The North Carolina Arboretum is ablaze with color in fall, and the North Carolina Chrysanthemum Society’s Annual Show, held October 17 and 18, is a perfect occasion to celebrate the fall foliage season.
This year will be very special, as the local chapter hosts the National Chrysanthemum Society Annual Show. Some 200 exhibitors from all over the country are expected to exhibit exceptional blooms and displays in addition to the normal excellent presentation made by the local chapter. Expect to see tree and cascade exhibits as well as displays of chrysanthemums, bonsai, educational exhibits, and a special section on Photography.
On Saturday afternoon, October 17, visitors are invited to enjoy talks on the North Carolina Chrysanthemum Society’s “Outreach to Schools” program. This program, presented by the local mum chapter, is designed to encourage local high school student participation in growing and showing chrysanthemums and has met with significant success. A program on how to grow mum bonsai as well as mums in miniature will be presented by a national Chrysanthemum Society expert on mum bonsai.
The popular annual show showcases hundreds of chrysanthemum blooms in vibrant and varied colors. The exhibits will be judged by National Standards by expert Accredited National Chrysanthemum judges from all over the United States and Canada, by strict NCS standards and highlights the exceptional variety in size, shape and color of these popular fall flowers.
The show is a perfect opportunity to learn more about how to grow display or show quality chrysanthemums. Guests to The NC Arboretum will be able to enjoy the shows and flower sales as well as trail walks, family activities, and exhibits.
More Fall Events
Natural beauty comes in a kaleidoscope of colors each fall at The North Carolina Arboretum – a beautiful bargain at only $6 per personal vehicle.
Vibrant colors amid trees, shrubs, and perennials delight the senses at the Arboretum. According to horticulture expert Alison Arnold, fall color starts early in the gardens with blooming annuals and perennials. “Mums, cool season greens, Japanese anemones, asters and ornamental grasses are going strong this time of year,” she said.
Surrounded by the Southern Appalachian mountains and adjacent to the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, The NC Arboretum is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America. Within its 434 acres, the Arboretum offers 65 acres of cultivated gardens, 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, a state-of-the-art production greenhouse, and one of the most unique bonsai collections in the United States.
Visitors during fall also have a last chance to explore “H. Douglas Pratt and John C. Sill’s BIRDS: The Science of Illustration,” a new 3,000 sq. ft. exhibit open through November 1 at The Baker Exhibit Center. In conjunction with the Arboretum’s celebration as an official part of the NC Birding Trail Guide, the exhibit explores how art and science work together in Pratt and Sill’s artistic illustrations of birds.
Pratt is an ornithologist, artist, and photographer as well as Research Curator of Birds at the NC State Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. As a widely respected zoological illustrator, author and illustrator, Pratt has contributed to publications such as National Geographic Society's Field Guide to the Birds of North America and the multi-volume Handbook of Birds of the World.
Sill has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator since 1971 and has been exhibited in highly acclaimed shows and appeared in a number of books and magazines. He has been the illustrator for the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird Identification Calendar since the project began in 1980 and he is an instructor for the Institute for Field Ornithology sponsored by the American Birding Association.
Additional exhibit features include:
• A bird nest collection, containing nests and egg replicas of local songbirds.
• Vignettes of Mounted Specimens, skins and skeletons.
• Historical Bird Guides and Illustration Plates
• An interactive bird song display to test and instruct visitors on recognizing songbirds by vocalizations.
• Make your own bird guide illustration activity table
• Discovery Packs containing binoculars for children to check out birds in the gardens are also available for families to enhance their exploration.
