‘Something for Everyone’
“The Garden Party is such a fun event and the best time of year to get together with people in one of the prettiest settings in North Carolina,” said Arboretum Director Mark Weathington. “The live and silent auctions have something for everyone.”
“We often do quite a few succulents which are very popular for people in offices, condominiums, apartments, and smaller spaces. We’ll have some tropical type plants, indoor plants to put on your patio and bring inside during the winter. There will be garden art, pieces that help bring the outdoors inside if you feel like you don’t have a green thumb.
“For outdoor landscapes, ticket-holders will find pretty good size trees, flowering shrubs, and herbaceous flowering perennials for gardens. So, it really doesn’t matter whether you have sun or shade, a lot of space or a little space, we will have plants that fit into any location – something for everyone, Weathington added.
A Chance to ‘Reconnect with the Natural World’
The silent auction involves mobile bidding, with stations will be set up to help bidders with the phone app. “This allows people to have fun at the party, hang out with friends, meet new ones, and to keep up with the fun of the changing status of their bids,” Weathington said. “The live auction is reserved for the rarest of the rare with lots of excitement and suspense.”
As always, the auction includes a good number of choice and unusual Japanese maples, and there will also be unusual and cutting-edge things like hostas and hellebores, and just released hydrangeas. Another item we’re excited about is the introduction of a new redbud, and it’s called the Flame Thrower. Not publicly available yet, we will auction one at our sale. The Flame Thrower is a complete breakthrough with brilliant gold foliage that darkens to deep burgundy repeatedly over the season.
“Life’s just too short for boring plants. … We all need to spend more time, especially with our children, families and friends, reconnecting with the natural world,” Weathington said.
Don’t Miss Out
Proceeds from Garden Party and Rare Plant Auction will benefit daily operations of the JC Raulston Arboretum. Fund-raising efforts operate under the auspices of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit (tax ID 56-6049304).