Since I was working in Europe most of January, I will cover both January and February in this newsletter. It has been an eventful two months. The fruit of our labor in Fall 2006 and through the dry summer and fall of 2007 is beginning to show.
The recent generous winter rains of December and January have rehydrated the ground and revitalized the Arboretum trees, shrubs and ground cover. In the past few weeks buds have begun to swell and the first spring flowers such as Spirea and daffodils in the CANDO gardens are beginning to open. Many projects have been initiated and very good progress made. The new tree seedling raised bed filled up almost overnight with mountain “cool” stock for our Ice-Age Relict Forest. We built another larger one at the lower trailhead; we hope you find this more appealing than the mountain of untidy mulch and topsoil that filled this spot previously.

New projects:

• A handsome new “organic” welcome table at the Bloomwood Entrance Gate, made of Jacob’s Creek slate and a gum tree stump. Also note the Official Welcoming Member of the Arboreum, Mr. Treebeard, who resides on the hickory tree behind the table.
• New enlarged seedling bed.
• Planting the last 6 bald cypress in the Cypress Swamp, as well as 35 saw palmettos and 50 Virginia Sweetspire on the newly graded dam site.
• Planting of many new bushes and trees in the Relict Forest: a very large Rhododendron (gift) 6 large eastern red cedar, a clump of the lovely wildflower Galax, 10 small hemlock trees, 10 small rhododendron bushes, 5 Stewartia trees, and a few wild azaleas
• Extension of the line of Azaleas in the Wilmot CANDO GARDEN another 40 feet, gift of 20 azaleas from Pat.
• A new blight resistant American Chestnut Forest is in progress; the 12 seedlings are In a nursery bed temporarily until the site is completed.
• A new ecology experiment by the Department of Biological Sciences 301 class in now in progress and 2 course experiments by the Department of Geology.
• The official start of the Arboretum Endowment campaign. Thanks are offered to the Crape Myrtle Garden Club; Karen Hook brought over a check for $750 from the club on Valentines Day and handed it to Pat with a smile! This is the first installment on a three-year commitment for a total of $2,250.00.

New Open House Theme for the first half of 2008: Environmental Awareness.

Fixing Problems:

Beetle infestation: removal of 3 large dead pine trees. A few days after Christmas, four of our largest loblolly pine trees in a tight cluster just above the Cypress Swamp showed signs of a Ambrosia beetle attack.

Kudzu/Catbriar infestations: A large kudzu plant was discovered during brush clearing near the Arboretum House and has been removed. See Exhibit for today. Dunbar Funeral home, at Kilbourne and Beltline, has also just eliminated from their property about a half acre of bamboo infested with kudzu.

Dam Repair: A new plan for the stream and waterfalls of the Arboretum is being implemented.

Brush clearing: nearing completion of the so-called “first cut”, the removal of the often extremely dense, almost impenetrable brush.