A Conservation Garden: The North Carolina Botanical Garden at 50 (1966-2016) Volume I Researched, compiled, and written by the North Carolina Botanical Garden Greenbriers February 2019 To the visionaries who came before us, the pragmatists who carried the vision forward, and the allies yet to come; and to past, present, and future seekers who find inspiration, encouragement, and solace at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. FOREWORD One would be hard pressed to walk into any botanical garden in the world and come across a compendium of historical information as complete as this one. What is even more amazing is that this compilation of the Garden’s 50-year history was authored by volunteers! Calling themselves the Greenbriers, this dedicated group of 12, under the able leadership of Joanne Lott, has spent countless hours researching, fact checking, and writing the definitive guide to the first 50 years of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. As you peruse Volume I from the Introduction to the Reference Timeline, perhaps even delve into the Volume II appendices, you will quickly come to the realization that this history goes much deeper than the last 50 years. Indeed, the story of the North Carolina Botanical Garden is the botanical legacy of the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest public university. Like the entangling Greenbrier vine, the two have been intertwined and inseparable since 1903 when the University’s first professor of botany, William Chambers Coker, established a teaching collection of trees and shrubs on campus which later became the Coker Arboretum. The Garden has many other branches that can trace their origin to the Coker legacy, including Battle Park, the UNC Herbarium, the Coker Pinetum, and The Rocks at the Coker/Burns estate. William Chambers Coker planted the seed from which it all began. Today, the North Carolina Botanical Garden is recognized as the nation’s most comprehensive center of knowledge on the regional flora of the southeastern United States. We cultivate and steward more than 1,100 acres of garden and conservation areas, maintain the largest herbarium in the southeastern United States, safeguard rare and endangered plant species from extinction, and educate the next generation of conservation leaders. Past, present, and future. What does tomorrow hold in store? Of one thing you can be certain, the North Carolina Botanical Garden will stay true to its mission to inspire understanding, appreciation, and conservation of plants and advance a sustainable relationship between people and nature. Damon Waitt, Ph.D. Director, North Carolina Botanical Garden University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill PREFACE and ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Greenbriers, a volunteer group at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, gathered in 2014 to train as docents for the Bartram exhibition and symposium in the fall. Named after greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia), a woody vine native to the eastern and south-central U.S., the group chose this name because we are sharp and green (i.e., dedicated to advancing “a sustainable relationship between people and nature”) individuals who are willing to become entangled in a variety of projects. We are tenacious and productive, and our efforts bear fruit! Having noted the need for a centralized and accurate source of information about the North Carolina Botanical Garden while answering questions from the public, we volunteered to assemble historical details, describe elements of the philosophy, and record as much as we could find about the traditions of NCBG. Director Damon Waitt gave approval to proceed with our project in 2015. We are grateful for his participation, and his patience in awaiting its fruition. In this chronicle, the Greenbriers honor the pioneers who advocated for the establishment of the North Carolina Botanical Garden, as well as staff and volunteers whose energy and enthusiasm established the “can-do” attitude that persists today. Our research uncovered many impressive, ongoing efforts to advance the mission. Twelve individuals were primarily responsible for the content, which was written and compiled during two years of research, oral history interviews, and exploration of memorabilia and archives: Pam Camp, Sarah Dendy, Betsy Donovan, Glenda Jones, Ina Kimbrough, Lynn Knauff, Paula LaPoint, Joanne Lott, Jo Ann Overton, Margot Ringenburg, Susan Turbak, and Fran Whaley. We are grateful to former Director of education Nancy easterling for her active involvement, kind guidance, and encouragement throughout the creative process. The expertise and attention to detail of our editor, Laura Cotterman, is also greatly appreciated. For generously sharing their knowledge of NCBG history, philosophy, and practice we thank Nick Adams, Curtis Brooks, Rebecca Dotterer, Muriel Easterling, Nancy Easterling, Allison Essen, Matt Gocke, Sally Haskett, Mary Howes, Alan Johnson, Elisha Jones, Charlotte Jones-Roe, Stephen Keith, Chris Liloia, Anne H. Lindsey, Claire Lorch, Margo MacIntyre, Carol Ann McCormick, Beverly Connor McSwain, Amanda Mixon, Ken Moore, Grant Parkins, Harry Phillips, Johnny Randall, Nancy Robinson, Cindy Shea, Patti Smith, Dan Stern, Katie Stoudemire, Cricket Taylor, Elisha Taylor, Andrew Torlage, Sally Vilas, Jim Ward, Damon Waitt, Alan Weakley, Rebecca Wellborn, Wendy Wenck, Peter White, and Dot Wilbur-Brooks. Limited space prevents naming every individual who searched for or supplied archives, artifacts, and historical material; we are grateful to all. Last, but not least, we thank family, friends, and NCBG members and current and former staff who offered information and helpful critiques. _________ A note about abbreviations We have chosen to represent the entire institution of the North Carolina Botanical Garden with the convenient, shortened abbreviation “NCBG.” In a few places you will see the term “the Garden;” this term is intended to refer specifically to the Display Gardens area located on Old Mason Farm Road and surrounding the James & Delight Allen Education Center and Totten Center. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is represented by the abbreviation “UNC,” with the full knowledge that there are other branches of the University of North Carolina, located in other cities. This is merely a convenience for a document of this size, in which only the Chapel Hill branch of the university system is mentioned. CONTENTS, Volume I Foreword Preface Introduction: A Conservation Garden………………………………………………………..3 Chapter 1. Trusted Guardian—advancing a conservation mission…………………….......6 A Mission for a Garden…………………………………………………………………7 Birth of the “Conservation through Propagation” Ethic………………………………..8 Wildflower of the Year Program………………………………………………….......10 Seed Programs………………………………………………………………………....13 Land Management: Conservation in Natural Areas……………………………..........15 Sustainable Gardening Practices…………………………....…………………….......22 A LEED Platinum Education Center……………………….......………......................24 “Conservation Garden” Timeline……………………………...…...........………........27 Chapter 2. Scholar and Teacher—furthering knowledge and understanding……...….....32 UNC Herbarium……………………………………………………………….............33 UNC Herbarium Timeline……………………………………….......……………......37 Adult Programs……………………………….......……………………………….......38 School Programs………………………………….......…………………………….....43 Youth and Family Programs………………………….......…………………….…......46 Horticultural Therapy…………………………………………………………….…....48 Horticultural Therapy Timeline……………………........………………………….....52 Wonder Connection……………………………………………………………….......58 Carolina Campus Community Garden……………………........………………….......60 Edible Campus, UNC……………………………………………………………….....64 Education/Community Outreach Timeline………………………………...……….....66 Chapter 3. Friend of the Community—opening our gates………………………….……...72 Gardens within a Garden ……………...……………………….………......................73 (Habitat Gardens, Perennial Circle, Plant Families Garden, Water Gardens, Carnivorous Plant Collections, HT Demonstration Garden, Courtyard Gardens,Rare Plants Garden, Childrens Wonder Garden, Mercer Reeves Hubbard Herb Garden) Coker Arboretum……………......……..……………………………………………...79 The Rocks……………………….……………………………………………………..81 1 Koch Memorial Forest Theatre………………………………..………………………82 Forest Theatre Timeline………………………………………..……………………...86 Paul Green Cabin………………………………………………......………………….87 Other Lands with Trails That Are Open to the Public……………...………………….91 (Piedmont Nature Trails, Coker Pinetum, Battle Park, Campus-to-Garden Trail, MasonFarm Biological Reserve, Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve) Plant Sales…………………………………………………………...………………...94 Cultivar Introductions………………………………………………...…………….....95 Art Exhibits and Educational Exhibits…………………………………...……………98 Publications……………………………………........……....................…...………...100 Green Gardener Service……………………………………………….......................106 The Sarah Fore Gaines Library……………………………………………………....107 The Judy and Burke Davis Garden Shop…………………………………….…...….108 Chapter 4. Partner with Others—joining hands………………………...............…….......111 Institutional Memberships……........…………………......…………………....…….112 Projects with Partners……………………………………......……………...….……113 Projects with Partners Timeline……………………………..……………………….114 Awards………………………………………………………..……………....….......117 Awards and Recognitions Timeline……………………………..…………………...120 Chapter 5. Grateful Beneficiary—support from founders and friends.....……………....126 The Botanical Garden Foundation…………………………………..……….............127 Generous Friends