If you've been to the Village Center in the last month or two you've probably noticed a new outdoor space in front of Roost and the bank. There's lot to share about this project - especially how it offers a beautiful new place to hang out in the Village Center, complete with tables, chairs and umbrellas. But this garden entry is going to focus on three beautiful live oaks (quercus virginiana) that were installed as part of the site's design. Having just returned from the Wilmington area, where these beautiful multi-branched trees commonly grace public places and historic sites, its hard not to fall in love with these majestic evergreen oaks. If you are down that way, check out the 450-year old live oak at Airlie Gardens - wow!
As coastal plants, they do not grow naturally this far inland (although its definitely worth the trip to see the two huge ones planted many years ago at J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh). These particular trees were grown at Gilmore's Nursery in adjacent Randolph County, and we walked through seemingly endless fields on a wet day to match up the trees for this space. Tom Gilmore, the president, says lore has it that all their live oaks descended from a coastal live oak that was shipped to a wealthy client in New York City, and it survived, which proves these trees are hardy here. Makes for a nice story. Now if we can just figure out how to get Spanish moss to grow on them...