Gardening With Confidence™

Dr. Ted Bilderback, a horticultural science professor, has been named director of the J.C. Raulston Arboretum. He has served as interim director since 2009.

In the early days of the Raulston Arboretum, Bilderback worked closely with the late Dr. J.C. Raulston, for whom the arboretum is named, and his students planted many of the older arboretum specimens and the older holly border.

Bilderback joined the horticultural science faculty in 1977. From 1987 to 2009 he was a North Carolina Cooperative Extension nursery specialist. He continues to serve as an educational adviser to the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Emporia State University and a doctorate from Kansas State University.

Bilderback’s research led to the development of cost effective and environmentally conscious cultural practices for growing nursery plants. Using distance education courses, workshops and publications, his extension programs introduced new technologies to the nursery.

The Raulston Arboretum, located on Beryl Road, is a working research, extension and teaching garden dedicated to evaluating, selecting and displaying plant material from around the world.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

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Dr. Julia Kornegay has appointed Dr. Ted Bilderback Interim Director for the JC Raulston Arboretum at N.C. State University. Dr. Bilderback will begin as Interim Director at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum the first week of January, 2009.

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Dr. Bilderback has been a faculty member in the Department of Horticultural Science for 32 years. Ted was born in Kansas and was raised in a farming community near Valley Falls. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology from Emporia State University, and his Ph.D. in Horticulture from Kansas State University. He also served in the Naval Reserves.

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Ted was hired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State in 1977 with research and teaching responsibilities in nursery production. From 1977 to 1987 he co-taught Nursery Production and Management courses each fall with JC Raulston and Tree and Grounds Maintenance spring semesters. He continued to teach these courses for two years after Dr. Raulston\’92s death in 1997.

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In 2003, Ted developed a new graduate level course, Environmental Nursery Production, which is taught on campus and through distance education \’96 one of the first DE courses to be offered by the Horticultural Science Department. In 1987, Dr. Bilderback took on responsibilities as the Nursery Extension Specialist for the department. Since then he has worked closely with the nursery industry to develop cost effective and environmentally conscious cultural practices for growing nursery stock with emphasis on container substrates, plant and substrate nutrient levels, and irrigation management.

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His work has resulted in 51 scientific papers and 535 published articles. He has also advised 22 graduate students. Ted serves as the Educational Advisor to the NC Nursery and Landscape Association, and presents approximately 25 talks a year to nursery audiences in North Carolina and elsewhere.

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Dr. Bilderback has received numerous awards for his work, including the American Association of Nurserymen’s Extension Award, Southern Nurserymen\’92s Association Porter Henegar Memorial Award for Research, Extension Education Award from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, Environmental Award from the Southern Nursery Association, NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Extension Service Award, and the Distinguished Alumni Award of Emporia State University.

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In 2000, Ted was initiated as a charter member of the NCSU Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension, and in 2008, elected Fellow of the International Plant Propagators Society Southern Region North America Chapter. Dr. Bilderback was a long time colleague and friend of JC Raulston and feels a deep affinity for the Arboretum. JC and Ted\’92s students were responsible for planting many of the older specimens in the collections, and all the holly borders.

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Ted looks forward to serving as the Interim Director and offering his knowledge and experience to help the Arboretum advance in its mission. Ted is married to Linda Bilderback and they have two sons.

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