Garden Journal

The seeds of next year’s garden: The Tuesday, Aug. 5, meeting of the nonprofit Men’s Garden Club of Asheville will feature BB Barns Landscape Company owner Hunter Stubbs, speaking on the subject of “Sumptuous Summer: Preparing for a Great Performance.”

Stubbs, former director of the horticultural program at Richmond Hill Inn, holds an M.S. in horticulture from North Carolina State University.  He has interned at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, worked at Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh and, more recently, taught classes at Haywood Community College.

The meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Botanical Gardens at Asheville, will cover strategies for creating your best ornamental garden ever. The gardens are located at the corner of Weaver Boulevard and Broadway Avenue at the corner of the UNCA campus. The event is free and open to the public.

A place for critters: The conservation group North Carolina Wildlife Federation is celebrating a recent victory in the North Carolina General Assembly.

Earlier this month, legislators voted to approve a property-tax break for landowners who use their lands for conservation and wildlife habitats. The bill, titled “Wildlife Land Property Tax Changes,” passed the N.C. House on July 16, by a vote of 107 to 4.

The state loses 100,000 acres of private forest and farmland annually, or roughly 2,000 acres each week—land essential wildlife habitat.

Certain conditions apply. To learn if you qualify, visit www.ncwf.org.