Bill Alexander: Belk Distinguished Lecturer

Join Bill Alexander, Landscape and Forest Historian for the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, on Thursday, July 17 at 3:30PM in Room 114 (seating limited to 125) for a fascinating look at the botanical history of the Biltmore gardens, which were designed by the founder of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903).

Bill Alexander is the author of the recently published “The Biltmore Nursery: A Botanical Legacy.” A book signing with refreshments will follow the lecture immediately in room 421 of the Information Commons. “The Biltmore Nursery” describes the history and catalogs the botanicals of the 120,000 acre Biltmore Estate. Alexander has spent 30 years in the management and preservation of Biltmore Estate’s landscape, with a passion and determination to conserve them according to the vision conceived by Olmsted and Vanderbilt. The rich botanical history of the Biltmore Estate resonates with environmentalists, historians, horticulturists and gardeners, landscape architects, students and lovers of nature.

Olmsted, whose design legacy includes the grounds for the US Capitol, Boston’s “Emerald Necklace” park system and New York’s Central Park, was hired by Vanderbilt to create an estate in the style of an English manor. Instead, Olmsted convinced him that the land was better suited for a different concept, with grand gardens near the house, a 9-mile arboretum connecting the house to the French-Broad River and a majestic, 80,000-acre forest beyond. Vanderbilt, unlike many of the public entities Olmsted had worked for, had the resources to realize all of Olmsted’s plans.

Because much of the land that Vanderbilt purchased for the Biltmore estate had been cleared for farming and timber, Olmsted developed a plan for reforestation. He trained a team to identify damaged and poorly formed trees for removal in order to provide room for the healthiest trees to grow and thrive. This forest became the basis for the Pisgah National Forest. Today, the Biltmore Estate is considered the birthplace of modern forestry.

A trip to the Biltmore House and Gardens is scheduled for Friday, July 18. Bill Alexander will provide a special guided tour of the Biltmore House and Gardens. The cost is $75.00 a person. The day includes transportation, garden tour, house admission, lunch, and a visit to the winery.
Itinerary:
7:00 am: Meet the ASU Charter Bus at the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center, back entrance
7:45 am: Stop for Avery County participants - Shoppes at Tynecastle; Banner, Elk, NC
9:00 am: Guided Estate and Gardens Tour - Bill Alexander
10:30 am: Self-Guided House Tour
12:30 pm: Lunch at Deerpark Inn
2:00 pm: Winery Self Guided Visit
3:45 pm: Travel back to Boone- with stop in Banner Elk at the Shoppes at Tynecastle
6:00 pm: Arrive in Boone

Please respond by Thursday, July 10th to be assured of a seat, only limited spacing available. Please send checks made payable to ASU Foundations to Lynn Patterson; PO Box 32026; Belk Library and Information Commons; Appalachian State University; Boone, NC 28608. For more information please call Lynn at 262-2087.