Winter is a time for gardeners to see things on their property that may have gone un- noticed during the greener months. Winter has its own beauty.--gnarled branches, soft mosses, mottled tree bark, variegated foliage on evergreen twigs and ornamental grasses swaying in a cold wind.

The Arboretum at Tanglewood has its own charm in winter, though few residents venture out into the Park until warm weather. Unfortunately visitors often miss the fragrance of winter daphne or blooming of the Japanese apricots. The foot-tall hellebores come and go,  their rose-like flowers recognized by only a few admirers.  A winter landscape garden can be a thing of beauty helping nature-lovers survive the short, grey days.

Gardening Programs at Tanglewood

As we anticipate the arrival of spring with its cherry blossoms and azaleas, gardeners pore over the catalogs and look for opportunities to gather with other gardening groupies.  In preparation for the growing season ahead, our Arboretum garden curators, under the leadership of Carol Wiggins, have published a flier announcing the adult education programs for 2008.  These programs are timely and open to the gardening public. The highlight of the year is our Annual Spring Seminar to be held March 1 at the Forsyth County Agriculture Building in Winston-Salem. (The move from Clemmons to Winston facilitates a large, anticipated crowd.)
Pre-registrations at $5 per household are now being received to guarantee a space to hear renown speaker and author, Bob Polomski, Clemson University’s gardening guru. He will lecture at 10am and  sign copies of his book, Month-By-Month Gardening in the Carolinas.  A Plant Clinic/Information booth will also be manned by master gardeners. Please call our office for a copy of the flier, or to register for the events.  (703-2867)

From Toby’s Mailbag:
Since 2003, Fiskars has inspired and encouraged creative expression through gardening with Project Orange Thumb.  To promote sustainable agriculture, horticultural education, community involvement as well as neighborhood beautification, ten grants will be offered in 2008.
Community organizations, schools, gardening clubs, senior centers or other groups interested in fostering gardening within their community are invited to apply for Fiskars’ 2008 Project Orange Thumb Grant.   
Awardees will receive up to $1,500 in Fiskars garden tools and $800 for plant materials to cultivate their garden vision. 

Deadline for grant applications is February 15, 2008, and winners will be announced March 15, 2008.
For grant application materials or additional information about Project Orange Thumb or Fiskars Garden & Outdoor Living visit Fiskers Project Orange Thumb Grant or call 800.500.4849. Founded in 1649, Fiskars is one of the oldest companies in the world.
 

Homeowners spend a record $45 billion

A new market research study by the National Gardening Association, Residential Lawn and Landscape Services and the Value of Landscaping, found that homeowners spent a record $44.7 billion to hire professional lawn and landscape services in 2006. These services include lawn care and landscape maintenance, landscape installation and construction, tree care services, and landscape design services. "Over the past five years we have seen the number of households that hire professional lawn and landscape services increase from 23.8 million households, in 2001 to  34.5 million households, in 2006," says Bruce Butterfield, research director at the National Gardening Association (NGA). The amount of money spent on lawn and landscape services has increased from $24.5 billion in 2001.
NGA President Mike Metallo says, "The increased use of lawn and landscape services over the past five years reflects the fact that homeowners appreciate the many benefits of a well-designed and maintained home lawn and landscape but may not have the time or inclination to do this work for themselves." For more information about the Residential Lawn and Landscape Services and the Value of Landscaping survey or to purchase a copy, please visit www.gardenresearch.com.

Question of the Week
Q.  Can you discard pieces of gypsum board from a home construction project in a garden or a compost bin?

A.    Yes, It should be fine.  Commercial compost operations use a lot of drywall in their mixes. The larger sized chunks don’t break down too fast.  Take a hammer to them first ; break into quarter size pieces. Gypsum raises the calcium level compost without changing the pH. In a garden don’t use more than 30 pounds in a thousand square foot area.
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