Salt Spray Garden 1999
Notes: 10/27/1999 Other additions to 1999 garden include donated hot salsa mum mix, garlic chives, Lambs Ear, spiderwort, and cuban oregano. Also Dusty Miller – Silver Dust, Echinacea Magnus and white, and phlox paniculata ‘David’ and Coreopsis Verticilata Zagreb. Oleander, Elaeagnus & pittosporum cut to ground by crew leader.
Salt Spray Garden 2000
1. Some grasses need trimming back – most do not. Grasses included in current garden are:
Miscanthus – cut to ground. Weeping Love Grass – stub to 8″ late winter. Bitter Panicum – cut to ground. Sea Oats – remove dead parts only. American Beach grass – don’t cut if any green showing.
2. Sand fencing possibly along grasses.
3. Interplant creeping rosemary and cuban oregano among Sedum.
4. Sea Holly mixed with grasses.
5. Add to seaside goldenrod among yuccas.
6. Gallardia mixed around rock and grasses. Here and there.
7. Crinum lily, Rain lily, drawf sunflower, achilla, zinnas everywhere along walkway.
8. Garlic chives and purple wave petunias in front of observation deck.
9. In corner where elaeagnus were – have Shasta Daisy &__chinacea mix.
10. Santolina – green and grey.
11. Sea Oats available.
2/8/2000 Discussion with Gary concerning above future plans. Work towards clearing other side. Added wave petunias, Achillea, Gallardias, Elf sunflowers and zinnas.
3/30/2000 Added: 2 Kniphofia/Poker plant ‘Cobra’; 2 Scottish Petite Roses; 1 Euryops Pectinatus ‘bush daisy’ $26.76 submitted
4/2/2000 Added: 2 Echinacea – tennessensis; 4 pink cornflower; 3 Echinacea – paradona (yellow)
4/12/2000 Weeds!! Spoke with Gary regarding roundup. Oleanders being cut down due to proximity to childrens garden. Also discussed Arboretum plans for walkway changes. Plant gallardias started from seed. Weeded for 4 and ½ hours and didn’t put a dent in it!
6/13/2000 Plant: Crinum Lily – Hymenocallis Calatina (Basket Flower). 2 purple sedums – Sedum x ‘Arthur Branch’ & Sedum ‘Rosy Glow’. 2 Tulbaghia “Society Garlic” Weed, weed, weed,.
7/20/2000 Create setting with driftwood and collected seashells.
Notes: Carolina Cherry Laurel – native evergreen, early March has white flowers. Yaupon Holly – Native with berries. Live Oak is #1 tree for us. Large pittosporum (side garden) 12 to 15 ft dia 7 ft tall behind cleyera which is 15 ft tall – not a good foundation tree. South American Palm – Butia – not native. The Sabal Palmetto and Sabal minor are both native. Baccharis halimifolia ‘white caps’ Ground sel bush – Blooms white flowers in fall. Resistant to salt spray and harsh conditions.
You know how expensive it is to keep sand on our beaches. Save our sand. American Beach Grass – has runners that root down 3 or 4 ft. Not real exciting looking seedlings. They sale for $50 – $55 per 1000 sprigs. After hurricanes I was down on the dunes and looking at how deep the roots went on torn apart dunes. This is in some opinions the pioneer grass on the beach. It holds a tremendous amount of sand. On the west end of Long Beach – Bruce Williams planted this A beach grass 3 or 4 years ago now are 12 to 15 ft tall. Huge dune. It is amazing what Beach grass can build. Plant beach grass in cool season Jan – Feb or early March. Sea Oats and other grasses are warm season grasses and need to plant in March, April, May.
Description of Salt Spray Garden
Features a collection of mostly native plants that endure seaside conditions, including salt laden winds and hot, quick draining sand. It is a large garden area divided by a wooden deck and walkway. One side consists of sand representing frontal dunes and includes adaptable plants, while the other side consists of native trees and shrubs more suitable to the leeward side (out of the harshest winds) of the landscape.
The plants of this community must not only tolerate the blowing and shifting sand, but the salt spray as well. Besides direct habitat destruction, an additional threat to native coastal strand species is the spread of aggressive exotic weeds, such as iceplant and pampas grass.
Description of Duties
Research plants to include and to plan, design and plant the garden. To maintain plants and make sure they have proper identifying labels. To coordinate maintenance of garden as a whole including pruning, weeding, fertilizing and watering. To update research and new plants throughout the year.
Jan – research & plan with measurements and photos. Start seeds.
Feb – cut seasonal grasses, prune overgrown shrubs.
March – Begin adding hardy plants. Maintenance. Fertilize.
April – Plant Etc. Weed Weed Weed.
Salt Spray Garden 2001
1/16/2001 Met with Susan Parker – new head of gardens to review plans & needs for 2001
1. Ordered 30 allium bulbs for area near walkway.
2. Started sea holly seeds for front of observation deck.
3. Zinnias & daisy amongst grasses different heights all white. Miniature zinnias outer border – seeds started.
4. Tall purple mexican sage amongst artemisia. Loosely.
5. Along fence blue grass 3 spaced with yellow gallardia & purple petunia.
7. Catnip spreading purple flower under white (alba) rugosa.
7. Tamarix pink bordering fence separating childrens garden.
8. Century plant donated.
9. More rugosas along walkway?
10. Need to heighten sand dune and add to grasses.
1. Emphasize ‘no mulch’ weed problem ask for help concerning pre-emergent & herbicides.
2. Help clearing #2 cotoneaster & St Johns Wort.
3. Please save oleanders. Create barrier between childrens garden.
4. Explain how elaengus & pittosporum & euonymus & oleander were overgrown admittly but were recently cut to the ground.
1/22/2001 – Tony Avent visits and offers advice – Try to get oleanders to come back. Create more sway- too square. Stick more with natives.
1/30/2001 – Met with Susan & Barbara Johanson. Weed, deadhead sedums. Prune Tamarisk. Discuss St Augustine path with Susan, dune building up and moving artemisia. Also work on other side pruning garden #2. Call Susan Thatcher or Joann Brown for label making.
2/1/2001 – Purchase creeping rosemary, lavender, & 2 signposts.
2/5/2001 – Make signs. Check on St Augustine Monday.
2/6/2001 – Plant 2 additional tamarix. Rake debris, weed. New labels for grass & petite pinks. Met with Barbara Johanson for advice – she made me a new list of plants.
2/7/2001 – Plant 3 drawf yaupons, rosemary, lavender, century plant. Move artemisia. Met with David Barkley & Susan on St Augustine path. Need to purchase stones. Lay Augustine tomorrow. David suggests grass to join garden beds in a flow. Create living path. Combine sedums.
2/15/2001 – Clear garden #2 trim and pull St Johns wort – extremely prune eunomuses, prune palms, create paths between shrubs. Create sharks tooth garden of St. johns wort.
3/1/2001 – Create living path across sand with St Augustine grass and seashell stepping stones. Plant 2 wheelers drawf pittospoums, 2 petunias between yuccas, 2 lantanas. Cut grasses, add sand, move more sedums per advice from Tony Avent and bob Lyons. Alyssums are right for our coastal climate. And anise – salt tolerant. Contact Todd Lasange at JC Raulston for some test plants. Checkout Woodlands website for natives.
3/21&22/2001 – Plant gallardias, catmints, serums and pink and yellow ice plants. Plant salvia along walkway – landscape fabric under cotoneaster and paths around euomys. Mulch all paths in garden2 defining sharks tooth. Take pics.
4/2001 – Plant sale plantings. Weed and deadhead. White petite roses added.
6/1/2001 – Remove yaupons – died. Too much irrigation. Move pittosporums, plant lantana. Weed
Fall 2001 – maintain plantings, deadheading and weeding. Plant snapdragons around eucalyptus.
Winter 2001 – overall pictures show a very improved area. Rugosas are not too pretty. And the petite scottish rose is out of control. Eucalyptus is looking great, it responded well to pruning. Erosion is a problem on sedum bank. Discussed options with Susan Parker. More sandstones or pilings like bulkhead discussed. She will contact a pier contractor. Knee high pilings to control sand runoff.
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Salt Spray Garden 2002
1/10/2002 – Prune tamarix and gallardia. Meet with Susan concerning erosion. Turn in label request form.
Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca’ Atlas Cedar
Kniphofia ‘Tritoma’ Poker Plant
Rose wichuraiana ‘Snow Carpet’ Memorial Rose
Osmanthus Frangrans Tea Olive
Tulbaghia violacea Society Garlic
Leucanthemum ‘Summer Snowball’ Shasta Daisy
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue Black and Blue Sage
Vitex, Rotundifolia
Elaeagnus, Ebbingii
Pittosporum,variegated ‘Wheelers Drawf’
Tamarix ‘Rubra’ Salt Cedar
Salvia greggi ‘Marichino’
Gold’n Silver Mum ‘Ajania pacifica’
Rosa pimpinellifolia ‘Petite Pink Scotch’
Opuntia humifusa(Raf) Eastern Prickly Pear
1/12/2002
1. Still need two labels
Ice Plant Yellow(Delosperma brunnthaleri)
Ice Plant Starburst (Delosperma floribundum)
2. Plan to move sedums up closer to yuccas. Need more sunshine.
3 Crete bulkhead to prevent sand erosion problem.
4 Move Century plant out of erosion prone area
5 Add more Agave
6 Order Yucca Rostrata
7 Sea Oats?
3/13/2002 David Nash Speaker – Division of Coastal Management – North Carolina has 330 miles of coastline. Barrier Islands are made to move. They are created by storms & maintained by storms and ultimately destroyed by storms. Sunset Beach is the only beach in NC that is presently gaining sand naturally. Sand on the beach can reach temperatures of 140 degrees in daylight and back down to 70 degrees at night. A 70 degree change. Rac line is the high tide line that holds debris. Yucca is not adapted to frontal dune. The rac line allows a moisture rich environment for washed up seeds & plants to root. But they need a supply of blowing sand – hence the dry sand part of the beach needs to be large to supply blowing sand. The two main features that plants struggle to deal with are blowing sand & blowing salt. This determines what vegetation survives the frontal dune. Sea Oats – Nash started his program in 1995 – He takes seeds from area beaches – raises them to plants and then returns plants in that same area. With care a sea oat can grow 18″ in 9 to 10 wks. In nature it would take 2 years to reach this size. Bitter Panic Grass – excellent frontal dune grass – none tolerate of even light trampling or foot traffic. It produces no viable seeds. Sea Oats & Bitter Panic are The Best 2 NC frontal dune plants. Back Dune Plants – Yucca – easy to propagate by seed, Gallardia, dewberrys, smilax and pennywort, prickly pear too. Golden Rod flowers in Sept; Cackly Sea Rocket, Dune spruge – has a milky white sap. Sea beach Amaranth is threatened species. Sea Oat plants from Florida don’t survive so well here because of DNA differences. Marsh plants – spalteriflora, cordgrass – juncus romarianus. American Beach grass – cool season perennial, plant in Feb – March. Native Cape Hatteras and north. Not native here. It only has a lifespan of 3 years. Not very heat tolerant. Sea Oats are native to south Virginia all the way around coast to Texas. Both sea oats & bitter panicum are warm season grasses plant from late April to October. Goes dormant in winter. Sea Oats must be planted correctly. The sand has got to be wet (moist). No irrigation after planting. 8″ deep. Too shallow is why most don’t survive. Sand dries quickly. Add 1 teaspoon of osmocote 18/6/12 3 month slow release. Any other kind would fry the roots. Oct 1st collect sea oat seeds – rub seeds out of spiklets – 2 to 6 each – Refrigeration of seeds needed – in a paper bag in crisper 40 days at 40 degrees f. Plant and maintain warmth 70-95 degrees f. Lightly covered. Water from the bottom. Keep Sea Oat foliage dry. Dune program is for groups who have an appreciation for the coast. Common Reed – Fragmiti Austruslias is an exotic – it’s taking over. Note – Rinse Sea Oat seeds in 30% clorox 1 part to 2 parts water. Lined up class for June 11,13,18th & 20th at the aquarium. NC Shore & Beach Preservation Association – www.ncshoreandbeach.org.
4/17/2002 Tour w/ Todd Lassaige – he says I need to mass the plantings I already have. Increase them. Plantings are correct but sparse. He suggests – aganpanthas – ella mae – Oleander – Pink Mully, Thunderhead Japanese Black Pine & Yucca Rostrata. Also Manhanter euonoymus
5/8/2002 Horticulture Session W/ Melanie at NC Aquarium. Plants of the Carolina Bay The mainstay is the Bay Trees – three kinds – not related to each other. Sweet Bay – White underside, (oak family) fragrant bloom. Loblolly Bay – 50-60 ft tall non-fragrant. Red Bay – staple of wetland, not usually big, reddish hairs, never very pretty – beat up and galled allot. Another Bay she wants to get is called Horsesugar. Loblolly is Indian word for mudpuddle. All the pines are Loblolly. Long-leaf pines are more of a upland species. Bigger cones on loblolly. Cypress – Bald not predominate, Pond Cypress is. TYTy – small tree. Holly – Bittergallberry – common all over – called inkberry in landscape. Fedderbush – relative to Bberry, Lionia along edge it has a extra line around leaf edge. Clether – everywhere. Wild native azalea. Eleochias. Red maple, viberum native v. Nootum. White cedar – there is a red & a white – white likes it wet, red likes it dry – red has female 7 male (cones and berries on one). White is either 1 sex or the other. Climbing Hydrandgra – Decarmaria. Reindeer lichen. Ferns – Cinnamon Fern – Lacier. Royal Fern – larger spaced leaves further apart. Christmas Fern – Stocking evergreen withstands snow while other two are sensitive. Grasses – all sedges. Lithcoathway – doghobble. Hackberry. River oats, sweet spirea, zenobia. White flower Dahoon holly – only found in this area along with Carnivous Plants usually not in wet bog but on a pocosin (which floods but dries) They are in a 60 mile radius and like full sun with no competition. They are fire resistant. Black gum or Tubolo. Sabal minor – shade, salt tolerant. Marsh Rose. Deciduous Holly – possumhaw winterberry. Laurel Oak – Water Gum close to water. Wild Azalea – viscoso rododrendron – larger. Raven Rock – Tulip Poplar, Sycamore, water oak. Use cygon for aphids in a enclosed environment.
6/11/2002 Barrier Island Overview 6/13/2002 Dune Walk 6/18/2002 Dune Plant Propagation / Sea Oats Planting at Steamers (adopted access) 6/20/2002 field trip to discuss sand fencing planting procedures & fertilization. 6/22/2002 Shell Island planting.
Notes: New dunes form at rac line. Primary Frontal Dune Pioneer Zone – Slack – Ridge – Scrub Zone – Maritime forest. Saltation surface creep.
Dry slack – xeric. Wet slack – mesic. Sea Oats (Uniola Panicolata) Bitter Panicum (PanicumAmatom) Saltmeadow Cordgrass (Spartina patens) Seashore Elder (Iva imbricata) American Beach grass (Ammophila breviligulata) not native – needs cool. Bogue north. Plant Sea Oats 8 in deep in moist sand. 1 teaspoon osmocote fertilization 18-6-12. Characteristics of dune environment – low nutrients low organic matter low clay matter — low CEC (means plant cannot hold nutrients. Sand is very low. PH – shells make it sweet / high alkaline 8 – 8.2 low moisture holding capacity. Sand is very abrasive when blowing. Coastal Panicgrass is native Panicum ararulum – warm season perennial. “Atlantic” clump Fertilization is needed! Sea Beach Amaranth – more growing in Southport since renourishment. Endangered. Gallardia – is easily seeded. Yucca filamentosa – not so pokey white flower stringy. Mound lily yucca – stiffer leaves. Spainish bayonet – more upright – pointy. Horseweed.
7/2002 Don Walker donated – Washingtonia Palm.
8/21/2002 1st meeting Renovation – Kent Wooten, david Nash, Al Schroetel, Bill Thompson. Discussed problems now existing – soil needs amending, compacted clay – PH needs to be around 7.8 on beach – high alkaline. Too shady, removal of all non beach species. Prune or remove surrounding trees. Create a Dune system – divide total area into 3 zones – representing ocean front cottage. Frontal Dune 1 working towards childrens garden. In garden 2 clean up and maintain. Review label needs and remove all of the ST. Johns wort. Create a design using plot plan & NC list. Labeling important from start. Natives only?
8/23/2002 Trip to Wrightsville Beach Dune – Croton, Painted Leaf Plant. Discuss plot plan, plant lists, obtaining materials, outline, placing plants,
Shrub Zone Natives – Southern Wax Myrtle, Red Cedar, Atlantic White Cedar, Yaupon Holly, Hercules clover, Toothache Tree, Yucca, Salt Cedar? Juniper.
8/29/2002 Work with Mike Jones Class CFCC 9-11:30 Al Scrotal provides plot plans & lists.
9/3/2002 Al w/ chain saw. Cut pilings donated by T Rothrock deliver to SS Garden. Met w/ David Nash & Kent Wooten. Next steps present plans to board. Shell Sand 458-5201 $85 a load Ronnie Lewis $60 a load ordered 2.
9/4/2002 Curator Mtg -Kent Labels, educational garden is the only way to survive budget cuts. Garden needs to speak. Documentation and brochures. Think about signage & possibilities for Cross section of a Barrier Island. Speak w/ Peter Smoot on greenhouse space and propagation.
9/25/2002 Present proposal to Arboretum Board for approval.
10/21/2002 Met w/ David Nash – walked garden and toured greenhouse space with Brock. Reserved space discussed building water boxes for sea oats and moving out some tables. 70 degrees maintained. Table and bench space.
Began removing existing plants. Ordered sand. Thursday delivery. Remove everything in the garden. Transfer several. Use only NATIVE plants for entire new garden. Removal & dune construction. Round off bulkhead decided. Labeling is in a political stage between Charlotte and Ann. Susuanne Thatcher – Labels.
10/28/2002 Move plants out begin construction of bulkhead.
11/4/2002 Met with Nash & Susan discuss contour, bulkhead placement, and maritime forest.
11/20&29/2002 decking and bulkhead construction
New Salt Spray Garden 2003
1/6/2003 Finish Bulkhead. Start contouring.
1/14/2003 Met with Al, David, Charlotte, and Susan. Stack out area. Order 15 tons builders sand. Discuss Brochure changes.
2/2003 Moving sand, forming dunes.
3/3/4/5/2003 Top frontal dune with sandy sand and contour 2 back dunes digging out marsh. Soil tests taken.
4/9/2003 Set up planting date with David for 4/21/2003. Review soil test results. Susan to order one more load of sand. Brunswick greenhouse will supply sea oats, bitter panicum, elder and sea beach amaranth. They will also come help plant. Plan to dig most other specimens from wild. Nursery stock is already to big - start small. Less future maintenance.
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