THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM SOCIETY SPRING 2018 Making Sense Out of Fragrance Rachel Carson once opined that “For the sense of Spring Bloom Hunting smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories and it is a pity that we use it so little.” at the Arboretum Too bad that she never had a chance to experience Making Scents: The Art and Passion of Fragrance®, “Unlike the Piedmont or the Coastal Plain, an exciting new family-friendly interactive exhibit spring happens very gradually in the mountains,” that debuts at The North Carolina Arboretum on says Clara A. Curtis, senior director for mission Saturday, May 26, 2018. delivery. “Every blossom has its time, which means Recreated and curated by The North Carolina that there is plenty of time to enjoy the beauty of the Arboretum, Making Scents provides a richly many blossoming plants that call Western North evocative journey that not only exercises Carolina home.” our sense of smell, but also explores the Dogwood season begins in mid-April, and science behind the fragrance industry. throughout the Arboretum, you’ll find an abundance From traditional harvest and extraction of native white dogwoods (Cornus florida) in the methods to chemical combinations of woodlands and public gardens. Considered to be synthetic fragrances, the exhibit uncovers one of the most spectacular of America’s native the technical processes behind the fragrance trees, the dogwood is honored by many states as creation through an immersive multisensory the state flower and coveted for its veil of white experience. Using one of two computerized stations, flowers that grace forest understories. Today’s visitors can actually create their own fragrance card through different cultivated varieties, which come in many shapes combinations of top, middle and base notes. and sizes, are equally at home at the Arboretum. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a “perfume palace,” an iconic display Complementing the native dogwoods are fragrant of almost 200 perfume bottles, some dating to ancient Greece and Rome, viburnum and fothergilla (a member of the witch others featuring the works of great art glass makers and designers such as hazel family). There are tulips and daffodils, as Lalique and Steuben. This stunning collection was made possible through a well, along with bright spring container gardens. unique partnership with the International Perfume Bottle Association. This is the time when native wildflowers, such as The exhibit also includes 10 different scent-seeking stations, each Solomon’s seal, primula, May apple and trillium, containing their own mystery scent and story, along with a Scent Seeker poke through the ground. Map and Guide. “I like to think of this exhibit as a trip around the globe By May, the Arboretum’s hillsides and gardens for your nose,” says Clara A. Curtis, senior director for mission delivery. display a palette of delicate spring greens, providing Making Scents runs from May 26, 2018, through September 3, the perfect backdrop for vibrant hybrid azaleas and 2018, in the Baker Exhibit Center, with a ticketed “Scent Soiree” their more delicate native cousins. You’ll see the planned for members and guests of The North latter blooming along hiking and biking trails that Carolina Arboretum Society on Thursday, crisscross the Arboretum property. As May draws June 7. Look for a save-the-date e-vite to a close, the soft shades of spring give way to in March. summer’s bold hues. Throughout the Arboretum’s Exhibit support is provided in part by The North campus, the native Catawba rhododendron (Rhodo- Carolina Arboretum Society; Asheville Citizen- dendron catawbiense) flowers begin to open. Times; B.B. Barns Garden, Gift and Landscape Come Memorial Day, the Arboretum’s gardens Company; RomanticAsheville.com Travel Guide; are bursting with color, texture and inspiration that and Smoky Mountain Living Magazine. depict this year’s theme: fragrance. Stroll past beds of pastel peonies, blue and yellow baptisia, and German iris on your way to the Quilt Garden. There you’ll see the rosebud quilt block pattern created using violas (Viola cornuta) in shades of pink, rose and lilac, a fitting tribute to this traditional household item and modern day art form. A Promising Future – Now BY GEORGE BRIGGS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR After my parents built their first home follow- ing World War II, they added a garage/bedroom wing in the early 1950s to accommodate their Please Thank Our growing family. When we sold the house over 50 years later, our family still called that added Community Partners bedroom the “new room.” Sometimes the “new” sticks around so long that we fail to notice that it VISIONARY LEVEL has become “old.” The Arboretum’s leadership and staff have tried to Asheville Citizen-Times avoid that trap. Asheville Outlets A good example is the Arboretum’s Plants of Promise (POP) Burroughs Wellcome Fund Garden, the first exhibit space designed and built in the 1990s. Located Duke Energy Highland Mediaworks adjacent to the Education Center, its purpose was to exhibit plants iHeartMedia Asheville singled out for national awards and to construct a barrier-free space. The Laurel of Asheville Over the years, the POP Garden has seen little change, except for RomanticAsheville.com Travel Guide incremental improvements and the addition of tributes to individuals Smoky Mountain Living Magazine by their families. Now, more than two decades later, we hope to finish Spectrum Reach securing the resources needed for a major renovation in 2018, making the old new again. LEADER LEVEL The sedimentation pond below the Baker Exhibit Center is another B.B. Barns Garden, Gift & Landscape Company example. Built for sediment containment during the parking lot construction, Biobest USA it evolved into an oasis for tadpoles and amphibians. Thanks to our Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Buncombe County Recreation Services youth education staff, who saw more than a muddy pond, a stunning Carolina Living Choices environmental design by the local landscape architectural firm, Equinox, Diamond Brand Outdoors and the generosity of early donors, this area will soon be transformed Fairway Outdoor Advertising into Willow Pond – a new focal point for conservation, recreation and Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park education (see page 7 for more details). Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty Despite the Great Recession and dramatic reductions in state Our State Magazine support, our core garden areas – Quilt Garden, Heritage Garden and The Ramble Charitable Fund Stream Garden – show the results of intensive redesign, renovation Southeastern Container, Inc. and maintenance due to the determination, creativity and ingenuity Wild Birds Unlimited Asheville/Hendersonville of Arboretum staff. Revenue generated from our traveling exhibits, ADVOCATE LEVEL wedding program and Winter Lights has contributed to many of these Ambrose Landscapes, Ltd. improvements. But it is our loyal and kind members and volunteers, Camilla Calnan Photography who generously share their resources with us, who make these things FASTSIGNS possible. We couldn’t do our work without you. Gasperson Moving & Storage Within the national community of public gardens, it is generally Jolly Gardener known that generating excitement (and funding) for the new is easier K2 Irrigation Services, Inc. than caring for the old. Yet, it is only by doing both that we can fully live the Motion Makers Bicycle Shop Arboretum’s mission and nurture its role as a contributor to our region’s North Carolina Biotechnology Center economy, culture and welfare. We are indebted to our donors, community Patagonia, Inc. partners, members, volunteers and supporters who see the value in Pinnacle Landscape, Inc. maintaining this balance and serve as stewards of the old and the new REACH Veterinary Specialists alike throughout the year. SUPPORTER LEVELS Bryan Easler Toyota Celine and Company Catering The Compleat Naturalist Daniels Graphics For more information on supporting the Arboretum as a Community Partner, please contact Winnie Hough, community partner program manager, at (828) 665-2492 ext. 210 or [email protected]. 2 What’s On Display Calendar of Events — Exhibits & Art Shows PLANT SHOWS & SPECIAL EVENTS Asheville Orchid Festival EXHIBITS IN THE BAKER CENTER — March 24 & 25, 2018 Spring Plant Sale ROOTS OF WISDOM: — Wednesday, May 16, 1 - 7 p.m. and NATIVE KNOWLEDGE. Thursday, May 17, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. SHARED SCIENCE. (or while supplies last) ON EXHIBIT THROUGH MAY 6, 2018 Baker Exhibit Center Roots of Wisdom showcases the ways in Enhance your spring garden with fragrant plants from the Making Scents exhibit; annuals, which the traditional knowledge of indigenous perennials, houseplants and succulents. peoples and cutting-edge sciences are applied to challenges that face society today. Four indig- World Bonsai Day — May 12, 2018 enous communities, including the Eastern Band Dahlia Tuber Sale — May 12, 2018 of Cherokee Indians, share inspiring stories of Asheville-Blue Ridge Rose Society environmental and cultural restoration. Exhibition — May 26 & 27, 2018 Exhibit support is provided in part by The North Carolina Arboretum Society, Smoky WNC Daylily Club Annual Show Mountain Living Magazine and Mosaic Commu- — June 23, 2018 nity Lifestyle Realty. BAKER EXHIBIT CENTER & GARDENS Roots of Wisdom: IN THE EDUCATION CENTER Native Knowledge. Shared Science. — January 27 – May 6, 2018 DREAM SILKS by Kathy Goodson Making Scents: The Art and Passion of Fragrance ON EXHIBIT THROUGH APRIL 22, 2018 — May 26 – September 3, 2018 With 20 years of silk painting experience, WNC-based artist Kathy Goodson uses pon- Guided Trail Walks cho jackets, scarves and framed wall art as — Each Tuesday and Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., April through October part of her exhibit. Using a multi-step process, Goodson applies French dyes to crepe de Chine using various techniques that are EDUCATION CENTER often layered, creating vibrant, rich colors. Dream Silks by Kathy Goodson After steam setting, the paintings are often — January 13 – April 22, 2018 re-stretched and treated with fabric paints and/or wax to create additional effects.