge us to consider our times and our place in nature.

GUIDED WALKS

Explore the Arboretum’s changing landscape! Led by Arboretum docent naturalists, First Saturday Guided Walks are offered on September 1, October 6, November 3, and December 1 at 10 a.m. Tours begin at the Visitor’s Center and last approximately one hour. Join horticulturalist Eric Wittman for Second Saturday Guided Walks on September 8 and October 13 at 1 p.m. Walks are free with admission and are always free for members. Visit adkinsarboretum.org for more information.

To arrange a guided walk for more than 10 participants, contact Adult Program Coordinator Ginna Tiernan at gtiernan@adkinsarboretum.org or 410-634-2847, ext. 27.

Nature as Muse
First Wednesdays, September 5, October 3, November 7, December 5, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Free for members, free with admission for the general public
Each month this writing group will follow a different winding path through the Arboretum to quietly observe nature in detail. This will provide inspiration for expressing ideas that begin as seeds in our minds and then blossom into discovery as we write. No previous writing experience necessary. Enjoy how the paths in the Arboretum and the paths in your mind can lead you on an unpredictable but delightful journey. Bring a sack lunch and dress for both indoor and outdoor forest adventure.

Fall Soup ’n Walks
Nature, Nurture, and Nutrition
Saturdays, September 22, October 20, November 17, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Fee: $20 members, $25 general public
Registration required. Limit: 25

September 22—Sunny Meadows
Catch a glimpse of golden brown grasses and yellow and purple flowers. Plants of interest include milkweed, black-eyed Susan, goldenrod, Maryland golden aster, purple love grass, pearly everlasting, Indian grass, and big bluestem.

Menu
Vegetable barley soup with oats
Roasted red beets and mesclun salad
Zucchini yeast bread
Blackberry and peach crisp

October 20—Grasses, Mushrooms, and Early Fall Color
Look for sure signs of fall along the meadow edges, see how grasses have changed since the September walk, and seek out mushrooms in the cool fall forest. Plants of interest include Indian grass, big bluestem, purple love grass, pearly everlasting, milkweek pods, devil’s walking stick, and the leaves of red and orange sweet gum, sassafras, sumac, tupelo, and dogwood.

Menu
Carrot ginger soup
Asparagus and red pepper salad
Barley oat wheat bread
Cranberry apple pie

November 17—Nuts and Berries for Wildlife
Search for dazzling yellow fall color and nuts and berries that nourish wildlife during winter. Plants of interest include tulip tree, paw paw, and hickory leaves, hickory and beech nuts, oak acorns, and the berries of dogwood, holly, sumac, hearts a bursting, devil’s walking stick, and Jack in the pulpit.

Menu
Pumpkin lentil soup
Waldorf salad
Wheat flaxseed bread
Pfefferneuse cookies

PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN

NATURE PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS are open to children ages 3–5 and are offered in an eight-week series, Tuesdays, September 18 to November 6, 10–11:30 a.m. The fee for a series of eight programs is $60 for members and $75 for the general public ($10 sibling discount). Each class includes a healthy snack and a craft.

Science for Home School Students: Planet Earth Clean-up!
Thursdays, September 20 through November 8, 1–2:30 p.m.
Fee: $60 members, $75 general public ($10 sibling discount)
Program is designed for students 8 to 12 years of age
Registration required. Limit: 15
Home school students will explore threats to the health of our planet, as well as ways to clean up the planet, through hands-on experiments, projects, and outdoor fun. Topics will include acid rain, ozone depletion, renewable and nonrenewable resources, pollution, smog, and the Greenhouse effect. This eight-week program will include a service-learning component in which students will help remove invasive cattails in the Arboretum’s wetland. Old clothes and comfortable shoes are a must!