Welcome to Sprout: The North Carolina Arboretum Blog. Over the past 30 years, the Arboretum has worked to cultivate connections between people and plants through efforts touching on our mission areas of conservation, education, garden demonstration, research and economic development. Starting as a single trailer in the woods, the Arboretum has grown to be a nationally-known public garden and leader in the horticulture industry, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year to its Asheville-based property.
Through this new website and blog, we hope to further our mission by planting figurative “seeds” in our readers’ minds, and provide them with ideas, insights and inspirations that will help them grow in their own journey of awareness and action. We want to be a resource in the Arboretum’s programmatic areas – nature, science, art and cultural history – and also offer readers an inside track into the latest news, happenings, changes and achievements at The North Carolina Arboretum.
Why Sprout?
By definition sprout can be both a noun and verb:
n. – a small growth on a plant, a shoot.
v. – to begin to grow; shoot forth, as a plant from a seed.
Not only do many plant species on our 434-acre property sprout and grow each year, we can also see continued growth in youth, adults, volunteers and staff that are associated and connected with the Arboretum. Whether it’s our educational programming, new plantings in our Seasonal Landscape Exhibits, research and accessions of plants or new exhibits that arise, the Arboretum strives to embody sprout in all forms.
We want to share our “sprouts” with you! To do this, we’ve pulled together members of the Arboretum’s staff, volunteers, donors and Community Partners to create a cultivated community of writers who will help us extend our mission by sharing their stories, ideas and experiences in:
- Horticulture & Landscape
- Nature
- Conservational, Educational and Economical Impact
- The Arboretum
- Our Community
- Exhibits
We hope you’ll become part of the conversation by sharing our stories or simply sending us a note with your topics or ideas.
Now go, grow and happy reading!
The North Carolina Arboretum Sprout Team