Durham Grown: The Durham County Library Garden Club
Getting the Most from the Plant Toolbox!
The Plant Toolbox, a free informational website from N.C. Cooperative Extension, is an extensive database of plants commonly found in North Carolina gardens. The site has over 4600 pages of plant descriptions, photos, and horticultural information. More than that though, it can help you find the right plant for your garden, a plant that will thrive where planted with less work from you! Learn tips and tricks from Dr. Scott Zona, the Plant Toolbox manager, on how to get the most out of the Plant Toolbox and how to make it work for you!
Scott Zona holds a B.S. in horticulture and an M.S. in botany from the University of Florida. His Ph.D. in botany is from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (now the California Botanic Garden) and Claremont Graduate University, California. He is the manager of the NC Extension Gardener’s Plant Toolbox and of Online Learning.
He has explored for plants in Florida, California, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, the Pacific islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, and Madagascar. His interests are in the diversity and natural history of tropical plants, especially palms, salvias, and bryophytes. He has published over 185 articles on these topics in various magazines, book chapters, and scholarly journals.
Scott is co-editor of the International Palm Society’s quarterly journal, PALMS. He is also a member of the Cactus & Succulent Society of America, International Palm Society, North American Rock Garden Society, and the Royal Horticultural Society. Scott grew up in southern Florida and now lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
He is the co-author of two books, Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms (2nd ed.) and The Palm Collection at the Jardín Botánico de Culiacán. His third book, A Gardener’s Guide to Botany, was published in December 2022 and received the American Horticulture Society’s book award.
Registration is appreciated.
Parking is available in the library lot or at the North Queen Street Garage which is locate at 115 North Queen Street which is located directly across the street from the library. Parking is free in the garage. Bring your parking ticket to a library service point for validation.
