PAX plant sale, j.c. raulston arboretum, raleigh.

sunday, september 26, was the nc state chapter of pi alpha xi's fall plant sale. i had the pleasure of working at it and spending time with some really great people. pi alpha xi is the national horticulture honor society, and each semester they hold a plant sale at the arboretum. proceeds from the sale go right back into the university's chapter, as well as the nc state horticulture club.

i was nervous about this endeavor. at this point, i'll be the first to admit that i still do not know much about these plants. but, this seemed like a great opportunity to learn as well as get to know my peers in the field better. so, what the heck. i dove in.

what started off as a slow day picked up quickly. many people (including my mom and dad!) stopped buy to make some plant purchases, and the sale was quite successful. as i was working, documenting the event was a challenge. however, i must say, the selection was impressive and the organization clear and helpful. i got away with two scented geraniums, which i was very pleased with.

at the end of the weekend, packing up the leftovers was a challenge once the heavens opened and the rain came pouring down. everything got cold and wet fast, but the people i worked with were an inspiration and all of the necessary tasks were accomplished with speed and accuracy. i dipped out due to prior engagements, but the rest of the team stayed late into sunday evening to ensure the unsold plants made it back to their homes. i was inspired by the experience, and i cannot wait until the spring sale. i will be more prepared and better equipped by then!

fall plant & craft festival, duke gardens, durham.

plant & craft festival!

this past saturday, my mama cj and i paid a visit to the duke gardens' fall plant and craft festival!

i happened upon the festival last year, while helping my friend jess prepare for her fall wedding. the wedding took place at the gardens, and during one of the weekends prior to the event, my friends and i went to duke gardens to scope the place out since we were helping jess with decorations for the ceremony and reception. that day happened to also be the day of the plant and craft festival, so after we got our business sorted out, we perused the goods. i had a great time, so when i found out the day of the 2010 plant and craft festival, i made plans to go.

mama at the festival.

mexican bush sage.

beautiful pitcher plants.

an amazing orchid vendor!

we left with one eucalyptus, one lipstick plant, and two soaps. it was a great way to spend a fall saturday morning, and i'm so glad we were able to go. there will be another plant and craft festival in the spring!

secret garden.

six hours of the week, i spend my time working in some of state's greenhouses as an intern. nc state has two greenhouse locations: there are some at the j.c. raulston arboretum, and the ones i work in are located behind fox labs on the north campus. when i heard about the opportunity from a fellow member of the horticulture club, i jumped right on it. by the end of the week, i was basically set to start. getting the paperwork completed was a different story, but as of about two weeks ago, i am official.

fox greenhouse. right about quittin' time.

the succulent conservatory.

the tropical conservatory.

it's been a wonderful experience. it's like have a private, hands-on, tutoring session. i am learning so much about plants and watering and maintenance and greenhouse management, and my "teachers" kerry and diane are great.

i hope to get some better pictures soon. the specimens in the conservatory are quite impressive. for now though, i think these stalker-style-cellphone pictures give a good idea of how lucky i am to have this gig!

i promise not to do this again.

i am going to brag about my grades for a second.

i am very proud of myself. last week, i had four exams. to celebrate them being over, i made zucchini bread with zucchinis from the nc state campus farmers market. it was delicious and you can find the super easy recipe here.

zucchini bread. you can never really go wrong with a paula dean recipe.

this week, i got my grades. I GOT ALL As!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

to celebrate that, i made pumpkin bread! i added chocolate chips and pecans to the downeast maine pumpkin bread recipe that i found on allrecipes.com.

is it time for pumpkin pie yet?

both were really successful, and it felt good to be baking some things again; it had been a while, you know, with all the studying i was doing. i want to break out of the quick-bread rut, but they are just so good. i accept any easy cookie recipe suggestions. or pie would be good. or some cookie bars. holy moses. i might have to cut this short. i'm suddenly having a strange craving for the molasses cookies in the kitchen.

i survived my first round of tests!

one in every class last week, and they're over! at least until midterms in a month, but one week at a time!

classes have been great. i actually enjoy them all, but it's still hard to get used to working with freshmen on group projects. they're almost 10 years younger than me and are in a different place in their lives. the thought of finishing college and getting a job and then going back for fun is pretty unfathomable to them, so it takes a little work to ignore it sometimes. i have to resist the urge to talk like the experienced old lady. i can't be too upset though; when i was a freshman, i may have thought about rolling my eyes at the strange older person in my class too...

in any event, things are good. i have started an internship for credit hours at the greenhouses on campus, and it's like having a private teacher 6 hours a week. last week i learned how to water (there is a very serious technique), how to test for pH, and that i need to bring a change of shoes on the days that i'm working. also, sunscreen. i need to stash some in my backpack. i have a sweet racerback tan on my back from all the time spent outside the greenhouses washing pot after tray after pot then spraying the dirt from the pots down the drain like some opposite form of vaccuming. i like it though. hopefully, i'll be able to get some pictures of the conservatories at the greenhouses. they're beautiful, and an inspiration every time i go to work.

speaking of inspiration, here are pictures of our finished plant shelf, as promised! andrew did a great job. whatcha makin next, love?!

if bulbs are your thing..

get some, and support nc state's horticulture honor society!

this year, brent and becky's bulbs are promising to donate 25% of their bulb sales to pi alpha xi, nc state's horticulture honor society. but you gotta tell 'em to send the money to us! simply visit their site, bloominbucks.com, choose nc state pi alpha xi, and then be directed to their extensive selection of bulbs and other merchandise. they have some bee-yoo-ti-ful varieties that are definitely worth a look.

money raised goes to help nc state's chapter of pi alpha xi. you can read more about the organization on their nc state chapter's site. as stated on pi alpha xi's national site, "the society promotes high scholarship, fellowship, professional leadership, and the enrichment of human life through plants." i support that! someday i'd love to be invited to join. in the meantime, buy some bulbs!

pi alpha xi is also holding their fall plant sale in a couple of weeks (sept. 25 - 26) at the j.c. raulston arboretum in raleigh. a portion of the money raised at the event is donated to the horticulture club! i'll be volunteering at the sale, probably sunday, so come buy some thangs.

also, on the other side of the world, sarah p. duke gardens is holding its fall plant and craft festival on sept. 25. (duke on saturday, state on sunday?) i went last year and really enjoyed the variety of items for sale. it was there that i was introduced to white pear soaps and lotions. claudia acosta, the brains behind the operation, was there to test her homemade body scrubs. how was it? let's just say there is a white pear lavender vanilla soap in the shower right now! for more information about the duke gardens fall plant and craft festival, here's a link to their site.

in the meantime, i've got four more days to go in this week of tests. one in landscape graphics, one in precalculus, one in biology, and one in principles of horticulture. and a presentation in biology lab. no joke. all i have to say is, thank you, andrew, for your patience with me at this time.

off to study now. BUY SOME BULBS!

avocado assistance!

this explains the avocado pit phenomenon really well. and by really well i mean like their audience is 8 years old. and by 8 years old i mean me. i posted this earlier, but i find myself referring to it.. again.

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seed/2002114535011263.html

enjoy!

update: avocado baby.

WE HAVE ROOTAGE!

work in progress: plant shelf!

this weekend, andrew made major progress creating a shelf for our plants made entirely out of reclaimed materials! let me break it down: 

wood from pallets

our old back door

model t running board

jeep cj5 tailgate

sounds like a bunch of junk, eh? well, i thought so too. until the sawhorses came out and the tools were lined up on an old blanket in the backyard. in just a few hours it seemed, andrew had put together the skeleton for the shelves and asking for my opinion. i was so proud.

right now it's all put together, and andrew is sanding and finishing. once it's all done, we'll put the plants on it and take some more pictures. it looks great!

meet cindy, the venus fly trap.

we have a fly problem, and swatters and strips are ugly.

intense discussion resulted in the mutual agreement that a fly trap was an absolute necessity.

upon acquisition and re-potting, we deduced that this plant is AWESOME. i was overjoyed at the sound of a fly suffering from within. i swear my eyebrows arched as i menacingly rubbed my hands together like a mad scientist. it's an inevitable reaction when you bring one of these fine specimens home. truly.

we purchased cindy, the fly trap, at the southern states in carrboro. that is also where we got our unique planter. the fly trap needs an especially moist and humid climate, so we looked for a container that would help provide this climate. andrew found the cube-shaped, self-watering pot in the pottery section. the interior pot was broken, so they sold it to us for $1.50! we had to find an interior pot that wasn't broken, so we found the blue one in a clearance section for 47 cents! bam.

according to several web sites, the fly trap will be entering its dormant stages soon. it will appear to dying, but it is not; at that time, it will need slightly lower temperatures, between 55 and 70 farenheit. interestingly enough, this is just like the north carolina climate. that is because the fly trap is native to north carolina! sounds easy, right?

i'll keep you posted.

i love the campus farmer's market.

it might have been hot out. and there may have been only 8 or 9 booths. and i may not have had much cash or ability to carry anything more than the 45 pounds of bookbag i already had. but. the farmer's market opened in the brickyard on campus yesterday and i was super pumped about going.

there was a peanut farm stand, fruits and vegetables, fresh homemade salsa & pepper jelly, COOKIES, jewelry, apples, and homemade soaps and lotions. i loved it. you could smell the soap from 100 feet away, and students were walking around campus with huge slices of watermelon. i knew i wanted to buy soap, so i visited there first. moondance soaps is right outta raleigh, and they offer homemade soaps, lotions, lip balms, and more. everything smells wonderful, and they get their herbs and goat's milk from farmers in north carolina. i purchased a lemon verbena soap and a lavender, milk & honey soap. andrew smelled them and approved.

i had about 5 dollars left, so i found it necessary to prioritize my next item to purchase. obviously, i got cookies. the cookie people had clear glass displays of humongous and buttery-looking cookies, so i naturally gravitated like a raccoon to a piece of aluminum foil. i was extremely proud of my ability to ignore the 4 for $5 deal (because we all know i would have eaten them all before i got home) and i only purchased two (AND i brought some home to share): sugar with icing and sprinkles, and a chocolate chip cookie. THEY WERE THE BOMB. i will be back.

the campus farmers market is such a neat thing that happens at state, and i look forward to stopping by every wednesday. next week, i'll be a bit more prepared. bit more cash, maybe an extra bag. a camera to document. it's great to note, though, that some of the vendors do take cards!

to read some more, the technician (nc state's newspaper) wrote an article and took some pictures.