Raleigh's Joslin Garden opens to the public this Saturday

William and Mary Coker Joslin invite the public to visit the extraordinary garden at their home in Raleigh's White Oak Road neighborhood this Saturday, March 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Their 4.5 acres include both formal and informal areas and a wide collection of native and exotic plants, many of which they acquired from local garden luminaries J.C. Raulston, William Lanier Hunt and D.R. Coker. The Joslins have established a conservation easement with the Triangle Land Conservancy, perpetually limiting the property's use for garden and horticultural purposes, and they have deeded the land to N.C. State University. For a map to 2431 West Lake Dr., click here. Free parking is available on West Lake Drive, but please park only on the west side of the street.

(Photo of the Joslin Garden from the J.C. Raulston Arboretum Web site)

Lecture touts city chickens

Bob Davis, a Raleigh chicken expert who I wrote about last year for my News & Observer article "Chicks in the City," is giving a lecture this Thursday, Feb. 1 at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum on "Chickens in the City Garden." Bob will discuss how living with chickens -- which he calls "flowers of the poultry world" -- helps urban dwellers nurture their connection to the earth. The lecture, which starts at 7:30 p.m., is free for arboretum members, ID-carrying N.C. State University students, and Department of Horticultural Science faculty and staff, and $5 for all others.