1/15/2021
1:30 PM - 2/26/2021 4:30 PM

Winter Flora - Fridays
Registration Closed
This course is designed for a broad audience as well as for students who are enrolled in either of the Garden’s certificate programs. Field trips and exercises provide experience in the use of identification keys and recognition of plants in their winter condition in natural settings. Enjoy discovering that many trees and shrubs are easily recognized when not covered with leaves!

1/28/2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Virtual LUNCHBOX Talk: Skippers in the Dunes
The North Carolina coast has its own species of butterfly – the Crystal skipper. This small brown butterfly can be found around sand dunes along the Crystal Coast from April to May, and again from July to August. The skipper is endemic to just a 50 kilometer stretch from Bear Island to Fort Macon State Park, and its total range is less than 3,300 ha. Unfortunately, the skipper is experiencing habitat fragmentation due to urban development, as much of its range overlaps with human activities, buildings and homes. My students and I work with an interdisciplinary research team to conduct butterfly counts, vegetation surveys and habitat restoration projects to help support the Crystal skipper population. Join us to learn more about this unique butterfly and the team of conservationist that are working to keep it going strong.

2/11/2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

(New Date) Virtual LUNCHBOX Talk: Rare Wildflowers of North Carolina
Join us for a virtual tour across North Carolina to see some of our most rare, beautiful and sometimes overlooked wildflowers. We will explore from the mountains to the coast and learn what makes a plant rare and what is being done to protect them through stories of both woe and conservation success.

2/20/2021
9:30 AM - 3/13/2021 12:30 PM

Botany
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This course is introductory in nature and designed for a broad audience. It covers basic principles of botany including taxonomy, anatomy, morphology and physiology. Class time is divided between lectures and examining/dissecting samples. There are also opportunities for making observations in the gardens.

3/1/2021
- 4/12/2021 5:00 PM

Introduction to Therapeutic Horticulture
The Introduction to Therapeutic Horticulture course is the first in an intended series of online courses that teach the theory, practice, and profession of Therapeutic Horticulture. Students will gain an overview of historical uses and theoretical foundations for the use of plants and nature for wellness. How therapeutic horticulture supports human needs, including physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual needs, will be explored. A discussion of the profession of therapeutic horticulture, related practices, and ways to pursue further study will conclude the teachings. Students will have the opportunity to research, discuss, and reflect on the people/plant relationship, and will be provided with references and resources for further study.

3/5/2021
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Shade Gardening with Native Plants: Virtual
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
A shady garden can brim with wildflowers in spring, offer cool respite in summer and provide habitat in winter. This virtual class will start with a quick overview of gardening in the shade and then focus on plants suitable for such endeavors.

3/7/2021
1:30 PM - 3/21/2021 4:30 PM

Plant Ecology
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Plant Ecology is a conceptual course designed for a broad audience interested in the interactions of plants within their environments. Ecological relationships at the organism, population, community, and ecosystem levels are examined, using examples from the rich and diverse North Carolina flora. Students will learn about nutrient and energy cycling within ecosystems, as well as about current threats and trends for the conservation of ecosystems. No prerequisites.

3/11/2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Virtual LUNCHBOX Talk: Mitigating Climate Change through NC’s Natural and Working Lands
North Carolina's Natural and Working Land Action Plan recommends 25 activities that will help increase North Carolina’s resilience to natural disasters and offset greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering and storing carbon. Developed through a stakeholder-driven process, the Action Plan recommends conserving, restoring, and managing lands in six sectors: Agriculture, Coastal Habitats, Floodplains and Wetlands, Forestry, Pocosins, and Urban Lands. It also outlines specific projects for North Carolina’s natural and working lands that sequester carbon, build ecosystem and community resilience, provide ecosystem benefits, enhance our economy, and recommend socially equitable implementation.

3/25/2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Virtual LUNCHBOX Talk: Back to the Future: Suther Prairie Nature Reserve
After being cared for by generations of the Suther family for generations going back to the 1700s, this relatively undisturbed remnant Piedmont wet prairie on the floodplain of Dutch Buffalo Creek became a “must see” destination over the last two decades for scientists, conservationists researchers and reporters/writers from across the country after being listed in the natural heritage inventory of Cabarrus County.

4/8/2021
1:30 PM - 4/29/2021 4:30 PM

Intermediate Traditional Watercolor: Virtual
This course builds upon the knowledge and skills of Beginning Watercolor. Using live botanical specimens and photo references, students apply basic drawing and watercolor skills to create detailed, realistic watercolor studies of individual plant structures such as stems, twigs, leaves, petals, flowers, pods, and fruit. Classes cover such topics as creating the illusion of depth and volume and portraying shape, color, and textural details accurately. This is a live three hour Zoom format class divided into a group session for lecture, demonstrations and group critique with the instructor followed by one on one individual appointments for consultation and problem solving. Prerequisites: Beginning Watercolor, Intermediate Drawing

4/9/2021
1:30 PM - 4/23/2021 4:30 PM

Flowering Plant Families
This course builds on the information covered in Plant Taxonomy and focuses on the study of plant diversity by targeting twenty major and fairly stable plant families found in North Carolina. Classroom discussions of evolutionary adaptations and relationships are combined with field studies in the Garden and close-up examination of representative examples.

4/22/2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Virtual LUNCHBOX Talk: Bigleaf Magnolia at Redlair Preserve
Redlair Preserve is best known for the charismatic bigleaf magnolia which has the largest leaves of any tree species in the nation. The Preserve also has an incredible diversity of plant species and vegetation types. Robert Peet will start by describing the Redlair Preserve and then discuss the vegetation pattern across this landscape and the challenges for management. He will then discuss the distribution of bigleaf magnolia across the Southeast and will place it in the context of other rare or geographically disjunct species of the Piedmont. Fisher Stines will then present a summary of his research at NC State University on the distribution, abundance and population structure of bigleaf magnolia across the Redlair Preserve.

5/5/2021
1:00 PM - 5/26/2021 4:30 PM

Beginning Colored Pencil
Colored pencil is a next step in advancing from drawing to painting, and introduces the full array of fine art pigments. This course is a hands-on introduction to commonly used materials and techniques such as layering, blending, burnishing and tonal gradation. No prerequisites

5/13/2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Virtual LUNCHBOX Talk: How Trees Can Save the World - And What We Can Do to Help
Trees were – and are – one of Nature’s most powerful tools for creating the planet we know and love today. If we plant many new trees and care for the ones we have, we can begin healing our planet.

5/15/2021
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Vegetative Propagation of Southeastern Native Plants
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Learn the fundamentals of vegetative propagation and how to propagate plants native to the southeastern United States. We’ll focus on low-tech methods you can apply at home, and all participants will have a newly stuck cutting to take home in a rudimentary, DIY mobile greenhouse. This workshop will feature a lecture, in-class demonstrations and participation, and a tour of the NCBG nursery.

6/1/2021
3:30 PM - 6/15/2021 5:00 PM

Principles of Conservation Biology: Hybrid
This course is intended for an experienced audience and introduces the principles of biodiversity and conservation. Students learn about rare plants, conservation genetics, ecological restoration, conservation landscaping, and preserve design.

6/10/2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Virtual LUNCHBOX Talk: Pawpaws and Other Native Tree Fruits
Interest in native tree fruits is growing as people are exploring permaculture, homesteading and a renewed attentiveness to food self-sufficiency. Native fruits have less pest problems and are well-suited to the growing conditions of their bioregion. Mary Jac Brennan will talk about pawpaws, American persimmons, chinquapins, and more in time to prepare your site for fall/winter planting.