Region IV Regional Meeting | North Carolina
"Homage to Olmsted" North Carolina Arboretum and Biltmore Tour in Asheville, NC
Thursday, October 18 - Friday, October 19, 2018
EARLY REGISTRATION ENDS SEPTEMBER 21
Join your GWA friends at the North Carolina Arboretum on October 18th for a day learning in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America! The North Carolina Arboretum invites you to spend the day both prior and after our formal meeting. Please mention you are attending the GWA meeting and follow the delightful entry road to the Education Building. (see below for directions)
On the following day, Join your GWA friends in Biltmore, North Carolina on Friday, October 19th for a self-guided visit of the breathtaking Biltmore House and Gardens, Antler Hill Village, and a complimentary wine tasting at the winery.
Thursday, October 18
| 8:00AM - 12:00PM |
NCA invites us to spend the day both prior and after our formal meeting.
At the gate, please mention you are attending the GWA meeting and follow the delightful entry road to the Education Building.
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| Lunch on Your Own |
You may bring your lunch into the meeting room at noon or eat prior to meeting.
The Savory Thyme Café is located on the main floor of the Education Center. The café offers light dining options, including salads, sandwiches and soups, using natural, local and organic ingredients. Open @ 11am
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| Noon to 12:30PM |
Overview of the Regional Meeting Schedule
Welcome by NCA
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| 12:30PM - 1:00PM |
Germplasm Repository Highlights by
Director, Dr. Joe-Ann Mccoy
The NCAGR leads a multifaceted effort to conserve, study and utilize native plants and plant organisms
(endophytes)
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| 1:00PM - 1:30PM |
GWA Business Meeting
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| 2:00PM - 4:00PM |
Break into groups for tours.
Each tour is 1hr |
Friday, October 19
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7:30AM
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Parking Biltmore Lot C
Please arrive on time, only one shuttle runs at this time.
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7:45AM
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Shuttle Pick-Up
Biltmore Admission Tickets distributed
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8:00 - 9:00AM
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Garden photo shoot prior to public entry time.
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9:00 - 10:30AM
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Guided tour of gardens
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For directions, please click here.
Tour Descriptions for October 18
(Tour 1) Tiny Trees Make Big Stories: Bonsai Curator by Arthur Joura
What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimen carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.
(Tour 2) Olmsted's Heritage Infuses the Landscape
Joe-Ann McCoy, PhD, has served as the director of the Germplasm Repository since its founding in early 2008. She has established diverse collections of native plant germplasm representing a broad range of diversity and curated those collections through the long-term storage of seed, voucher specimens and associated passport data.
NCA celebrates the beauty of tiny trees as part of an annual Carolina Bonsai Expo. in the Arboretum’s Baker Exhibit Center and Education buildings. As the premier annual bonsai event of the Southeast, the Carolina Bonsai Expo is the Arboretum's most popular plant show.
Authur Joura has been the Bonsai Curator at The North Carolina Arboretum, in Asheville, N.C., since the inception of the bonsai program in 1992. Joura’s educational background is in fine art. Over the years, Joura has studied bonsai with some of the leading bonsai authorities in the United States and was an official student to the Nippon Bonsai Association in Japan.
In 2016, The North Carolina Arboretum unveiled the first-ever standing sculpture of Frederick Law Olmstead, father of American landscape architecture. Olmsted’s career, vision and influence has touched many – in fact, his vision of building the largest research arboretum on George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate served as an impetus to create The North Carolina Arboretum
Tour Descriptions for October 19
Westside Agricultural Tour
George Vanderbilt came to Asheville to pursue a dream: to build a self-sustaining, working estate supported by agriculture. More than a century later, this interest in agriculture continues. Biltmore was a pioneer in sustainable land-use practices in 1895 and has long operated its farm and field-to-table program. Estate pastured beef and lamb, as well as eggs from chickens and quail are served in estate restaurants. Vegetables, herbs and fruit are grown in a production garden. Partnerships with farmers in Western North Carolina also promote the use of locally-sourced food for estate restaurants.
Working the Land to Delight the Palate
While it’s not visible to estate guests, the backbone of the field-to-table program is the estate’s production garden. Tucked away on the west side of the estate devoted to agriculture, this garden supplies estate restaurants with fresh herbs, seasonal fruits and berries, as well as a variety of vegetables. Biltmore chefs count on regular deliveries of the garden’s harvest. This means Biltmore guests have the unique pleasure of enjoying fresh, locally produced meals showcasing seasonal ingredients.
If you see our hosts, be sure to give them a big thank you for this unique visit to Biltmore.
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Parker Andes,
Biltmore's Director of Horticulture |
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LeeAnn Donnelly,
Public Relations Team |
| Parker and his team spend their days ensuring that Biltmore's gardens are spectacular in every season. With hundreds of native and exotic plants to care for, they are the ultimate gardening experts. |
Everyone is invited to continue in the garden and then enjoy a self-guided tour of the Biltmore House and other venues on the property.
Estate Travel Distances:
• Reception & Ticketing Sales Center to Biltmore House: 3 miles
• Biltmore House to Antler Hill Village & Winery: 5 miles
• The Inn on Biltmore Estate to Biltmore House: 4 miles
• Biltmore House to Deerpark: 2 miles
• Antler Hill Village & Winery to Deerpark: 2 miles
• Reception & Ticketing Sales Center to The Inn on Biltmore Estate: 2 miles
Event Sponsored by Gardener's Confidence
and McCorkle Nurseries
