Piedmont Gardener

First, to the piedmont readers who did the rain dances — thank you! Our automated rain gauge reported 0.39 inch for yesterday, and 0.79 inch for today — a grand total for the event of 1.18 inches! This is the most rain my yard has seen at one time in many, many months. My creek is high and muddy, but did not overflow. Water puddles on the floodplain only lasted about two hours after the rain stopped, but at least they were there briefly. All that wonderful water has now percolated into the ground. It’s not a drought-breaking rain, but it’s a start. Rain dancers — please keep up the good work! 🙂

Second, a Red-Shouldered Hawk nest update — the female is actively rebuilding the nest. She has carried a number of new sticks to the old nest and is spending much time arranging and rearranging them. When she’s not on the nest, she is sitting in the trees on the floodplain, appearing to keep an eye on everything. We are excited to have the hawks back where we can watch them raise another brood. Further updates — and photos — as their story unfolds.

And, finally, I’ve mentioned how much I love the North Carolina Botanical Garden before. I’ve been a member for many years. I believe in their mission, and their gardens are beautiful.

And now that they have their Platinum LEED-certified Education Building, I am excited to see that they are expanding the variety and number of classes they offer.  For those who live in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, I highly recommend these classes.

New offerings include a series on Horticulture and Home Gardening that begins later this month. They will be covering everything from organic rose gardening to container gardening to growing vegetables — and much more. I predict these classes will fill quickly, so check out the listings soon here.