GaRdenVariety SPRING 2012
e Newsletter of Rancho Santa ana B otanIc G aRden
BIG BUGS in the Garden How RSABG Grew 1950-70
www.rsabg.org
California’s Native Garden
| Welcome
In
GaRdenVariety 85 Years and Growing
In 1927, history was being made in California: two U.S. Army Air Corps lieutenants flew the first successful nonstop flight from Oakland to Honolulu, the first feature-length sound movie, “e Jazz Singer,” premiered in Los Angeles and the world-famous Grauman’s Chinese eater opened. A little further south, on a parcel of land purchased from Bernardo Yorba’s Rancho Cañon de Santa Ana in 1875, Susanna Bixby Bryant established a botanic garden on 200 acres of her family’s ranch. Much has changed in 85 years. Movies now offer 3D special effects. A flight to Hawaii takes one-fifth of that first 25-hour, 50-minute adventure. California’s population has grown from 5.6 million to more than 37 million, complete with all the trappings of urban development. And Bryant’s concept—to set aside land for the study and appreciation of native California flora—has grown to a world-renowned research institution and garden dedicated to the preservation and cultivation of California native plants. Her mission to protect California’s native plants was prescient, and continues to be as important as ever. From little changes to big throughout its history, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden continues to educate and inspire the public, serve as a scientific scholarship center and as a sponsor of vital fieldwork. Looking forward, we will continue to encourage people to understand the importance of conserving the native treasures of California, and to present native plants in the best possible light. One recent change you may have noticed is our redesigned GardenVariety newsletter; its updated look provides opportunities to present information in a colorful, vibrant and more accessible format and achieves a 22 percent cost savings including the additional expense for Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper.
Change is good, but so is preserving what is best about the world in which we live. Susanna Bixby Bryant appreciated the beauty of her natural surroundings and valued its importance to all Californians. At Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, we honor our founder’s vision as we continue to invest in the educational efforts and scientific understanding that will help pass this treasure, and the pleasure, of native plants to future generations.
Patrick Larkin Executive Director
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RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN
e Newsletter of Rancho Santa ana B otanIc G aRden
SPRING 2012 VOLUME 27, NUMBER 1 edItoR/deSIGneR Pauline Amell Nash contRIBUtoRS Debbie Carini, Eric Garton, Patrick Larkin, Rebecca Lerback, Lucinda McDade, Linda Worlow emily Green is a journalist, blogger, gardener based in Los Angeles. She was a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and is the publisher and editor of Chance of Rain. edItoRIal offIce Send letters and submissions to: RSABG, Public Relations, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 1500 North College Avenue Claremont, CA 91711 Email: pnash@rsabg.org GardenVariety is published four times a year by the Office of Development. Copyright 2012 by Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Postage paid at Claremont, 91711. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden displays, documents and conserves the native flora of California. Members enjoy many benefits and help renowned horticulture, science and education programs flourish. to become a member visit www.rsabg.org or call (909) 625-8767.
Contents |
De par t m e n ts 3 Garden Scene
SPRING 2012
GaRdenVariety e Newsletter of Rancho Santa ana B otanIc G aRden
Happenings Around RSABG
5 california native Plants RSABG Earns U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2011 Recovery Champion Award
6 herbarium corner
Creating a Virtual Herbarium
11 Member Spotlight Growing the Percy Everett Memorial Garden
12 community connections Student Club Raises Awareness and Funds
13 Garden Guide
Events, Classes and Programs
www.rsabg.org
Feat ures 7 BIG BUGS in the Garden David Rogers’ Big Bugs comes to California’s native garden
9 How RSABG Grew 1950-70 Journalist Emily Green elegantly summarizes a critical period in the history of the Garden. o n the coveR : Salvia spathacea (hummingbird sage) thrives and Roger’s Dragonfly hoovers in the California Cultivar Garden. P HOtO : PAULINE A MELL N ASH
Spring 2012
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| Garden Scene
Garden with a View RSABG was pleased to honor Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich at the best garden party in town—Garden with a View, which was held May 6. Supervisor Antonovich has worked on behalf of open space, parks, trails, green technology, water conservation and clean air, improving the quality of life for the residents of greater Los Angeles. to see pictures and read more about the 2012 Garden with a View, visit www.rsabg.org.
LaFleur Digs in as New Horticulture Director responsible for the operations for the public botanic garOn March 15, 2012, Scott LaFleur joined the den and native plant nursery. He modernized and adGarden as the new director of horticulture. e director vanced awareness of the botanic garden by designing a is responsible for overseeing the Garden’s living collecnew public entrance, emphasizing the NEWFS’ connection, nurseries and greenhouse operations and grounds. tion to conservation through the landscaped living colHe succeeds Susan Jett, who accepted the position of lection, designing a demonstration garden to help director of the Vets’ Garden and associate director of horticulture for nursery operations last fall. Jett has been homeowners appreciate the beauty of native plants and creating a native edible garden. LaFleur also reorganized with the Garden for 20 years, six of which she spent as the nursery operations, which resulted in a rapidly growthe director of horticulture. ing native plant nursery, which produces more than Before coming to the Garden, LaFleur was on the staff at the New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) 75,000 plants each year for homeowners, landscape profor six years, most recently as the director of horticulture. fessionals, restoration projects and towns. A 1994 graduNEWFS, a non-profit dedicated to native plants of New ate of the University of New Hampshire, he worked in England, is the oldest plant conservation organization in private landscape design and installation before joining the NEWFS team. the U.S. “I am really excited to have Scott join our leadership As the director of horticulture, Scott LaFleur team. He brings great experience from the world of pub- reports to the RSABG executive director. lic horticulture and conservation,” said Patrick Larkin, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden executive director. “His enthusiasm for energizing people about native plants will be a valuable asset as RSABG increases its engagement with the greater Southern California community about the importance of natives.” As NEWFS’ director of horticulture, LaFleur was
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RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN
Sam Maloof, The Huntington and RSABG On January 19, 2012, members of RSABG’s Director’s Circle, Boards of trustees and Overseers, and special guests joined the Board of the American Public Gardens Association and directors from major botanic gardens throughout Southern California for an evening at e Huntington Botanic Garden and Library. Huntington Curator, Hal Nelson, led a fascinating private tour of the exhibition “e House at Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley 1945-1985.” Over dinner, Beverly Maloof, former RSABG Overseer and current member of the Garden with a View committee, delighted guests with her personal anecdotes about her husband’s long and creative life. RSABG appreciates Maria and Richard Grant for generously hosting the dinner. Richard is the Chairman of the Board of RSABG; Maria is an Overseer at e Huntington.
Gloria Slosberg, sitting in one of Sam Maloof’s iconic chairs, joined RSABG at The Huntington event.
www.rsabg.org
Garden Scene |
Library Turns a New Page Since its inception, RSABG has had a library that furthers its mission of research, conservation and education. What began with books from Suzanna Bixby Bryant’s personal collection has grown to an impressive holding of 50,000 bound volumes, many of which are in the special collections. Additionally, the library is also the steward of many interesting and important archival materials such as field notes, photographic images (from as early as the turn of the 20th century), and manuscripts by noted plant collectors. While the collection is research focused, specially selected rare volumes are now being exhibited for Garden visitors to enjoy. In December 2011, a volume of “Les Roses” by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, was the first book to be showcased, followed by “Birds in Print— Words and Pictures,” an exhibit highlighting several of RSABG’s beautiful bird books and original paintings. e exhibits are researched and curated by dedicated RSABG volunteers, under the direction of Irene Holiman, library specialist. Current exhibits will be featured on the RSABG website, and can be viewed in person by inquiring at the California Garden Gift Shop between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. In celebration of special occasions or visits of honored guests, the library staff has started a new tradition of ceremonial page turnings of the great books on exhibit. Recent page turners include Jennifer Letscher, program officer from e Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, among others. RSABG is grateful to David Moore, RSABG member, who recently made a generous contribution to provide new shelving, cabinetry and archival supplies for the library’s special collections. “As a native plant lover and librarian I was pleased to support this important project at the Garden,” said Moore. Private support like Moore’s is vital. Contact Rebecca Lerback at rlerback@rsabg.org for more information. Spring 2012
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| California Native Plants IN MARCH, tHE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (USFWS) ANNOUNCED tHAt RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN WAS SELECtED AS ONE OF ItS 2011 RECOVERY CHAMPIONS.
plants: Trichostema austromontanum subsp. compactum (Hidden Lake bluecurls), Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum (Cushenbury buckwheat) and Monardella linoides subsp. viminea (willowy L to R: Erika Gardner, Duncan Bell and Naomi Fraga working in the field to monardella). RSABG has collected and maintained seeds of federally listed plants of Southern Califorrecord Trichostema austrocontanum subsp. compactum data. nia and raised plants for restoration sites, which has helped stabilize otherwise declining populations or reclaimed habitat. e private, nonprofit organization’s extensive seed bank program serves not only as a safety net for listed plants, but also for plants like Chorizanthe parryi var. fernandina (San Fernando Valley spineflower), a candidate species. “Recovery Champions are helping listed species get to the point at which they are secure in the wild and no longer need Endangered Species Act protection,” said Dan Ashe, USFWS service director. “ese groups and individuals have done amazing work in helping to bring dozens of species back from the brink of extinction, while improving habitat that benefits many other species and local communities.” Representatives from the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, including Jim Bartel, USFWS field supervisor, and Scott Sobiech, USFWS deputy field supervisor, visited the Garden to present the award RSABG, one of two award recipients from the Pato Larkin and RSABG staff on Friday, April 20. cific Southwest Region, was selected for the recovery RSABG’s nomination for the award was submitted work being done to conserve more than 100 federby Gary Wallace, RSABG research associate. ally listed plants. Trichostema austromontanum subsp. compactum “to have the hard work and dedication of (Hidden Lake bluecurls) RSABG staff and volunteers recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in this way is exciting,” said Patrick Larkin, RSABG executive director. “It is great to have the support of such an important federal partner as we continue to realize Susanna Bixby Bryant’s vision of protecting California’s native plants.” e USFWS award acknowledges RSABG’s conservation of several plants including three plants on the federal register of endangered and threatened
RecoveRy champion
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RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN
Adiantum jordanii (California maidenhair fern) collected by John Thomas Howell in Aliso Canyon, Orange County, was the first accessioned plant specimen in the Herbarium.
tHE IMPORtANt WORk OF HERBARIA DAtES
virtual Herbarium Corner | herbarium
BACk NEARLY 500 YEARS. Cataloging plant life serves to
document relationships among plant species, plant evolution and the plants of an area. at scientific initiative has, in recent years, intersected with modern technologies making the critical data stored inside herbarium cabinets more widely available. In 2009, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) staff completed database entries for plant specimens in the herbarium from Southern California, including many that reached back before the founding of the Garden. And with adding new records each day, they are on track to complete databasing of the collection’s holdings for essentially all of California this year. Each of the organiIf a plant becomes extinct, zation’s California plant the most important record herbarium electronic records are included in of their characteristics and the searchable database former distributions lie in shared by the Consorherbarium specimens. tium of California Herbaria, a gateway to California plant information held in 20 herbaria collections. Herbaria help scientists determine the correct identity (scientific name) of plants and paint a vivid image of a region’s flora. Herbarium specimens constitute basic research material for plant taxonomists and systematists. Foresters, agronomists and ecologists consult herbaria to determine the identity and distribution of plants as documented by specimens. Conservation biologists take special interest in using herbarium records to learn more about the ranges of endangered species. If a plant becomes extinct, the most important record of their characteristics and former distributions lie in herbarium specimens. When the Garden moved to Claremont in 1951, Pomona College moved its herbarium specimens to the new Garden facilities. e combined herbaria of RSABG and Pomona College (identified as RSA-POM) house more than a million specimens (approximately 780,000 and 300,000, respectively). www.rsabg.org
e herbarium at RSABG has an emphasis on arid regions, especially Southern California and Baja California, Mexico. A second emphasis is plants from regions that share our Mediterranean climate (i.e., cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers). More generally, plants from across the globe and other notable gardens join native specimens inside the steel cabinets. Presently, nearly 37 percent of the herbarium’s total holdings—primarily California native plants—are in the database. Adding accessioned specimens into a database began in the late 1980s at RSABG. today, when scientists and staff bring in plant specimens from the field, Erika Gardner, RSABG herbarium workroom manager, assures each is a high-quality plant specimen and accessions it as an official herbarium sheet in the collection. A weekday morning visit to the herbarium workroom would most likely find a group of dedicated volunteers around the large table with glue pots, paintbrushes and tweezers carefully affixing dried plants to acid-free paper. taking pride in creating specimens for science, the volunteers often accomplish 40 to 50 mountings daily and are responsible for about 90 percent of the herbarium mountings done at RSABG. e specimen is labeled with taxonomic denomination (family, genus, species, etc.), collector and location information and accessioned. Before being tucked away in one of nearly one thousand herbarium cabinets, the California specimens are entered into the Consortium of California Herbaria database. On the floors above the hustle and bustle of the workroom, the herbarium team is scouring through the cabinets to find the California specimens not yet cataloged electronically. e virtual herbarium movement ensures the survival and usability of these records and improves access to the story of California native plants for today’s students, researchers and the public. ~ Pauline Amell Nash Spring 2012
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Mild winter weather prompts ginormous growth for Garden bugs! by Pauline Amell Nash
PHOtO BY CARRIE ROSEMA
We jest, but the larger-than-life dimensions of Big Bugs, which crept into the Garden in February, challenge a hierarchical division that is easily taken for granted. Ants, beetles and so on outnumber humans millions to one. But what if the roles were reversed and you looked up at the ant? Questions such as this suit David Rogers’ Big Bugs exhibition showing at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden until July 15, 2012.
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RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN
The spider, in the Trustees Oak Grove, is carved eastern red cedar and hangs upon a web of willow on armature that is more than 12-feet in diameter.
PHOtO BY CARRIE ROSEMA
In March, the U.S. National Climatic Data Center tagged December, January and February 2012 the fourth warmest winter for the Lower 48 on record. The warm weather has triggered a hypnotizing horde of giants swarming among the trees and flowers of the Garden.
PHOtO BY PAULINE AMELL NASH The Praying Mantis installation crew included Rogers and staff and volunteers. R to L: Eric Garton, David Rogers, Michael Gregory, Susan Jett, Cecil Garcia, Patrick Larkin, Fred Garcia, Dago Lopez and Josh Kreutzen. ______
ong Island-based Rogers seeks out natural materials, like eastern red cedar, black walnut, black locust and willow saplings, and turns them into huge sculptures of arthropods by carving and polishing the dense woods and bending young trees. “e limbs are within the limbs,” said Rogers of his inspiration. “Sometimes I pick up a piece of wood and it resembles a finished piece. e piece I used for the first grasshopper was like that—it was already oval, tapered. e finished work was visible before I began.” Inspiration isn’t always that easy, but it certainly began that way. During a visit to a Vermont farm in 1990, he saw a sapling bowed from a winter ice storm. e backbone of a large beast became apparent to Rogers as he studied the contorted tree’s posture. After 12 days of working in the field with dried branches and tree saplings, Stickasaurous was born. e outdoor sculptures soon molted into Jurassicsized bugs. He kept the use of natural materials and added modular, square steel tube frames to add portability, strength and stability. e whimsical exhibition has traveled to botanic gardens across the nation since its Dallas debut in 1994, but has not been in Southern California since 2000. Rogers’ bug collection consists of 40 sculptures of 14 unique
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www.rsabg.org
PHOtO BY CARRIE ROSEMA David Rogers’ Ladybug makes itself at home on Indian Hill Mesa. Each location was selected to connote a sense of natural habitat for the animals.
subjects. e installation at the Garden has eight different artworks including a 1,200-pound praying mantis, 7-foot long ladybug and a spider on a web that spans a 12-foot expanse between the beautiful California native oaks of the trustees Oak Grove. Spiders, dragonflies, ladybugs are many things— excellent hunters, gardeners’ helpers and some might even be considered beautiful—but they are not insects. e only true bug in the collection is the Assassin Bug (look for piercing, sucking mouthparts to help identify the true bug). But the Praying Mantis, Ants, Damselfly, Dragonfly, Spider and Web and Ladybug sculptures, are bound together by the common theme of beneficial creatures working side by side with humans in the garden. ese helpful hidden gardeners, like native plants, are vital to ecosystem health. And insect and other arthropod biodiversity is a hub of the web of life—they are critical intermediaries between plants and the animal world. “One of the things I enjoy most about the project,” said Rogers “is that botanic gardens all have mission statements that essentially talk about preservation of the natural world. And by displaying my art there I get to, in some small way, participate in that great goal.”
Spring 2012
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How RSABG grew1950-70 by Emily Green
as the 1920s, the Southland’s oak woodlands, wetlands, riparian corridors and coastal sage-scrub communities were already being destroyed at such a rate that heiress Susanna Bixby Bryant offered roughly 200 acres of her family cattle and citrus ranch in Orange County for the creation of a native plant botanic garden. e objective, recalled Rancho director Philip Munz in 1947, was collecting, growing and thus preserving “a very large percentage” of a very large state’s plants. to establish what became the collection, Bryant employed the good and great of American botany. Among them: Munz, then a taxonomist at Pomona College; Ernest Braunton, British-born naturalist and garden editor at the Los Angeles Times from 1903-36; father of American landscape architecture Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr; Los Angeles nurseryman eodore Payne and Berkeley botanist Willis Linn Jepson. Starting in 1926, a botanic garden with herbarium and library were installed on Bryant’s ranch overlooking the Santa Ana River in what is now modern Yorba Linda. As the gardens were developed, a series of superintendents and resident botanists recorded every stage of every treatment of every plant, from collection in the wild, to propagation, to planting, to illness and health, to success or death. If you’ve ever wondered how seed packets can carry seemingly simple information such as germination times and interval from cotyledon to fruit, it’s years of mindnumbingly detailed work like this. Susanna Bixby Bryant died—suddenly and unexpectedly—in 1946 shortly after the first rough summary of the Garden’s work on 1,500 species, sub-species and varieties was given to her. Four years later, the [trust] that she formed and largely funded moved her native garden from the 200-acre Santa Ana Canyon site to a new 80-acre location on a mesa in the San Gabriel foothills near Mt. Baldy and e Claremont Colleges. Official documents explaining the move cite the happy proximity of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) botanists to the most
As early
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RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN
learned colleges. Contemporary accounts mention problems with fire and floods. How those natural hazards made Santa Ana Canyon safer for houses than a native plant garden is unclear but Bryant’s heirs eventually sold the ranch to developers. An original ranch house is now occupied by the Yorba Linda Heritage Museum and Historical Society. e Garden’s move to Claremont in 1950 brought an opportunity for both smart choices and silly ones. A silly one according to the editor of the new summary, [RSABG] Director of Special Projects Bart O’Brien, was salvaging the old site’s clapped out irrigation pipes and reinstalling them in Claremont, where they have caused problems ever since. A smart one was changing the original Garden’s basic division of California plants from two classifications of “cover plantings” (shade trees such as pines, cypresses and oaks), and lower growing, assiduously tagged “bed plantings” to a design that organized plants by geographical communities. ese communities, identified in part by Munz while at Pomona College, would group plants from similar floristic provinces within California, including five of types of scrub (including our local coastal One from the vault: visitors stop on the Indian Hill Mesa trail, 1963.
sage), six sorts of coniferous forest, six kinds of woodland and chaparral. Quite apart from being a healthy way to group the plants when it comes to watering regimens, for visitors, this organizational element is an important passive teaching tool about California’s many climates (and hint not to partner desert agaves with woodland coral bells.) When the late [RSABG] superintendent Percy C. Everett neared completion of the second summary detailing the whys and wherefores of the successes, failures and persistent mysteries encountered between 1950 and 1970, his records included notes on 112 plant families, 407 genera, 1,345 species, sub-species and varieties, and hundreds of more cultivars. As [RSABG] staff put in what felt like endless hours digitizing the opus, in 1993, O’Brien started work transcribing what were often clipped notes into prose. All totaled, he guesses the work took a year and a half. Every entry had classifications and nomenclature updated to reflect the terms of the 2011 second edition of e Jepson Manual. What is the audience for this massive effort? “ere are pieces in there for everybody,” said O’Brien. “ey talk about how plants did in both locations. For people who have clay soil, there’s a lot to gain from looking at that manuscript. ere’s a lot about transplanting fairly mature or good-sized plants.”
Some moments are thrilling. One can practically see Everett running back to the herbarium from the desert collection in March 1969 to jot down the moment that O’Brien translates as: “Plants of our accession number 7193, grown from seeds that germinated on October 26, 1950, produced four inflorescences in March 1969 … ese were the first Joshua trees to ever bloom in the garden since its founding in 1927.” O’Brien also commends Everett’s records for exacting detail on seed germination times, something that will soothe the anxious brows of many a nursery worker. One element of the summary that leapt out at him was how growing conditions are changing, even at the same location. During his study of the first 20 years in Claremont, Everett noted a high summer temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Since then, O’Brien remembers “horrendously hot days” during which the mercury has spiked to 115. A Riverside citrus station roughly 30 miles away recorded a staggering 117 high. “Much of this area was still citrus [in Everett’s day],” he said. “I think we are seeing some climate change and some urban heat island effect as well,” said O’Brien. “It’s one of the reasons that I wanted to get this thing published. It does tell you: things have changed.” time will tell if we change too, first and foremost by looking more appreciatively at the stoic California flora that Susanna Bixby Bryant did so much to protect and explain.
As wild California has steadily succumbed to development during the last century, a doughty effort to conserve its native plants has been underway at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, first at the original grounds in Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County and latterly in Claremont in Los Angeles County. This month, the Claremont garden quietly published a meticulously noted and just as meticulously translated summary of two decades of goings-on inside what amounts to a Noah’s Ark for California’s flora.
www.rsabg.org
This article was originally featured on Ms. Green’s blog “Chance of Rain” on March 13, and has been republished with permission.
Spring 2012
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| Member Spotlight
The percy c. everett memorial Garden; continuing the Legacy e Percy C. Everett Memorial Garden has become one of RSABG’s most important displays of shade-loving native California plants. anks to a generous gift from kathy and Bruce Chester, the Memorial Garden was renovated in 2006 to include innovative design elements, such as shade sails, which not only help protect the plants but provide inspiration for landscape designers and homeowners alike. Last fall at a Gold Card members’ event, the Chesters asked Susan Jett, associate director of horticulture, about what else they might do to help the Garden’s horticulture department. “My dad, Percy Everett, was the Garden’s superintendent for many years,” kathy said. “I wanted our next gift to honor what he cared about the most, and that was the plants, and the hardworking people who tended to them.” It was easy for Jett to come up with a wish list, as RSABG always needs supplies, tools and plant materials to maintain the 86-acre living collection. What she did not expect was that the Chesters would fund almost every item on her list. In keeping with the Chesters’ desire to honor the
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legacy of Percy C. Everett, their recent gift made it possible to purchase a fog and reverse osmosis system for the Memorial Garden. is system will simulate the moist-aired environment of the Vancouverian Province, and will remove problematic organic materials and harmful minerals from the water to improve the health of the plants. Additionally, by funding a new leaf vacuum and shredder, their gift will enable staff horticulturists to save valuable time with grounds maintenance. A final portion of the gift was designated for horticultural supplies, and qualified for the 2:1 matching for e Garden Fund challenge. “I am truly touched that the Chesters have chosen to do so much for RSABG,” stated Patrick S. Larkin, executive director. “Percy C. Everett was instrumental to the Garden’s early success, and also deserves to be remembered for his enduring contributions to California horticulture.”
RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN Kathy and Bruce Chester
California Native Plants Inspire Students
Community Connections |
Pasadena Student club Raises awareness and funds
e Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Business Club of Pasadena City College made a generous donation to e Garden Fund in December. ey raised funds by selling native plants on their campus. “After visiting [RSABG], we were impressed by the amazing work done by the garden staff,” said tina Xi Yao, the club’s president. “We also learned that there are many good programs for native plants conFree Enterprise Business servation.” Club members Xi Yao SIFE’s mission is “to create a better, more sustain- and Yun Shen able world through the positive power of business.” bill and enjoy lower maintenance overall. In terms of e SIFE organization exists on more than 800 college colorfulness and diversity, a cost-efficient xeriscape garcampuses, and each chapter fundraises for different projden outperforms a green lawn and can increase home ects. value.” According to Yao, selling native plants to raise funds Before the group conducted research on native for native plants conservation provides club members plants, they had several misconceptions. with the opportunity to make a difference in the com“We thought that California native plants were equal munity while at the same time developing the skills to to cacti,” said Yao. “When we asked one of our members become socially responsible business leaders. about the implementation of native plants, he replied ‘I e group, which is 30 members strong and growing, don’t want the front of my yard to look like a desert.’ We became interested in native California plants after learnhelped people understand that many beautiful flowers ing about them in their physical science class. are native to California and that these plants can save a “ese plants have three major benefits,” said Yao. lot of water and money.” “ey can save water. By adopting California plants for e group plans on continuing with activities to proxeriscaping (the landscaping strategy that reduces or mote the use and preservation of California native eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigaplants. tion) tons of water can be saved. ey can save money. “We’re going to make every effort to call on people to Since more than 70 percent of home water usage comes protect our environment,” said Yao. from the expense of irrigation, people save on their water ~ Debbie Carini
www.rsabg.org
Spring 2012
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| Calendar May May 11 national Public Gardens day Free Garden admission day. May 12, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Butterfly Pavilion opens tickets: $2 per person (under 3 free). May 13, 1 p.m. Mother’s day lunch tickets include Butterfly Pavilion entry. Members: $45 adults, $25 under 12. Public: $60 adults, $40 under 12.
May 26, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. natural history of l.a. Basin Butterflies Explore the amazing world of local butterflies and moths in this presentation by entomology enthusiast and photographer Clark ompson. All participants receive a free Butterfly Pavilion ticket. to register call (909) 625-8767 ext. 254. Fee: members $15, public $20.
May 26 - Sept. 3 Blue Star days Free admission for all active-duty military personnel, their immediate family May 19, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. members (military ID holder and five Medicinal Plants of california herb Walk immediate family members) and veterJoin experienced herbalist William ans (admission fees still apply for famBroen for a Garden walk and presentaily members). tion featuring medicinal and edible plants native to California. Fee: members $20, public $25. June 2 and 3, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. art in the Garden May 24 - June 21, urs., 6 - 8:30 p.m. A weekend showcasing California artists Bugs and Brews with art exhibited across Indian Hill Microbrews and Macrobugs! Mesa. A portion of sales benefits the A new event for guests 21 and up. Garden. Free with Garden admission. Local brothers Curt and Andy Dale bring their distinctively California beers to California’s native garden and June 9, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. local musicians provide the soundtrack herb Medicinal Plants of california herb Walk to the Garden and David Rogers’ BIG Join experienced herbalist William BUGS playful art exhibition. Broen for a Garden walk and presentatickets available at gate or by calling tion featuring medicinal and edible (909) 625-8767 ext. 224. plants native to California. Register Members $10, public $15. today, call (909) 625-8767 ext. 254. Fee: members $20, public $25.
June
June 10, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. natural history of l.a. Basin Butterflies Explore the amazing world of local butterflies and moths in this presentation by entomology enthusiast and photographer Clark ompson. All participants receive a free Butterfly Pavilion ticket. Register today, call (909) 6258767 ext. 254 Fee: members $15, public $20.
2012 concert Lineup
June 28 - aug 2. 6/28 e Lindy Sisters 7/5 Lew Ellenhorn Jazz Combo urs., 7 p.m. 7/12 e Iliana Rose Band Garden Groove 7/19 Remember en Enjoy great music, 7/26 Squeakin’ Wheels picnic dinners and 8/2 Doc Rock-It cool summer evenings. tickets available online or at the gate. Members: $6 adults, $3 seniors, students and children 3-12. Public: $10 adults, $5 seniors, students and children 3-12.
July July 14, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. natural history of l.a. Basin Butterflies Explore the amazing world of local butterflies and moths in this presentation by entomology enthusiast and photographer Clark ompson. All participants receive a free Butterfly Pavilion ticket. Register today, call (909) 625-8767 ext. 254. Fee: members $15, public $20.
Young Rembrandts in the Garden. All sessions held tues. - urs., 10 - 11:30 a.m. Nature-inspired drawing workshops for children June 26 - 28, “Junior Zoo,” Ages 5 - 7 to register visit www.youngrembrandts.com/ESGV July 10 - 12, “ Animal Cartoons,” Ages 6 - 12 or call (626) 974-1806. Class sizes are limited. ree workshops to choose from. $34 each series. July 24 - 26, “ African Safari,” Ages 6 - 12
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RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN
Garden hours Daily 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Closed Jan. 1, July 4, anksgiving and Dec. 25
admission
Calendar |
Free for RSABG members $8 Adults $6 Seniors (65+) and Students $4 Children (3-12)
Membership Individual $45 Family $75 July 21, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. cut it out! an Introduction to Pruning Prof. of Horticulture Dave Lannom shows how to maintain tree and shrub health with proper maintenance. Register today, call (909) 625-8767 ext. 254. Fee: members $25, public $32. July 22, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Medicinal Plants of california herb Walk Join experienced herbalist William Broen for a Garden walk and presentation featuring medicinal and edible plants native to California. Register today, call (909) 625-8767 ext. 254. Fee: members $20, public $25.
August august 11, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Soils and fertilizers: time to Get dirty Prof. of Horticulture Dave Lannom provides the basics of plant nutrition, the roles of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, iron and magnesium and how to spot deficiencies. Register today, call (909) 625-8767 ext. 254. Fee: members $25, public $32. august 25, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Plant Propagation for homeowners Prof. of Horticulture Dave Lannom will introduce you to plant propagation and how to increase in number, the plants you already have. Register today, call (909) 625-8767 ext. 254. Fee: members $25, public $32.
www.rsabg.org
Ongoing now - July 15 david Rogers’ BIG BUGS Free with Garden admission. May 12 - July 29, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Butterfly Pavilion tickets: $2/person (under 3 free) first Sun., 8 a.m. May 6, June 3 (no walks in summer) fRee Beginning Bird Walk Join Pomona Valley Audubon Society on guided bird watching walks. ird Sun., 10 a.m. May 20, June 17, July 15 Guided tram tour tickets: $5/person. Wed., 9:30 a.m., May - aug. Yoga Members: $10, public: $12/each class. urs., 9 a.m., May - aug. tai chi, Six-week sessions. Members: $50, public: $60/session.
Grow native nursery Our nursery staff is ready to help in all aspects of your project from expert consultation, to design, to fresh, vibrant native plants. West l.a. VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System One Davis Ave. Los Angeles, 90049 (424) 234-0481
cl a rem ont Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 1500 N College Ave. Claremont, 91711 (909) 625-8767 ext. 404
Select nURSeRY eventS Grow native nursery West l.a. (Westwood)
Grow native nursery claremont
Second Sun. May 13, June 10, July 8 free Worm tea Sundays Bring a liter container and take home worm tea.
first Sat., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 5, June 2, July 7 free native Plant clinic Native plant gardening questions answered.
May 6 Garden conservancy’s open days Garden tour
May 28 claremont nursery closes for the summer.
Sat., 8:30 a.m. Garden Walking club Free with Garden admission.
Spring 2012
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RANCHO SANtA ANA BOtANIC GARDEN 1500 North College Avenue Claremont, CA 91711 Address Service Requested
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Claremont, CA 91711 Permit No. 469
keep the Garden growing! Support e Garden Fund Your gift helps close the nearly $1,000,000 gap between income and expenses; and enables the Garden do what it does best: • Welcome visitors. • Make lasting impressions through engaging programs and classes. • Give all age groups, from schoolchildren to seniors, a greater appreciation for plants and native California environment. • Support important conservation efforts and scientific study. to make your gift visit www.rsabg.org/annualgiving or call (909) 625-8767, ext. 221.