Red Butte Garden Magazine-Fall 2023

Red Butte Garden

UTAH'S BOTANICAL GARDEN

Red Butte Garden presents BOOtanical

October 18-30

BOOtanical Days 9AM-5PM (Free for members)

BOOtanical Nights 6PM-9PM (Last admission at 8PM)

Garden members $13 Public $16

Tickets on sale Tuesday, October 3 at 10AM

redbuttegarden.org/events/bootanical

Tapering off from a busy summer season, fall is a time of reflection and planning at Red Butte Garden and Arboretum. This year, we have been dreaming about what the next few decades could bring for the Garden and our guests.

We are developing a comprehensive master plan to create new physical spaces and programs to better engage and educate our members and guests. We are also finalizing an organizational strategic plan to guide our leadership team and strengthen the Garden’s position as an industry leader in horticulture, conservation, and education. As you’ll read about in the pages ahead, we are also implementing an exciting new approach to the onsite experience through expanded interpretation that will deepen guests’ understanding and appreciation of living landscapes.

As we prepare to celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2025, we’re proud of how much the Garden matters. It’s a place where people of every age, ability, and background can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of time spent in nature. Guests are inspired to use natural resources more responsibly and to garden more sustainably. Children who visit learn to connect with the natural world through hands-on experiences with plants. And we are committed to making an even bigger difference in the years to come.

Our Garden is thriving, and your support is a big part of the reason why. We are excited about what more we can make happen together in the years to come.

See you in the Garden this fall!

Derrek Hanson, Executive Director

From left: Red Butte Garden�s Kevin Jensen, Studio Outside�s Tary Arterburn, and G. Brown�s Mathew Winward tour the Garden as part of a new master planning process. Photo: Ladd Schiess

We acknowledge that this land, which is named for the Ute Tribe, is the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute, and Ute Tribes. The University of Utah recognizes and respects the enduring relationship that exists between many Indigenous peoples and their traditional homelands. We respect the sovereign relationship between tribes, states, and the federal government, and we affirm the University of Utah’s commitment to a partnership with Native Nations and Urban Indian communities through research, education, and community outreach activities.

ON THE COVER Symphoricarpos occidentalis (Snowberries)

EDITORS

Kate Randall

Mindy Wilson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Kevin Jensen

Lynsey Nielson

Mindy Wilson

CONTRIBUTING

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jason Baker

Sam Crump

Glenn Eurick

Kristan Jacobsen

BJ Nicholls

Kate Randall

Heidi Simper

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Leslie Hanna

PRINTED BY IC Group

Red Butte Garden is one of the largest botanical gardens in the Intermountain West and, together with the University of Utah, a state arboretum. The Garden is renowned for its plant collections, themed gardens, more than 560,000 springtime blooming bulbs, award-winning horticulturebased educational programs, and a world-class outdoor summer concert series.

300 Wakara Way Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108

801.585.0556

Copyright © 2023 Red Butte Garden. All rights reserved.

Photo by Glenn Eurick

“TALKING TREE”

with Red Butte Garden’s New Arborist

Just a few months into his work as our first full-time arborist, Charlie Perington is still taking it all in. Some 2,000 trees, including an exceptional collection of 216 different conifer taxa and 35 one-of-a-kind hybrid oaks, are now his—to prune, train, protect, grow, climb, and share. Perington shares his unique insights and some practical advice:

You’re an experienced and skilled arborist, but this is your first time caring for trees in a public garden. What are you most excited about?

This is the dream job. Being in a space where I get to care for trees long-term, document that care, and have the potential to do research—I love that. But the thing that I really want to do is, I want to get other people talking to trees, touching trees, climbing trees, caring about trees. That is for me what the tree community that I come from gave to me—that is just the most unbelievable gift.

What do you wish people understood better about trees?

Trees aren’t very good at doing things for themselves. What they’re good at is making communities. And when you start looking at trees as community builders, you start looking at them in the same way you look at the people in your community who build it. They’re special, they’re rare. They don’t come about all the time. They work so hard for the people around them that if we could just give them a little bit of help, all they’re going to do is help us back. So to me, in a big holistic sense, it’s that trees don’t need industrial inputs. They need the nuance of care that Mother Nature brings. And they need the balance of Father Time to give them the space in time to build communities that we can be a part of.

On a very practical note, how should people protect their trees as we head into fall and winter?

Young trees need to be protected from deer looking to rub off their velvet in the fall. Putting a guard on the trunk or installing temporary fencing can help prevent damage.

Also, trees need to be watered deeply in the fall to prepare for winter. Try to water the tree once a week, and aim to have water infiltrate 18-24 inches deep, from near the trunk to at least the dripline, if not beyond.

Is your tree on its pruning cycle? All urban trees should be on a predetermined schedule for their pruning doses. Often young trees are on a 1-3-year cycle, and middle-aged trees should be on a 3 to 5-year cycle. Mature trees vary wildly, with pruning cycles of 4-10 years.

Charles Perington is an ISA-certified arborist and has an associate of science degree in greenhouse management from Hennepin Technical Institute.

Arborist Charlie Perington ascends Styphnolobium japonicum (known commonly as Japanese pagoda tree or Chinese scholar tree) to perform reduction pruning on the lowest first order branch.

LOVE POLLINATORS? EASE UP ON FALL CLEANUP

Although some pollinators migrate – like the monarch butterfly – most spend their entire lives locally, and many will find habitat in piles of leaves, brush, rock piles, or hollow plant stalks near where they are observed. For example, swallowtail butterflies disguise their chrysalises to blend in with leaves or twigs, and California tortoiseshell butterflies overwinter as adults in leaf piles. Queen bumblebees abandon their colonies at the end of the season to overwinter alone in rock walls, hollows in logs, or a couple of inches into the ground under piles of leaf debris.

In addition to underground (or under leaf) winter dwellings, some pollinators, such as cavity-nesting bees, excavate or find an existing tunnel in deadwood or hollow stems of certain plants. Many plants provide great potential cavities as they go dormant, including joe-pye weed, penstemon, and many ornamental grasses, which makes it important to leave plants like these intact until the bees emerge in the spring.

So, if piles of leaves and brush can provide habitat, warmth, camouflage, and protection for many pollinators overwinter, why not just, as they say, leave your leaves? You certainly can! Some of us have early spring bulbs or areas we need to keep leaf-free for other reasons (like pest management), but “leave your leaves” does not have to be an all-ornothing prescription. Try designating specific areas in your garden for pollinator habitat, like the less visible parts of a shrub/perennial border.

Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum) leaves

Also, keep in mind that applying heavy layers of wood chips or rock mulch can block ground dwellers’ emergence after winter as well. Instead, consider mulching with leaves, using a lighter layer of compost, or simply reducing the surface area under mulch. Leave the best cavity-forming plants untrimmed over winter, or leave little brush piles of plants around with good possible cavities.

Providing safe, year-round habitat for pollinators is a responsible gardener’s pleasure, but it may take reconsideration of typical gardening practices and shedding some oldfashioned ideas around tidiness. Once we consider what’s really going on under those little piles of leaves and uncut perennials, perhaps yard debris is more beautiful than it seems at first glance.

Leave your leaves for pollinators. After all, beauty is truly in the eye of the bee-holder.

Lynsey Nielson is a horticulturist who oversees the Children’s, Terrace (Herb, Medicinal, and Fragrance), and Orangerie Gardens. She has worked in horticulture for twenty-three years, thirteen of those at Red Butte Garden. An ISA-certified arborist, she has a horticulture certificate from Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) New Zealand and a BA in social anthropology and environmental studies from Massey University, New Zealand.

Doing their own thing.

Approximately 90% of bees are solitary. They often live in individual nests tunneled into the soil or hollow plant material like grass stems. You can help bees by leaving areas of undisturbed soil in your garden and not cut back all your plants in fall!

Chrysalis vs. Cocoon

A chrysalis is different from a cocoon. Butterflies emerge from a chrysalis, which is made of a hardened protein. Moths emerge from cocoons, which are spun from silk that surrounds the pupa. Both a chrysalis and a cocoon enclose a caterpillar while it changes into its adult form.

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' (Heavy Metal Switch Grass)

FLUTES, FLOWERS, AND HERITAGE IN THE GARDEN

More than 70 Native American youth and educators gathered in the Garden on June 26 for Earth Connections Camp to connect with their heritage and explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.

Students learned to hoop dance and play the flute, examined native plants, weaving, and plant uses, and explored hydrology, civil engineering, and geology. Earth Connections Camp is one of the Garden’s longest-running educational events with Indigenous communities and one of our educators’ favorite days of the year.

Plant this fall for more color this spring!

Support Red Butte Garden while shopping our wide selection of spring-flowering bulbs, organic garlic bulbs, ornamental grasses, fall-blooming perennials, and the best selection of waterwise and native plants in one location—the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre.

Fall Bulb & Native Plant Sale

Friday & Saturday, Sept 22 & 23, 9AM-4PM

Free admission through the Amphitheatre gates.

redbuttegarden.org/events/fall-plant-sale

CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS WITH THE NEW INTERPRETATION AND EXHIBITS MANAGER

This summer Red Butte Garden welcomed its first-ever interpretation and exhibits manager—and she’s eager to make your experience here more enjoyable, educational, and meaningful. Sarah Sandoval, an experienced botanist and educator at the Garden, shares what guests can look forward to:

Describe your new role as interpretation and exhibits manager.

This position is about maximizing our impact to fulfill our mission. We’re exploring the different ways we can sow seeds of deep and lasting connections between our community and plants. Each time a guest interacts with the Garden, we have an opportunity to cultivate those connections. My focus will be to find and implement the most effective ways to create meaningful, mission-focused experiences for our guests, whether it’s their first visit or their thousandth time at the Garden. Luckily, there is a wealth of research and information on how to do that. I am excited to explore the world of plants with our guests using interpretive techniques both tried-and-true—and new!

How will the Garden’s new interpretive master plan guide your work?

The interpretive master plan is our road map as we embark on this new era of interpretation. To develop it, we looked at how guests currently experience the Garden

and how we can improve that experience while furthering our mission. We identified the stories and messages that are most important to us and that we’re in the best position to share. Currently we’re exploring life in the arid West through the lens of plants. Next, we’ll collaborate with communities in our area to explore how humans and plants interact. We’ll also focus on six areas of guest interaction: 1) signs and displays; 2) wayfinding, or directional signs and systems; 3) educational programs and tours; 4) publications, guides, and maps; 5) technologies such as GPS-based and audio resources; and 6) our website.

How will your work improve the guest experience?

There is a lot to look forward to! Guests will see new and improved “permanent” signs over the next few years, and more short-term signs and displays that highlight special stories. Larger exhibits will be brought to the Garden more regularly and frequently, and we’ll create more educational and experiential opportunities. A new Garden map and directional signage will make it easier to explore both the designed gardens and the Natural Area. It won’t all happen at once, but with a position dedicated to bringing these new resources to life, it’s going to happen a lot faster!

Sarah Sandoval has held positions across several Garden departments, including conservation field botanist, assistant curator of plant records, teacher resource coordinator, and most recently, school programs manager. She has a BS in botany and geospatial analysis from Weber State University and is a certified interpretive trainer.

New interpretation and exhibits manager

Sarah Sandoval working with children in the Garden.

WE’RE WORKING ON IT New

Upper Garden Service Road

Maybe you’ve noticed—a new project is underway on the Garden’s eastern boundary. We’re re-establishing an important connection that will enhance the guest experience with better travel circulation, views, and access to our Natural Area hiking trails.

The new service road will stretch from the top of the Four Seasons Garden east of the Visitor Center to the top of the Water Conservation Garden and north. It will provide a valuable ADA-compliant route for guests and horticulture staff, and it will allow wildland fire vehicles easier access to the areas above the Water Conservation Garden in an emergency. The project will also further extend the Garden’s existing fire suppression water line, improving firefighting capabilities across even more of the eastern hillside (where the wildflowers were more spectacular than ever this year).

We anticipate the new road will be ready by the end of this year. Thanks for your patience as we continue to grow the Garden in beneficial ways.

Kevin Jensen has been the Garden’s landscape architect and project manager since 2015.

Do you drive an electric car?

Charge it in our Visitor Center parking lot when you visit this fall! We're installing four EV chargers as part of our ongoing sustainability efforts.

A new service road across the top of the Four Seasons and Water Conservation Gardens will improve access for staff and guests.

LOOK WHO'S JOINED OUR TEAM

PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology, University of Colorado

BA in geography and environmental studies, McGill University

Sarah has been faculty at the University of Utah since 2012, teaching urban ecology, ecological planning, and sustainability. She founded and directed the U's interdisciplinary Center for Ecological Planning and Design.

Pronouns: he/him and they/them

IT Specialist

BS in gender studies, minor in computer science engineering, University of Utah

Mars has worked in IT environments around the U's Health Sciences Campus (HSC) since 2017, including at the Eccles Health Sciences Library, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the College of Pharmacy. Mars is thrilled to join the Garden’s robust IT team and lend his expertise to our incredible staff, volunteers, and visitors.

Pronouns: she/her

MA in teaching and BS in geological sciences

Nick has more than 15 years of experience at the intersection of formal (K-12) and informal science education. He specializes in program management, outreach education, and curriculum development and trainings. He taught plant diversity labs and was part of several paleobotany research projects at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Horticulturist II

BA in journalism, pursuing an AAS in ornamental horticulture at Utah State University

Celeste started as a volunteer and spent last season working in our greenhouse. Prior to that, she worked in digital publishing as a managing editor, managing teams and projects for over a decade.

Sarah Hinners Director of Conservation and Research

Nick Hoffmann School Programs Manager

Mars Jacobsen

Celeste Tholen

TRIBUTES AND MEMORIALS

The following donors have made gifts to Red Butte Garden and Arboretum to honor and remember friends or loved ones. Thank you for your generous tributes.

In Memory of Gerda Ihrig

Karyn L. Salerno

In Memory of Kathy Sisken

Christine Gunnel

In Memory of Nicholas Anthony Shifrar

Jacolin & Ken Shifrar

In Memory of Rex Walter Harrison

Alene Harrison

In Memory of Robert L. Edwards

Cathy Kelner

Gifts listed above between 4/11/23-7/25/23

For more information, please contact Natalie Cope, Director of Philanthropy, at 801.585.5658 or natalie.cope@redbutte.utah.edu

What Will Be Your Legacy?

Help keep the Garden growing with a legacy gift through your will.

A legacy gift honors the donor’s life with a charitable gift to a chosen party, cause, or organization. Legacy giving is a lasting investment in Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, advancing our mission to connect people with plants and the beauty of living landscapes. When you include Red Butte Garden in your estate plan, you ensure the continued growth of the garden for future generations.

For more information, please contact Natalie Cope, Director of Philanthropy, at 801.585.5658 or natalie.cope@redbutte.utah.edu

FALL 2023 CALENDAR

OCT 18-30

BOOtanical

Oaklore Academy: The Crimes of Myrtle Spurge

BOO Days 9am-5pm

Garden members: Free General public: Garden admission

BOO Nights 6-9pm

EXHIBIT ARTISTS

Please visit our website and social media for more Garden event information.

ART EXHIBITS

Featuring a range of naturethemed media by Utah artists including photography, watercolor, oil, pastel, mixed media, and more. Admission not required to shop.

SEPT 1-OCT 2

Mark Thompson

Photography Exhibit

The Intimacy of Nature

Artist Reception

Sep 2 from 3-6pm

NOV 3-DEC 18

Glass Art Show with the Glass Art Guild of Utah

Artist Reception Nov 4 from 2-5pm

FLORAL SHOWS

OCT 7 & 8

Bonsai Show

Sat, 9am-5pm Sun, 9am-4pm with the Bonsai Club of Utah

NOV 4 & 5

Orchid Show

Sat, 9am-5pm Sun, 9am-4pm with the Utah Orchid Society

GARDEN EVENTS

SEP

Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series

Tickets: redbuttegarden.org/ concerts

SEP 18

Teton Gravity Research

Presents: Legend Has It Mon, Gates open at 6pm, film at 8:30pm

TGR’s latest ski film premiere. Live music and prize giveaways. Garden members $20 General public $25

Tickets: redbuttegarden.org/ events/teton-gravity-researchski-film

SEP 22 & 23

Fall Bulb & Native Plant Sale

Fri & Sat, 9am-4pm Free admission through the Amphitheatre gates redbuttegarden.org/events/fallplant-sale

Garden members: $13 General public: $16

Preregistration opens Oct 3 redbuttegarden.org/events/ bootanical

DEC 2 & 3

Annual Gift Shop

Holiday Sale

Garden members save an additional 10% on gift shop purchases.

DEC 2 & 3

Holiday Open House & Art Fair

Sat & Sun, 10am-5pm

19 local artisans with handmade gifts for the season. Free admission thanks to ZAP

Call For Entries!

To vend your original, handcrafted art at the Holiday Open House, please apply by Sept 29.

redbuttegarden.org/events/ holiday-open-house-call-forartists/

GUIDED GARDEN TOURS

Complimentary Tram Tours & Private Garden Tours

Please check our website for more information or to make your reservation.

Left: Mark Thompson Photography, Right: Glass Art Guild of Utah

Fun for all at BOOtanical.

FALL 2023 CALENDAR

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Find class descriptions and register online at: redbuttegarden.org/ adult-education or call 801.581.8454.

LECTURE

SEP 9

Ancient Domestication of the Four Corners Potato: Archaeology, Sex & Genetics

PhD Bruce Pavlik

Sat, 5-7pm

Garden members $12

General public $14

NOV 14

Urban Trails: Salt Lake City— A love letter to the city’s parks, nature & outdoor community

Ashley Lauren Brown

Tue, 6-7 pm

Garden members $12

General public $14

HORTICULTURE

SEP 6 & 13

Growing Your Own Food

Garden: Soil Preparation to Harvest (online)

Wed, 6:30-8:30pm

Garden members $44

General public $55

SEP 7 & 14

Native Seed Collecting

Thu, 5:30-7:30pm

Garden members $44

General public $55

SEP 26

Ornamental Grasses

Tue, 6:30-8:30pm

Garden members $39

General public $48

SEP 27

Growing Roses

Sustainably in a Drought

Wed, 6-7:30pm

Garden members $39

General public $48

OCT 7

Bulb Forcing

Sat, 10am-12pm

Garden members $52

General public $65

SEP 5, OCT 2, NOV 7

Birding Walk with Hawkwatch International

Wed, 5:30-6:30pm

Garden members $16

General public $20

ART & DESIGN

SEP 5

Botanical Spirits

Tue, 6-8pm

Garden members $86

General public $90

Includes materials

SEP 16, OCT 14, NOV 11

Designing with Fresh Flowers

Sat, 12-2pm

Garden members $95

General public $100

Includes materials

SEP 18, 20, 22

Botanical Painting

Mon, Wed, Fri, 6-8pm

Garden members $350

General public $385

Includes materials

Rhus aromatica (Autumn Amber) fall leaves

SEP 23

Chlorophyll Printing Workshop

Sat, 10am-1pm

Garden members $52

General public $65

Includes materials

OCT 2, 4, 9, & 11

Art In the Garden for Ages 55+

Mon & Wed, 6:30-8:30pm

Garden members $150

General public $150

Includes materials

OCT 21

Hydroponics: What Plants Crave

Sat, 10am-1pm

Garden members $52

General public $65

Includes materials

HEALTHY LIVING

SEP 13, OCT 15, NOV 15

Indian Cuisine with Purnima Gandhi (online)

Wed, 6-8pm

Garden members $44

General public $55

SEP

Mindfulness Meditation with Maurena Grossman

Sat, 9:15-10:15am

Garden members $10

General public $12

SEP

Qigong with Emily Yeates

Mon, 9:30-10:30am

Garden members $10

General public $12

SEP

Yoga/Qigong with Sarah Elizabeth Garza-Levitt

Thu, 5:15-6:15pm

Garden members $10

General public $12

SEP

Awake in the Moment with Charlotte Bell

Wed, 10:30-11:30am

Garden members $10

General public $12

SEP

Qigong with Sufi Toni Lock

Thu, 9:30-10:30am

Garden members $10

General public $12

Cheryl Underwood

SEP

Yoga and Sound Bath in the Garden with Kristin Vance

Sun,10-11am

Garden members $18

General public $20

SEP, OCT, NOV

Forest Bathing with Chris Newton

Sat, 10:00-11:30am

Wed 6:30-8pm

Garden members $25

General public $30

ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Boredom Busters

Fun, free, nature-inspired activities for families to do at home.

redbuttegarden.org/freegarden-events/boredombusters

Longtime

Rose Garden, and Amphitheatre team, joined the Garden in 2002, starting at the Visitor Center front desk before moving to horticulture in 2005.

Cheryl, along with horticulturist Crystal Kim and Peter Lassig, was instrumental in the bulb design and installations in the Floral Walk and the Rose Garden. A conifer enthusiast who became a rose expert, Cheryl loved teaching guests about roses and their care. Her knowledge, hard work, and attention to detail made a lasting impact on the Garden and will delight countless guests as well as her Red Butte family for years to come.

Cheryl’s career and contribution to Red Butte Garden are acknowledged with a commemorative stone in Gardeners Corner in the Sarah J. McCarthey and Family Rose Garden.

horticulturist Cheryl Underwood retired this summer after twenty-one years of dedicated service. Cheryl, a horticulturist on our Floral Walk,

2023 ADVISORY BOARD

David Classen, Chair

Kym Buttschardt, Vice Chair

Curt Crowther, Secretary

Lisa Andrues

Troy Aramburu

Erin Armstrong

Steve Barth

Brandi Bosworth

Shaleane Gee

Greg Graham

Jeff Herring

Lindee Nance

David Reymann

Jamie Rubin

Laura Snow

JoLynda Stillman

Vicki Varela

Beverly Vargo

Kamrin Wilson

Emeritus Board Members

Sandi Behnken

Hours

January 2 - March 31

Daily 9am - 5pm

April 1 - 30

Daily 9am - 7:30pm

May 1 - August 31**

Daily 9am - 9pm

September 1 - 30**

Daily 9am - 7:30pm

October 1 - December 23*

Daily 9am - 5pm

*Closed Thanksgiving Day and December 24 - January 1

**Days when outdoor concerts are scheduled, hours are 9am - 5pm.

Go Green!

OUR MISSION

To connect people with plants and the beauty of living landscapes.

Website: www.redbuttegarden.org

Comments: 801.581.5754 or email pr@redbutte.utah.edu

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