GARdenVariety WINTER 2011
e Newsletter of RAncho SAntA AnA B otAnic G ARden
California Native Plants A Manzanita Lost and Found
Searching for the Roots of Plant Families www.rsabg.org
California’s Native Garden
| Welcome
GARdenVariety
The Garden Fund Provides Opportunities for Growth
e Newsletter of RAncho SAntA AnA B otAnic G ARden
G
WINTER 2011 VOluME 26, NuMBER 3
Getting a horticultural treasure to thrive requires a lot of care. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden could not operate at the level that it does—providing so many wonders—with just the revenue from admissions, grants and endowment. In fact, these sources cover about 80 percent of RSABG’s annual $5 million budget. With this issue of Garden Variety, I am pleased to announce the kick-off of e Garden Fund, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden’s fund for annual support. e Garden Fund provides unrestricted support for everything from public programs to environmentally friendly horticultural displays to the purchase of lab equipment for research, and much, much more. Generous support of e Garden Fund is vital to maintaining the level of excellence that visitors and members expect from the organization every day. is year, e Garden Fund provides donors with a special opportunity. A generous donor has offered up to $75,000 for a 2-to-1 match for every gift to e Garden Fund. For example, if you make a gift of $250 before March 31, 2012, your gift will be matched with an additional $500, moving you into a higher giving level and providing more financial support to RSABG. I hope you will join me and the entire Board of Trustees in supporting e Garden Fund. For more information about making a gift to e Garden Fund, use the enclosed envelope, visit www.rsabg.org/annualgiving (go green and donate online), or call Debbie Carini in the Office of Development at (909) 625-8767, ext. 221.
Patrick Larkin Executive Director
1
RANChO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN
editoR/deSiGneR Pauline Amell Nash contRiButoRS Brenda Bolinger, Debbie Carini, Eric Garton, Patrick larkin, Rebecca lerback, lucinda McDade, Bart O’Brien, Allison Ritter, laura Tiffany, linda Worlow 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 Garden Variety is published four times a year by the Office of Development. Copyright 2011 by Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Postage paid at Claremont, 91711. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden strives to display, document and conserve 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 pa r tm en ts 3 Garden Scene
WINTER 2011
GARdenVariety e Newsletter of RAncho SAntA AnA B otAnic G ARden
happenings around RSABG
5 Field notes Professor Columbus shares a day in the field in Namibia, Africa
Feat ures 7 A Manzanita Lost and Found California Native Plants
6 Post-doc domain
Amanda Fisher’s Fortuitous love of Grasses
11 Member Spotlight The lewis Family’s Overnight Garden Adventure
9 Searching for the Roots of Plant Families highlighting a handful of groundbreaking RSABG research projects
12 volunteer today herb Boss: An Earlier Adopter
13 Garden Guide
Events, Classes and Programs
www.rsabg.org
o n the coveR : Pauline Nash’s image captures dappled winter sunlight on manzanitas growing on Indian hill Mesa.
Winter 2011
2
Cephalanthus occidentalis californica (California buttonwillow) is a cute-as-a-button native plant used for erosion control and as a pollinator food source. It was one of many hardto-find plants offered for sale at the Westwood Garden Party.
A Garden Party L.A. Style hundreds of Angelenos turned out for the October 22 and 23 Autumn Garden Party at Grow Native Nursery Westwood, located at the Veterans’ Garden on the grounds of the VA Greater los Angeles healthcare System. e event featured a broad selection of California native plants for purchase, talks by noted California horticulture experts John Greenlee, Bart O’Brien, lili Singer and Emily Green, live music and food. In the months preceding the event, O’Brien, RSABG director of special projects, and Colleen Wheeler, nursery manager of Grow Native Nursery Westwood, traveled across California in search of hard-to-find native plants for the event. RSABG’s nursery at the Veterans’ Garden helps support occupational training for veterans. For more information about GNN Westwood, visit www.rsabg.org/nursery.
Larkin (left) gives Lenz the Board proclamation in honor of Lenz’s contributions of sculptures to the Garden.
3
RANChO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN
Invasive Plant Training Held at the Garden is fall, the Garden hosted the Sentinel Plant Network’s western region workshop aimed at training the next generation of plant health professionals. e two-day workshop included classroom sessions, field trips and hands-on training focused on contemporary and cutting-edge approaches for detection and diagnosis of plant health issues. e workshop, held December 5 and 6, 2011, brought together a cross section of 22 American Public Gardens Association members from the Western u.S.
The Lee W. Lenz Sculpture Collection Next time you stroll through the Garden, think twice when you see “Escutcheon,” “Mythical Bird,” “Contemplations” and “Silent Sentinel” (shown below). These sculptures, all gifts of lee W. lenz, Ph.D., RSABG director emeritus, now comprise the lee W. lenz Sculpture Collection at the Garden.
PhOTO By KRISTA VON STETTEN
PhOTO By MIChAEl WAll
| Garden Scene
Shown here: Hedera helix (English ivy)can be weedy or invasive. Fragaria californica (California strawberry) is a beautiful, native alternative.
A Fast Pitch for California Native Plants
Season of Light
On the big night, the event’s judges were supportive of larkin’s presentation. To paraphrase NPR host Warren Olney, Larkin (left) shares the value larkin spoke of California native plants with succinctly and audience members at the accurately Annenberg Alchemy’s Peer to about CaliforPeer event. nia’s water crisis. RSABG received a $1,000 grant at the end of the evening. “I am grateful to los Angeles Social Venture Partners for giving me this incredible experience,” remarked larkin. “It has helped bring RSABG into the spotlight for future funding in los Angeles, and developed a strong case for supporting our growth on the Westside.”
PhOTOS By CARRIE ROSEMA
What do l.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, actress Jamie lee Curtis and philanthropist Wallis Annenberg have in common? ey joined a full house at Club Nokia in downtown los Angeles to hear finalists, including RSABG Executive Director Patrick larkin, present compelling stories about the important work of their agencies as part of the los Angeles Social Venture Partners’ 4th Annual Social Innovation Fast Pitch at Annenberg Alchemy’s Peer to Peer event. last summer, RSABG applied to the competitive Social Innovation Fast Pitch program, which accepted 20 nonprofits for a two-month mentorship program to help these organizations succinctly tell their story. e program culminates in the Fast Pitch competition—a three-minute address to thousands of dignitaries, philanthropists and social venture capitalists. e event offered the nonprofits increased visibility to potential funders and a chance to compete for capacity-building funds.
Garden Scene |
Philip and Deborah McKean share a kiss at Luminaria Nights in the Garden
ThE GARDEN STARTED A NEW hOlIDAy TRADITION ThIS yEAR. A candle-lit loop bedecked Indian hill Mesa during luminaria Nights. After an evening stroll, visitors warmed up with hot apple cider and cookies and listened to live music during the 2011 series, which ran Friday and Saturday nights from Dec. 9 through 23.
www.rsabg.org
Winter 2011
4
| Field Notes
plant safari
Columbus photographs his field work extensively. Both images on this page are Kaokochloa nigrirostris. See more images of his trip at www.rsabg.org.
5
J. Travis Columbus, RSABG research scientist and Claremont Graduate university botany professor, and Amanda Ingram, biology professor at Wabash College, chose an excellent year for field research in South Africa and Namibia. Earlier rains served up a terrific season for regional chloridoid grasses and consequently offered ample successful collecting trips. The threemonth trek, with funding from the National Science Foundation, concluded in April 2011 with a visit to the Skeleton Coast of Namibia. The remote area, located on the southwestern edge of Africa, is an unrelenting, beautiful landscape of rugged mountains, shifting dunes, dry riverbeds and grasslands. Bone-chilling fog from the Atlantic blankets the dunes, offering vital moisture and a strange dichotomy between cold coastal humidity and hot, arid winds from the Namib Desert, considered one of the world’s oldest deserts. The primary agenda for the day is to find the endemic grass Kaokochloa nigrirostris known to be growing in luxuriant swaths in the northwestern coastal region of Namibia. Before leaving California, Columbus plotted survey locations on his laptop based on species collections cataloged in the National herbarium of Namibia. The day is wearing on as they drive west. Passing hills textured with interesting forms and colors of diverse vegetation, they stop frequently to collect plants for future research.
RANChO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN
The region is sparsely populated. They share the road with few cars and only occasionally see local people—the himba—walking in the distance. large animal sightings, including elephants, giraffes and lions, have sporadically interrupted the desert stillness on previous days. Columbus guides the truck toward the coordinates with single-minded focus, keeping the truck’s speed at a steady clip. he intently scans the hills for something different. “As a biologist, I look for things that are different,” says Columbus. “After years in the field you develop a skill for identifying plants quickly.” And with more than 20 years studying Chloridoideae, one of 12 subfamilies within the grass family, Columbus can locate a plant he has seen only in herbarium specimens while driving 30 miles per hour on the left side of the road. At 5 p.m., that something catches his eye. They stop and scour the roadside. There is only one. Columbus takes photos, notes characteristics and jumps back into the truck with the hope of finding more further on. The light is fading and the wind has picked up. Visibility is low.
Columbus sets up camp in Namibia, Africa.
PhOTO AMANDA FIShER
Post-Doc Domain | from literature to Botanical literacy PhOTO
By
AMANDA INGRAM
Just as time is running out, Columbus spots the reddish annual grass. Numerous Kaokochloa nigrirostris are interspersed with a white-colored grass, Stipogrostis, along the roadside. “It is exciting to see species I’ve never seen before,” says Columbus. “No matter how tired or hungry. No matter how exhausted I feel, I get excited.” This thrill—despite thousands of these special moments—is one of the reasons why Columbus loves field research. he quickly sets about collecting information and samples. he spends about 30 minutes at the site—a hurried collection considering a single collecting stop often takes a couple of hours. he quickly takes photographs, records the exact location with GPS, collects seeds and unearths plants. The following morning, Columbus will press the plants in his well-worn, wooden field press, preserve some for anatomical research and rapidly dry other samples in silica gel for molecular study. As the sun sinks past the horizon, they drive up one of the dry riverbeds that transect the area like lifelines. They set up camp under a clear, starlit sky and make a simple hot supper. lightening flashes in the distance. Ascending the ladder to the protection of the rooftop tent on the truck, the scientists surrender to much-needed sleep after another long day of successful collecting.
~ Pauline Amell Nash
www.rsabg.org
s an undergraduate, Amanda Fisher, Ph.D., wary of chemistry and math, opted for a major in English. however, during her junior year at e university of Iowa, an internship with the Iowa Natural heritage Foundation changed her perspective. She helped local botanists reconstruct a prairie and oak savanna and identify native plants. A seed was planted. Confident that she could master chemistry and math courses, she earned a second degree in environmental sciences. “I’ve been interested in grasses since I started learning about Iowa’s prairies,” says Fisher, RSABG’s newest post-doc. “ere was a research assistantship open in Scot Kelchner’s lab at Idaho State university for a project on the evolutionary history of the world’s bamboos. I was lucky enough to get the position, and I developed my own research on Chusquea out of that larger work. I didn’t seek out to study bamboos, but I’ve certainly fallen in love with them.” For her doctoral studies, Fisher focused on the neotropical bamboo genus Chusquea. Kelchner, an expert in phylogenetics, was her advisor, and lynn G. Clark of Iowa State university, a world authority on bamboos, served on her committee. She collaborated with these scientists to study woody bamboos with the support of a significant National Science Foundation grant. In 2008, Fisher traveled to Costa Rica for field research. A highlight of her trip was the discovery of three populations of a new species—Chusquea mayrae—found along the road, all before morning coffee. Fisher and Clark discovered the bamboo, named after Costa Rican botanist Mayrae Montiel longhi, that had been missed by other researchers despite being in a well-documented area. Fisher is working with Professor J. Travis Columbus for two years on his NSF-funded project to study the evolution of chloridoid grasses (a drought-tolerant subfamily called the ‘fingermillet’ grasses). She is focusing her work on flower variation within the chloridoids, including scanning electron microscope and gene expression studies.
A
Winter 2011
6
a Manzanita
Lost and Found by Bart O’Brien
The Franciscan manzanita, unseen in the wild for eight decades, made headlines around the country when it was found. “i GARneRed it GhouLiShLy in A GunnySAck” SAid the FAMouS cALiFoRniA BotAniSt LeSteR RowntRee of her late night procurement of one of the last wild specimens of the San Francisco manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana) from the laurel hill Cemetery in San Francisco in 1947. e cemetery was developed for housing and commercial ventures. Although the human remains were moved south to cemeteries in Colma, the Franciscan manzanita was pushed into extinction in the wild. Almost 70 years later, Caltrans began the multimillion dollar Doyle Drive Replacement Project of the 101 Freeway just south of the Golden Gate Bridge in October 2009. e larger trees and shrubs in the project area had been cut down and removed in advance of the construction, and exposed a sprawling, low-growing manzanita. Botanist Daniel Gluesenkamp took notice. Soon thereafter, botanists, Caltrans officials and
7
government staff confirmed that the manzanita was indeed a new wild individual of the Franciscan manzanita, and made plans to propagate and relocate the specimen. ree months later the plant was transplanted to the San Francisco Presidio in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Ten days after its rediscovery in 2009, conservation groups petitioned the u.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (uSFWS) for an emergency listing of the species as endangered. e petition was denied—species that are thought to be extinct in the wild are surprisingly not covered by the Endangered Species Act. however, in the Federal Register of September 8, 2011, the uSFWS published a 12month Petition Finding and Proposed listing of Arctostaphylos franciscana as endangered. Final action on this proposed rule is expected sometime in late 2012.
RANChO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN PhOTO By BART O’BRIEN
in cuLtivAtion
T
Franciscan Manzanita Arctostaphylos franciscana
he respected botanist, Alice Eastwood, described the Franciscan manzanitas typically grow about 12 inches tall and spread by Franciscan manzanita in 1905. All rooting branches to form masses from 4 to 6 feet (or more) wide. e pretty known wild populations of the white to pink-blushed urn-shaped flowers are produced in small terminal plant were known to grow on serclusters that appear from as early as January to as late as April. Plants in pentine rock outcrops and soils— Southern California gardens should be grown in well-drained soils in partial though plants in cultivation do afternoon shade in hot inland areas, while those growing near the coast may not require such conditions. tolerate full sun. Pruning is rarely necessary. Franciscan manzanitas have been in cultivation in Californian botanic gardens since at least the In 1940, RSABG late 1930s, with the oldest known collection growing at staff first collected Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. vegetative material of ere is confusion regarding the precise origin of the laurel hill many of the Franciscan manzanitas in cultivation today. plants to grow as Some are clearly direct clones of lester Rowntree’s 1947 documented living collection. Others can be traced to James Roof of collections of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Berkeley; louis Franciscan manEdmunds of Native Plant Nursery in Danville; Santa zanita. ese, and Barbara Botanic Garden; Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco; the university of California Botanical Garden, later seed collections, were successfully Berkeley and Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Each grown for as long as have shared seeds, cuttings and plants of manzanitas 30 years in Clarefrom at least the 1930s and onward. mont, but overall lester Rowntree’s 1947 collection was whisked away this species tends to to her coastal garden in the Carmel highlands of Monterey County where it thrived for decades—until at least be rather short-lived in a hot interior the early 1970s when James Roof of Regional Parks climate. Botanic Garden (RPBG) visited and collected a rooted is fall, RSABG branch of the plant for RPBG. It was planted in RPBG was given a first genin January 1971. Roof (and others) later considered this eration cuttingplant to be a hybrid between Arctostaphylos franciscana The Franciscan manzanita, shown here and another unknown manzanita, and in 1983 the clone grown plant from the 2009-discovered Doyle flowering in the Garden, has been in cultivawas given the cultivar name Arctostaphylos ‘lester Rowntion at RSABG since 1940. This fall, RSABG Drive specimen. e newtree’ to distinguish it from RPBG’s other collections of was given a first generation cutting-grown comer is being cared for in Franciscan manzanita. (Note: this plant is not to be plant from the specimen discovered in 2009. the RSABG greenhouses by confused with the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden nursery staff. e specimen cultivar, Arctostaphylos ‘lester Rowntree’, a hybrid of and cutting-grown progeny will later be transplanted to Arctostaphylos obispoensis and an unknown manzanita, the living collection at the Garden hopefully complete that was named and introduced in 1982.) Roof also had with endangered plant identifying tags. earlier obtained plants from the laurel hill Cemetery and these were planted in RPBG in April 1947.
www.rsabg.org
Winter 2011
8
Searching for the Roots of Plant Families Scientists have been conducting research at the Garden since 1930. Today, discoveries in the critical fields of plant systematics and evolution are forging ahead with support from the NSF, other research grants and private contributions from RSABG donors. While Garden visitors may marvel at the enormous variety of native California plants, from the California buckeye with its silvery trunk and sweet pale flowers to the red-barked manzanita, researchers are performing cutting-edge botanical work behind the scenes that is widening the recognized knowledge of plants in California and the world. According to lucinda McDade, Judith B. Friend Director of Research and professor and chair of the Claremont Graduate university Botany Department, the Research Department at RSABG endeavors “to discover new knowledge about plant life on Earth and to communicate this knowledge to other scientists and the public. Just as human genealogies often link a family to relatives across the globe, the same is true of plant genealogies. For example, a common California tarweed (member of the sunflower family) is the closest relative of the iconic hawaiian silverswords.” e Research Department is an integral part of an international scientific community that develops the frameworks for plant conservation and biodiversity preservation. International, national and regional scientists, conservationists and other organizations working to restore native plants depend on the kind of research RSABG scientists are pioneering everyday at the Garden. Currently, RSABG is abuzz with research projects, including 10 funded by the National Science Foundation—a laudable accomplishment for a department of five faculty members. McDade is a principle investigator on four NSF grants, including two related to collections at RSABG: curating the plant specimens of Robert F. orne, CGu professor of botany emeritus and RSABG curator and taxonomist emeritus, and a collaborative proposal that seeks to understand and identify biodiversity hotspots in peril by digitizing the holdings of herbaria.
9
RANChO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN
McDade will soon commence an investigation into Justiciea, a group that includes the desert plant California chuparosa (shown here), with graduate student Carrie Kiel.
PhOTO By luCINDA MCDADE
For her next project McDade, whose research focuses in part on Acanthaceae, a large, floweringplant family, is working with doctoral grad student Carrie Kiel on Justicieae, the largest group of Acanthaceae with nearly 2,000 species. “Carrie is working on a group that has likely 400 species or so in the New World, including Justicia californica (chuparosa),” says McDade. J. Travis Columbus, CGu professor of botany and RSABG research scientist, has studied Chloridoid grasses (a grass family made up of mostly wild and undomesticated species) since his graduate school days at the university of California, Berkeley. his current project is striving to improve scientific knowledge of the diversification of the Chloridoid grass lineage with a focus on the varied inflorescence (how flowers are arranged on a plant). While the inflorescence development research is just getting started, headed by RSABG postdoctoral researcher Amanda Fisher and making heavy use of the large living collection of Chloridoid grasses in the Garden, the overall project has garnered successes already, including the discovery of several new species during Columbus’ fieldwork in southern Africa. Four out of the five most noxious parasitic agricultural weeds lie within the Orobanchaceae (broomrape) family. And Jeffery Morawetz, e Fletcher Jones Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow for 2010-11, is studying three of these four, which appear in the tropical genera of the family. ese weeds cause the loss of billions of u.S. dollars in decreased crop yields or even full crop failure each year and are a major scourge for developing nations. Morawetz’s NSF project goal is to collect as many tropical parasitic species of Orobanchaceae as possible so his team can create a robust evolutionary framework to better resolve the relationships among species.
www.rsabg.org
J. Mark Porter, associate professor of botany at CGu, studies two little-known plant groups: Loeselia and Dayia. But even though they’re not well studied, they have been known since the time of linnaeus and used by indigenous peoples as a treatment for gastrointestinal problems, to control fever and as an emetic. Porter says that in addition to providing a thorough analysis of the biodiversity of the specific genera he is studying, he hopes “to raise the scientific profile and understanding of these little-known groups as they face renewed trade interest due to their ethnobotanical medicinal uses.” For Erin Tripp, the act of looking into a microscope set her on a path that led to researching Ruellieae, another tribe within the Acanthaceae family. “ere is an entire microcosm available to us under a microscope,” says Tripp, who is a postdoctoral fellow at RSABG and the co-principal investigator on a project with McDade. “One magnified look at insect wing patterning, or the complexity of floral structures, sold me for a lifetime.” e goal for her project is to thoroughly sample representatives of Ruellieae’s 48 genera, a task that’s taken Tripp across the globe. having an accurate estimate of the total number of species in this lineage, Tripp says, “provides us with the means to contribute to plant conservation efforts worldwide.” Carol Wilson, research associate professor of botany at CGu and research scientist at RSABG, studies a plant that may be familiar to many plant lovers and visitors to the Garden: the Iris (Iridaceae). Wilson is investigating relationships among the approximate 80 species of bearded Iris. Beards are a collection of hairs on the Iris sepal and serve to guide pollinating insects to pollen, nectar and shelter. In addition, Wilson and a Republic of Georgia colleague are georeferencing field samples, determining associated climatic data and creating species distribution maps. As the project advances, Wilson and her research collaborator will work with a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist to look at correlations between environment and morphological change.
Read more about six NSF-funded projects currently underway at RSABG at www.rsabg.org.
Winter 2011
10
e family enjoyed a barbecued chicken dinner prepared by Eric Garton, RSABG director of visitor services and Judy Ott-McGoon, event coordinator. After their meal, the group embarked on an evening tour of the Garden; many were surprised to find how far away from civilization they felt. “One of the highlights of the evening was the walk around the Garden,” says Riley. “We easily could have been in the desert or anywhere far from civilization. We were only a few hundred feet from houses, but it was so dark and quiet and peaceful that it was easy to forget that we were in the Gendron shares facts about middle of Claremont. It truly felt like a small island of nocturnal insects with the wilderness in the middle of suburbia and it was incredible to Lewis family during their stay in the Garden. experience camping and coming close to nature without having to travel.” Sarah was impressed by the size of the Garden and how dark it was without the flashlight. “We could It started with a winning auction item at the 2011 Garhear lots of animals,” says Sarah. “And Eric showed us differden with a View dinner, and it culminated with an ent plants and let us smell them.” overnight adventure at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic GarAfter their lantern-lit walk, the group assembled for a den that one family will never forget. presentation by “Butterfly Bill” Gendron (an RSABG volune lewis family, including dad Randall, mom Janell, teer, and coordinator of the Butterfly Pavilion) who set up a siblings Riley, Sarah and Rosie, plus extended family large screen and bright light to attract insects. members Phil and Kirsten Suttner and their two sons, “I saw bugs I had never seen before,” said Riley. “It was Blake and Griffin, enjoyed a delicious dinner and comsuch a new experience to see so many of them completely fortable accommodations under the stars on Friday, Au- still and calm.” gust 26, 2011. ey were joined throughout the evening “he knew all the different insect names and shared details by friends Steve Pankratz, Emma lord, Jeff Gluckstein, about each one,” added Sarah. Gendron also brought along Akemi Gluckstein and Dan Gluckstein. his butterfly collection to share with the group. “e best thing for me was having my kids with me e group enjoyed eggs and French toast for breakfast … no phones, no TVs,” says Janell. Janell is a Rancho after a comfortable night in tents. Santa Ana Botanic Garden “...it was easy to forget e lewis family was unanimous in their satisfaction overseer, and a member of with the outing. “My family had never been camping that we were in the the Membership Annual all together,” says Sarah. “We had a great time! Giving Events Committee. middle of Claremont. It Everyone laughed a lot.”
| Member Spotlight
C aMping
in an
Island of Wilderness
truly felt like a small island of wilderness...”
11
RANChO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN
~ Debbie Carini
Volunteer Today |
An Earlier Adopter Boss Helps Keep the Garden Beautiful
Class of 2012 The 44 new volunteers—who range from age 22 to 84—join a tradition that dates back to 1965 of helping support the mission and diverse activities of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. The new class brings the total RSABG volunteers to more than 300. “Volunteers are critical. They help us achieve our mission. I am extremely grateful for the contributions volunteers make across the organization,” says Patrick larkin, executive director. Class of 2012 volunteers completed “RSABG 101,” an orientation and training program for new and returning volunteers. New this year was the addition of a Saturday session to the long-standing Friday morning sessions of “RSABG 101.” Those nature-loving volunteers who self-selected to become nature interpreters continued the orientation track for another six sessions to familiarize themselves with how to lead Garden tours and host informational tables to share the wonders of nature in general and RSABG in particular. RSABG volunteers are vital to the life, health and advancement of RSABG’s mission to grow, display, study and conserve California’s native plants. The opportunities abound—from helping RSABG staff collect seeds in the Garden to beautifying RSABG’s entrance on Foothill Blvd. There is sure to be something for you. For more information, please contact Brenda Bolinger at bbolinger@rsabg.org.
www.rsabg.org
heRB BoSS hAS Found A hoMe AwAy FRoM hoMe At the G ARden . Boss and his wife, lee, have volunteered at RSABG since 2008. “herb takes initiative, gladly pitches in wherever help is needed and always comes with a spirit of warmth and happiness,” says Brenda Bolinger, volunteer manager, “it seems like his energy is boundless!” Boss has engaged in a variety of activities, from driving trams, to maintaining benches in the Cultivar Garden and helping with annual events such as the Fall Plant Sale and Acorn Festival. he was an early adopter of the Garden’s Adopt an Area program. Taking a special interest in the landscape adjacent to the admission kiosk, he tends the area twice a week. Boss loves his work. he enjoys the physical aspect of his labor, relishes flora and fauna, and believes in the Garden’s commitment to educate the community on native plants and water conservation. Most of his time, Boss is weeding, deadheading and cutting back plants for new growth. he says that the work suits him and is healthy, therapeutic and rewarding. he has learned about plants both by talking with horticulturists, Richard Rojas and Cecil Garcia, and through his own observations. Boss views his volunteer work as a way to give back to the community and treat the environment well. his experience has even inspired him to convert his own lawn into a native plant garden.
Winter 2011
12
Garden with a view May 6, 2012 An elegant dinner and auction. e 2012 honoree is l.A. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. Reservations required. For more info visit www.rsabg.org or call (909) 625-8767.
| Calendar
March February
March 17 Spring open house Feb. 11, 11 a.m. Free Garden admission day. tom Sitton: Grand ventures Welcome spring with a seasonal sale california Authors at california’s at the Garden Shop, complimentary native Garden Author talk Series refreshments and prize drawings. Examine how “e Father of the Port new this year! you are invited to a of los Angeles” Phineas Banning in- welcome reception to learn about fluenced Southern California based RSABG membership benefits! light Starting Jan. 7 on Sitton’s book “Grand Ventures: refreshments will be served. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. e Banning Family and the Shaping Garden walking club of Southern California.” March 30 and 31, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Relieve stress, boost energy levels and tomatomania! enjoy beautiful scenery on your own Feb. 12 Grow native nursery westwood or with the group. Participation is director’s circle dinner e longest-running and free (Garden admission fees apply). Toma Director’s Circle members are invited largest heirloom tomato es love worm to fer Check otiulizer! W to this premier Garden event as t event in the nation gets a orm Te a Jan. 22, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. in WestwSundays ood! RSABG’s two honorary awards are California native plant twist! organic Pest control for Fruit trees presented. Select from hundreds of heirloom Grow native nursery and hybrid tomato varieties and learn westwood Feb. 18, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. how to raise delicious tomatoes from A hands-on workshop led by herb Plant Propagation for homeowners seedlings and how to grow the best of Machleder, master gardener. Wear Dave lannom will discuss plant both worlds—edibles and a beautiful closed-toe shoes and gardening propagation and how to multiply the California native garden! appropriate clothing. Bring a water plants. Member: $25; Public: $32. bottle and gardening gloves. March 31, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Feb. 19, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. A walk with words Jan. 28, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Family Bird Fest california Poets celebrate Spring Soils and Fertilizers: Free with Garden admission. learn Kick off National Poetry Month with time to Get dirty about the diverse bird life in the Gar- a walk featuring Southern California Dave lannom will provide the basics den and participate in the “Great poets. Stroll the Garden’s paths anyof plant nutrition and how to spot deBackyard Bird Count,” a national time throughout the event to enjoy ficiencies. Member: $25; Public: $32. citizen-science project. the art of the spoken word performed by poets in the Garden.
January
13
RANChO SANTA ANA BOTANIC GARDEN
Garden hours Daily 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Closed Jan. 1, July 4, anksgiving and Dec. 25 Free for RSABG members $8 Adults $6 Seniors (65+) and Students $4 Children (3-12)
Membership Individual $45 Family $75
PhOTO By MIChAEl WAll
Admission
Calendar |
Ceanothus cuneatus var. fascisularis is native and endemic to California.
April April 7 - 9 wildflower Show Free with Garden admission. Special exhibition of wildflowers brought indoors for an intimate viewing. Free Garden admission and tram tours on April 9 for visitors over 65. April 16 - 20, 5 - 6 p.m. california native Plant week Sunset tours Free with Garden admission. Guided walking tours, led by knowledgeable staff, research associates and volunteers, conclude with a view of the sunset. April 20 Gold card event california native Plant week Sunset tour and Reception Gold Card members and beyond are invited to special quarterly events. Discover the benefits of Gold Card Membership, call (909) 625-8767, ext. 221. April 14 – July 15 david Rogers’ BiG BuGS Free with Garden admission. Sculptor David Rogers carefully creates huge creepy crawlies from natural materials.
www.rsabg.org
Native Plant Celebrations Bring California Home
Ongoing wednesday, 9:30 a.m. yoga Jan. through June; Member: $10; Public: $12 for each class. ursday, 9 a.m. tai chi Jan. through June; Member: $50; Public: $60 for six-week session. ird Sunday, 10 a.m. Guided tram tour Jan. 15, Feb. 19, March 18, April 15 See the California coast and Mojave Desert in an hour. Tickets required. First Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. FRee native Plant clinic Grow native nursery claremont Jan. 7, Feb. 4, March 3, April 7 Native plant gardening questions answered. First Sunday, 8 a.m. FRee Beginning Bird walk Feb. 5, March 4, April 1 Bring binoculars and join Pomona Valley Audubon Society on guided bird watching walks.
Every month at Claremont and Westwood nurseries, celebrate the wonder of California native plants with a huge selection of gorgeous plants to beautify your garden year after year. Jan. 14 - Feb. 3 Magnificent Manzanitas
April 7 - April 27 whimsical wildflowers
Feb. 4 - Feb. 24 ceanothus: Lovely california Lilacs
April 28 - May 11 heuchera and iris: Simply elegant
Feb. 25 - March 16 native Garden Plants for Birds
May 12 - May 27 Bed and Breakfast for Butterflies
March 17 - April 6 Salvia and Penstemons
May 19 - May 27 Superb Succulents
Shop Grow Native Nursery Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Garden walking club Participation is free (Garden admission fees apply). Second Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free worm tea Sundays Grow native nursery westwood Each household is welcome to take one liter of worm tea, a great source of plant nutrients. Please bring your own container.
Winter 2011
14
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 for Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 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.
$75,000 donor challenge! Make your gift today, and a special donor will triple it! Read more in Patrick larkin’s welcome on page 1. To make your gift visit www.rsabg.org/annualgiving or call (909) 625-8767, ext. 221.