Contributed
Fifty two enthusiastic Garden Club members and friends boarded a bus on Thursday
morning, Sept. 14, and headed north to the JC Raulston Arboretum and the N.C. State Farmers Market in Raleigh.
The SLGC welcomed members from the Seedlings Garden Club of Southern Pines, Aberdeen Home and Garden Club, McClendon Hills Garden Club and the Linden Garden Club of Pinewild as well as members of the Seven Lakes for the day trip.
The JC Raulston Arboretum is a 10-acre, nationally acclaimed garden with one of the largest and most diverse collections of landscape plants adapted for landscape use in the Southeast.
Plants specially adapted to Piedmont North Carolina conditions are collected and evaluated in an effort to find superior plants for use in southern landscapes. There are 15 gardens within the complex, which features unique plants and structures.
The garden is designed to inspire gardeners with ideas to implement in their home gardens, including plants that respond well to tough conditions, require minimum water and provide a beautiful display of color, shape, and texture.
As residents of the Sandhills, gardeners are especially interested in those plants that will thrive in our drought and deer-plagued gardens. Our docent-led tours were enjoyed by everyone.
After visiting the garden, the group stopped by the N.C. State Farmers Market. They loved shopping for produce and plants and found their needs met by the many offerings at the market.
