FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER
FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER
TARBORO —
The 4th Annual Blount-Bridgers Spring Garden Symposium is rapidly approaching and from 9 a.m., until 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, Tarboro will host garden enthusiasts from all over North Carolina. The symposium will be held in the historic Calvary Episcopal Church.
Participants will have the opportunity to hear two garden experts, visit seven exceptional private gardens and three popular public gardens, shop 16 especially-selected garden vendors, lunch in the beautiful Calvary Episcopal Churchyard, and finish the day with a delightful afternoon tea on the grounds of the Blount-Bridgers House.
The morning speaker will be Martha Hartley, Research and Planning Director for the Restoration Division Of Old Salem Museums and Gardens. She will talk about Old Salem Museums and Gardens and the Legacy of the Moravians: A Landscape History.
In the afternoon, Michael McConkey, author, speaker, and owner of Edible Landscaping, will talk about edible plants. Advance tickets are $60 for the entire day and $70 at the event) and $40 in advance for each half-day or $50 at the door.
During the day the exceptional garden vendors will line St. David Street in front of Calvary Episcopal Church and the vendors are open to the public as well as registered participants at the symposium. The street will be closed to vehicles during shopping hours, allowing for a leisurely shopping stroll.
Symposium tickets are available at the Blount Bridgers House, the Edgecombe County Memorial Library and at the Tarboro-Edgecombe Chamber of Commerce.
Participating vendors include:
• Bartlett Tree Experts, Raleigh. Jeff Kish has taken care of the trees and shrubs in Calvary Churchyard for many years and will lead guided tours of the churchyard. If you have not been on his tour then you will not want to miss this opportunity to walk through Calvary’s historic arboretum with this knowledgeable gentleman. He can be contacted at jkish@bartlett.com or 919-782-7803.
• Growin’ Green, Rocky Mount. Scott Blount grows hard to find perennials. He also grows sedums, succulents and tropicals. He is especially known for his unusual, and unique, container gardens as well as his green roof birdhouses. He can be contacted at ncplantboy@embarqmail.com or 252-567-0090.
• Charlotte’s Daughters, Tarboro and Atlantic Beach. Sisters Jean and Ann create in both the copper foil method (Tiffany) and in traditional leaded panels.
Using both methods they have created custom architectural pieces for local designers and contractors. Additionally, with a kiln in each studio they also craft many fused glass pieces. They can be reached at 252-904-3847.
•Designscapes, Winterville, is a niche business established in 1986 that specializes in container gardening. Patrice Worsman designs and maintains interior plantings for banks, restaurants, industries and residential clients. Orchid arrangements are provided for special occasions. Her inventory includes statuary, bird houses, feeders, baths, garden stakes, and garden art. Please contact 252-746-2617 or designscapesnc@embarqmail.com.
• Edible Landscaping, Afton, Va. Michael McConkey is a thoroughly entertaining authority on edible plants. McConkey spent about 10 years in Adelphi, MD, growing everything that was edible. He lived in a yurt, attended the University of Maryland, and worked part time in a health foods store. His collection of plants will likely encourage us to try mixing edibles into our present landscapes. www.ediblelandscaping.co, Questions: (434)361-9134 Orders: (800)524-4156.
• The Elizabethan Gardens is a glorious living memorial to the men and women of the Roanoke Voyages (1584-1587) who tried to carve out a living in a strange new world. Over 500 different plant species are found in the 10-acre site on the north end of Roanoke Island, adjacent to Waterside Theater. While the gardens are particularly spectacular in April and May, they are beautiful year round. Gardens, 1411 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC 27954
Phone: (252) 473-3234 info@elizabethangardens.org.
•Fantasy Clay, Zebulon. A love for nature was instilled in Pat McCracken at a very early age. As a child growing up in Montana, he spent long hours visiting the he Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone National Park. Pat now travels widely and his pottery is inspired by the rugged erosion in the South Dakota Badlands, the coral reefs off the Florida Keys, lava flows in Oregon, the Outback of Australia, and the hot springs in New Zealand. He can be reached at 919-618-1330; _pat_mccracken@bellsouth.net
• Fishing Creek Farms, Tarboro, started operation in 1986 and is a landscape design and installation company. Whether a one-hour consultation, plans, or installation, we can accommodate the needs of our customer. The owner is a Certified Plant Professional and a North Carolina Registered Landscape Contractor with a BS in Ornamental Horticulture. She maintains both her Commercial Applicator License for pest control and nursery certification. She is a member of North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association, Green Industry Council, Urban Forestry Council and Friend of J.C. Raulston Arboretum. Garden design and installation is available by Renee Anderson Long, Registered Landscape contractor (#1525) at 823-3941 or Fish4Trees@yahoo.com.
• Azor and Judy Israel, Raleigh, have been providing birdhouses and feeders since 1991. Their products are made from 9 ply exterior marine plywood, cedar, and cypress. They use copper and tin for the roofs. Azor uses the Audubon dimensions for all of his houses to attract bluebirds, nuthatches, chickadees, etc.
• Longnecker Tools, Gibsonville, specializes in garden products, garden tools, and gardening equipment. Dick Annand worked as a professional gardener for Longwood Gardens, the Biltmore Estate, and NCSU where he was the Grounds Superintendent. It was from there that he developed his grounds maintenance business. Dick now manufactures gardening tools that are durable, productive, and designed to work.
• Keep America Beautiful, a non-profit organization that is committed to keeping our countryside, rivers and streams clean. She will be located near the registration table. Contact 252-467-4960 or Cornelia.McGree-Anthony@rockymountnc.gov .
• Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, will provide an assortment of gardening books including Allan M. Armtiage’s Herbaceous Perennial Plants and Michael A. Dirr’s - Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs, both excellent resource books. You certainly don’t want to miss this opportunity to select from their best sellers. They will be located near the registration table in Clark Hall.
• Salt Wood Products, Inc., Greenville and Kinston, is your backyard specialist. They are committed to fabricating and retailing items designed for your back yard. Products offered include storage buildings, playground sets, picnic tables, mail box posts, dog houses and custom-fabricated wood items. They have been serving Eastern NC with quality products and services since 1957 and have two convenient locations to serve their customers. Contact Gary Salt at www.saltwoodproducts.com, 252-830-8875, or 1-800-768-7258.
• Silver Palate Feeders is owned and created by Simone Barbe, a native of New Orleans, who has resided in Raleigh since 1998. “I recycle vintage silver plated serving pieces by mounting them on copper poles and adorning them with wired vines and hand cut leaves. Each piece is one of a kind, signed, dated and numbered. They can be used as birdfeeders, planters, or just classy yard art.”
• The Glass Garden Crafts, Apex, supplies handmade items crafted in a variety of glass mediums. She makes stained glass artwork and glass adornments for use in your garden or any room in your home. She also creates handcrafted glass and stone items for your attire, including while relaxing on your patio! Contact her at beth_harden@ncsu.edu or 919-772-3845.
• Sticks and More, Snow Hill. “Sticks” because of tobacco sticks. Having grown up on tobacco farms, owners Donna Haggerty and Mollie Murphrey are proud to share their tobacco farm roots with their customers by offering a variety of whimsical products made from tobacco sticks and other old pieces found on farms in Greene County. Those products are handcrafted in their workshop located at the back of their store. “and more” because there’s a lot more they want to offer their customers. You’ll find a variety of high quality fashion, jewelry, local art, etc. www.sticksandmore.com or 252-747-2135.
• Wayne Webb, metal sculptor, has spent his entire life in the Edgecombe/Wilson Counties area. Self taught, he has always enjoyed building and creating pieces of art through welding.
Recycling is a large part of Wayne’s life, and his “Kritters” allows him to create his art form in a way that contributes to keeping the environment clean——and maybe even to see a little smile when someone sees his work. Wayne Webb can be reached at krazkritters@aol.com.
• Witherspoon Rose Culture, Durham. Surround yourself in the comfort of your own rose garden! Witherspoon Rose Culture can CREATE and CARE for your garden for you, or show you how to do it yourself! They sell premium rose bushes and give away their secrets to success. Witherspoon was awarded Wake Forest Universities Small “Family Business of the Year” Award on May 3. Contact David Strickland at witherspoonrose.com or 1-800-643-0315.
•Russell Yerkes, Tarboro, is an internationally recognized watercolorist, who has made Tarboro his home for seven years. For 17 years, he has traveled numerous times each year exhibiting his unique style and technique with the use of transparent watercolors at nationally recognized outdoor art festivals along the eastern seaboard and the Midwest.
He is the Past President of the Watercolor Society of N.C. serving two terms, 2002 - 2004 and 2008 - 2010. In addition, he is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Southern Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, and is also an Honorary Member of the Jiangsu Watercolor Research Institute of China.
He was one of 26 American Watercolorist’s invited to participate in an international watercolor exhibition held in Nianjing, China 2007 and 2010. yerkesworks@aol.com
