Cary, NC- It’s been ten years since Marla Dorrel helped open Kids Together Playground at a park that would later bear her name. She helped two children accomplish their dream for a place where all children would have a chance to play regardless of ability or disability. Read more
Cary, NC — For this month’s post, First United Methodist Church in Cary sent in a story about “gleaning” – harvesting food left in the fields by farmers. Read more
Cary, NC – Labor Day has come and gone and with it the true start to the Fall Fashion season. CaryCitizen waded through the sales at the mall over the holiday weekend to find out what retailers are predicting will make consumers open their wallets.
Cary, NC- Counting down to this year’s Cary Scavenger Hunt on September 21, 2013, we have added a new twist: a trophy stuffed with cash for each winning team! Read more
Cary, NC – The New York Cosmos will not be in town this weekend. Neither will Hank Williams, Jr. In fact, it’s a weekend of small pleasures in Cary, and sometimes that’s a good thing. Read more
Durham, NC – American Tobacco Campus has reacquired the Old Bull Building on Blackwell Street, adding back a historic property to their iconic downtown Durham development.
In 1865, Washington Duke, a Confederate prisoner of war, was released from Federal custody. He walked back from New Bern to his homestead in Durham with 50¢ in his pocket. By 1896, his company, American Tobacco, was one of the first 12 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Along the way, Duke & Sons helped consolidate the tobacco business. One of the companies they absorbed was Blackwell’s Durham Tobacco, makers of Bull Durham.
American Tobacco abandoned manufacturing in Durham in the mid 1980’s. The old factory became an eyesore. Eventually, Capitol Broadcasting Company stepped in, redeveloping and reopening the property in 2004.
But one piece was missing: the Old Bull building at the corner of Blackwell and Pettigrew.
As reported in the Herald Sun and Triangle Business Journal, an affiliate of Capitol Broadcasting called ATC North Residential has acquired Old Bull and and the Noell building, an adjacent property. The purchase price was $9.5 million.
The first floor of Old Bull is filled with offices. The upper floors are being renovated to contain more than 50 apartments. The Noell building has 17 apartments.
Why the Durham story in CaryCitizen? Every now and then, it’s good to look around at our neighbors. And while Cary sometimes seemed unnaturally close to Raleigh, Durham has become a lot closer to Cary this year with the opening of the Triangle Expressway.
From my house in Cary (near the YMCA), American Tobacco is 19 minutes away (exit 12B off NC -147). That’s closer than downtown Raleigh.
I know this because I spent much of the spring and summer helping produce the new website for American Tobacco.
When Cary looks at historic redevelopment, it can look for no better example than what Capitol Broadcasting has done in downtown Durham. The reacquisition of Old Bull is another step in the right direction.
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Historic engraving of Old Bull from Durham County Library. Contemporary photos by Hal Goodtree.
Cary, NC— Lucy Daniels Center announces the featured artist and guest chefs for their third annual benefit, Expressions: A Celebration of Food and Art, taking place Friday, October 11, 2013, at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, NC. Read more
Cary NC – In Part 2 of our Fall Planting Guide, we’ll talk about trees, shrubs and ground covers – the ceiling, walls and floor of your garden.
In Part 1, we talked about Annual Flowers, Perennial Flowers, Flowers for Spring as well as Fall Vegetables.
But a balanced garden also has an assortment of shrubs, trees and ground cover plants. Starting now is the perfect time to plant a few of these foundational elements.
The weather continues to be mostly on the cool side for this time of year. The rain has backed off a bit so you might be watering now and then when it’s your day in Cary (Odd: T, Th, Sa; Even: W, F, Su).
Average time for fall planting in Piedmont region of North Carolina is mid-September. But this year, the ground is relatively cool and you can start planting now over the long Labor Day weekend.
Shrubs are a medium sized element in the garden. They are useful to give height to a bed and to surround structures like a house or a deck.
Some shrubs are evergreen, others die back in the winter (deciduous). They can be loose or tight, add a spark of color in summer or a bit of green in winter.
Very useful, shrubs. Don’t get as much attention from gardeners as flowers and trees. Shrubs might be the Rodney Dangerfield of the plant world.
Here are a few of my favorite shrubs for your Cary garden with some notes about how to use them. Put a couple on your fall planting list.
Azalea – The Queen of Southern shrubs. Unmatched blooms in Spring create a wall of color. Likes shade and some moisture. Evergreen.
Rosemary – Fragrant, evergreen, fine blue-green needles. The thing I like best about rosemary is that it can take a shearing. That is, you can prune it with an edge, shape it or even venture in simple topiary. Rosemary is very adaptable to sun or shade, prospers in low moisture and neglect. Perfect for my garden.
Butterfly Bush – A deciduous shrub, Butterfly Bush adds color in the height of summer through fall with loose, airy spikes of tiny flowers. Butterfly Bush is beloved of, yes, butterflies and insects of many types. A must for a free-flowing garden spot.
More shrubs – Boxwood and Privet are civilized, cooperative evergreen shrubs that are useful around decks and home foundations. Gardenia produces some of the most beautiful fragrance in the garden. Speaking of fragrance, don’t forget Roses, probably the world’s most popular shrub. Camelia is a true Southern favorite that blooms in early winter, a welcome occurrence in a bleak garden season.
All of the above can be planted starting now. The won’t look like much this fall, but good root growth over the fall and winter will set them up for a strong start next Spring.
Autumn is the season to plant trees in the South.
The most important thing to keep in mind is the placement of the tree and its eventual size. Don’t plant a really tall tree (like a White Oak) right next to your house.
Planting a tree is not hard. In fact, we made a video called “The Right Way to Plant a Tree.”
Here are a few favorite trees for the Cary homeowner’s garden.
Crepe Myrtle – You see Crepe Myrtles everywhere in Cary, and for good reason: they bloom all summer long. Small to medium tree, they love the weather in Cary. Love them back.
Purple Leaf Plum – Dark burgundy leaves make a welcome contrast from the dominance of green. Medium size tree, low maintenance.
White Oak – If you have a grove of trees, or a spot a little father from the house, consider a White Oak for your fall planting. Grows with a straight trunk, nice color in the fall, hangs onto its brown leaves until spring. One of the longest living of Eastern trees, that White Oak you plant this Labor Day weekend could be there when the U.S.A. celebrates it’s 500th birthday in 2376.
Dogwood – Beautiful flowers in spring (and the State Flower of North Carolina). Dogwoods are one of the few trees that thrives in shade. If you have a shady spot that needs some excitement, plant a neat row of Dogwoods.
Willow – Willow trees are good if you have a moist spot in your garden that’s too wet for other trees.
River Birch – River Birch also likes it moist. It can tolerate a fair amount of shade as well.
Thuja Giant – These trees are basically evergreen weeds. Perfect for dense screening, e.g from a road or a bothersome neighbor. Thuja Giants grow fast (very fast) and become a wide, thick, dense, tall impenetrable screen of green.
Now is the perfect time to plant some trees. Don’t forget to watch the video.
If shrubs are the Rodney Dangerfield of plants, ground covers are Cinderella. Totally forgotten. But ground covers are the secret to finish out your garden with a verdant floor, covering bare spaces and connecting the elements.
Creeping Juniper – Evergreen, slow growing, Creeping Juniper can take drought and neglect. Has an almost primeval look. Spreads along the ground with branches that root.
Liriope – Excellent for edging beds, Liriope has thick grass-like blades about 9-12 inches. Basically evergreen in North Carolina. Variegated Liriope is a nice variety with green and white striped leaves. Makes a neat and symmetrical cluster. Many varieties send up a nice purple spike of flowers in the Spring.
Ivy – Ivy comes in many varieties with big leaves, small leaves, dark greens, bright greens, yellows and whites. They cover the ground quickly and thrive in shade. But ivy will also cover your house if you let it. Every Spring (late winter, really), we cut back the ivy to keep it away from structures and trees we don’t want to destroy.
Sedge – Sedge is a grass that makes a nice border. It grows quickly and forms thick clumps. Thrives in sun or shade. Good beneath trees and in borders.
Black Mondo Grass – A real beauty in the garden, Black Mondo Grass rises about six inches above the ground with fine blades of purple-black grass. Grows slowly but easy to multiply by division. Fond of shadier spots.
There you have it – Fall Planting in Cary Parts 1 & 2.
Take advantage of the long planting season this year and put something in the ground this Labor Day Weekend.
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Photo by CameliaTWU.
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The Gardening Column on CaryCitizen is sponsored by Garden Supply Company on Old Apex Road in Cary.
Cary, NC – The Cary Scavenger Hunt is just 4 weeks away. Register now to guarantee t-shirts for your team. You gotta be in it to win it!