By Mary Paisley, Development Director. Published March 21, 2025.
Karen DiDonato and Sheri Taylor install a mason bee house along the fenceline of the DLC’s “food forest.”
In our quest to acquire special fruit-bearing trees, our friendships grew, organically
When Charlie Welch wrote this article about the importance of the Lemur Center’s organic food forest and our dedicated garden volunteers, he also sparked a new challenge by sharing his wish to add four special tree saplings to enhance our garden—jujube trees. These trees, ideal for our small space and as a future fruit source for the lemurs, offered a perfect addition for this early spring planting season. However, with each sapling priced at about $150, the cost was well beyond our budget.
“Because jujube trees are low maintenance and don’t require pesticides or other chemical treatments, they are ideal for our ‘food forest’ organic garden.” – Charlie Welch, Conservation Coordinator
Determined to make this hope a reality for our “food forest,” I reached out to one of our supporters, Marilyn Grolitzer, who is a NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteer. Marilyn immediately knew who to contact—Karen DiDonato, a fellow NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteer, who runs her own gardening business, Nurtured by Nature Growers in the Triangle area. Karen, in turn, reached out to another friend, Janet, at Edible Landscaping in Afton, Virginia. As an animal lover, Janet was thrilled to learn about the Duke Lemur Center and she enthusiastically agreed to donate the saplings and is eager to visit the center the next time she heads to NC.
The next hurdle was transportation: The trees were too large to ship economically. Enter Karen’s husband, Chris, who kindly offered to drive to Afton, VA, and personally deliver the saplings to Durham, NC. With everything arranged, the journey was set in motion.
On Friday, March 7, Chris and Karen arrived with the saplings in the bed of their truck. They were eager to see where the trees would be planted and thrilled for the opportunity to meet some lemurs during their first-ever visit to the Duke Lemur Center. Charlie, Sheri Taylor (who works regularly in our garden and assists our garden volunteers), and I had the pleasure of showing them around.
As we toured, Karen shared her story of relocating from California in 2019 and establishing her business. She also expressed her enthusiasm for future collaborations with the Duke Lemur Center, offering to provide fig trees, mason bee cocoons, and even pollinator houses to further enrich our gardens.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with such a unique organization as the Duke Lemur Center. We look forward to supporting their food forest efforts through the provision of fruit trees and native bee pollination services.” – Karen DiDonato, Nurtured by Nature Growers
This heartwarming tale of generosity and teamwork has not only brought us closer to our garden goals but also connected us with passionate individuals eager to support our mission. Together, we’re making the Food Forest thrive. We’re so excited to see what blooms next!
Charlie, Sheri, Chris, and Karen with the four jujube saplings.
Ways to Help
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