Speaker: Carson Ellis, National Native Azalea Collection Curator at the North Carolina Arboretum

From grassy mountaintops to sandy river banks, native azaleas are jewels of landscapes and ecosystems across the southern United States. The North Carolina Arboretum’s Native Azalea Collection is a repository of their diversity. Featuring 15 of the 17 recognized species, the Arboretum’s Native Azalea Collection serves as both a conservation reservoir, horticultural display, and living laboratory.

In this presentation, Carson Ellis brings lessons and reflections from her first year as Curator of the Native Azalea Collection. Carson will survey the qualities and cultivation of the native azalea species that can be appreciated and grown in our region while also sharing her insights to public garden horticulture, naturalistic landscape design, and maintenance techniques for the ecological landscape.

Thank you 2024 Lecture Series Sponsors! Title: Blackhawk Garden Center Silver: Bartlett Tree Experts and Peaceful Ponds Bronze: Atlantic Landscape Supplies and Living Color Gardens