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UC Garden Clippings
University of California Botanical Garden
October 2009 - Vol 2, Issue 4
In This Issue
Thursday Propagator Sales
Propagator's Choice
October: Crops of the World
Members Only Redwood Grove Reception
Autumn Membership Promotion
Garden Conservation
October Programs
Giving Opportunities
Garden Shop Specials


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Thursday
Propagator Sales
Propagation Areas
Open for Sales


California Natives
Cactus and Succulents
Trees and Shrubs

Thursdays (starting Oct. 15)
10:30 am to 1:30 pm

Becoming a member of the UC Botanical Garden entitles you to 10% off most plant purchases.
The Plant Deck

Open Daily

10:30 am - 4:30 pm

Houseplants
Succulents
Natives
Exotics

Visit the Garden's Plant Deck for a great selection of choice plants. All proceeds from your purchase benefit the Garden.
Succulent Gardens

Succulent gardens in ceramic pots are now available year round on the plant deck. Each garden is hand-crafted and features a selection of exotic and unusual specimens of cacti, agave, sedums and other succulents. The gardens make fabulous gifts and prices start at only $10.

Becoming a member of the UC Botanical Garden entitles you to 10% off most plant purchases.
Quick Links
October in the Garden: Crops of the World Garden
 
crops of the world signThe Crops of the World Garden is a seasonal reminder of harvest time - connecting urban residents with edible plants and the food on their plates. Ripe tomatoes glisten in the sun, purple beans dry on the vine, squash, nasturtiums and more tumble together; their bright colors and earthy ripeness are a feast for the senses.

Outdoor Classroom
The coordinator for the Garden's education program, Christine Manoux, works with a Cal student to plant and maintain the Crops of the World Garden as an outdoor classroom for the thousands of children who visit the Garden every year. Manoux explains, "In October we celebrate Foods of the Americas, a special interactive docent tour and exhibit that showcases crops that were first cultivated from native plants in present day Mexico, Central and South America. It's a combination geography, history, botany, children in garden with docentmath and nutrition lesson, as visiting groups of school children study displays highlighting the origins of foods like corn, beans and squash, their nutritional values, and their importance to native cultures like the Mayans, Aztecs and Incans. Children can handle the plant materials, do some tasting, and see these very plants growing in the Garden. Learning becomes much more real in our outdoor classroom."

Three Sisters Garden
Nestled in the Crops of the World Garden is a traditional Native American planting known as the Three Sisters Garden. Beans, corn, and squash grow together forming a community of plants and animals, or an ecosystem that lasts for the growing season. Recent studies on the Three Sisters Garden have shown that by planting these three types of plants together (a method called polyculture), the corn yields are up to 50% greater than by planting fields of corn alone.

Treasure Hunt
Families are encouraged to visit the Crops of the World Garden and discover "where their food comes from". Manoux suggests the Garden's Treasure Hunt as an engaging activity for adults and children of all ages. The Treasure Hunt challenge provides a list of ten plants found in the Mexican and South American beds of the Crops of the World Garden. Find the plant and see if you can identify the edible part. Is it an edible root, leaf, flower, or fruit?  Look at the signs in the Crop Garden for clues!

Visit
Foods of the Americas is open to the public in the Conference Center on weekdays only, October 6 thru October 16. Guests at the evening Fall Harvest Social on Thursday October 8 may also view the displays. And don't miss the Kids Cook in the Garden program Saturday, October 17 featuring a cooking lesson using foods harvested from the Crops of the World Garden. The Crops of the World Garden is open to the public during normal visiting hours.



Members Only: Redwood Grove Reception

bride in redwoodsMembers are invited to join Director Paul Licht and Barbara Licht for an afternoon wine and cheese reception celebrating the Stephen T. Mather Redwood Grove.

The Grove was closed to the public all summer for the restoration of Winter Creek. Seedlings planted in the 1920's by Boy Scouts have grown into a secluded towering forest providing an enchanting venue for picnics, concerts and weddings.

Thursday, October 15, 4:30 - 6:00 pm  Remarks: 5 pm

This free event is for members and invited guests only. Become a member at the door or by phone, 510-643-2755 x03. Reservations are not necessary.

Redwood Grove wedding photo provided by Cara Mia Photography.


Autumn Membership Promotion
sarracenia
Join the Garden or purchase a gift membership in October and you will receive all the benefits of Garden membership AND the Garden's exclusive print "Sarracenia" by artist Gary Bukovnik.

This beautiful print is currently selling in the Garden Shop for $25, but for a limited time only, it is our gift to new members at a $65 or above level of membership.

Gift memberships to the Garden are a beautifully packaged thoughtful gift for anyone on your holiday list- especially when it includes the exclusive Bukovnik print.

Become a member or purchase a gift membership by calling 510-643-2755 x03.

Thank you for supporting the UC Botanical Garden.

Garden Conservation: Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom

by Holly Forbes, Curator

Kenwood Marsh checkerbloom (Sidalcea oregana ssp. valida)Fall is usually a quiet time for endangered California plants, but there are exceptions to this generality.  The Kenwood Marsh checkerbloom (Sidalcea oregana ssp. valida) is flowering in our nursery and beginning to set seed.  This wetland plant is restricted to two locations in Sonoma County, including a winery property.  Garden staff are working with local US Fish & Wildlife Service agent Kate Symonds to augment the winery population.  Last spring we planted out several gallon cans of plants that were grown in our nursery by Propagator John Domzalski.  Ms. Symonds is monitoring the growth of these plants and reports that most are doing well.  The area had been disturbed for years by previous land owners, and it is a continuing battle to keep the Himalayan blackberries from taking over the site.

To permanently protect the Kenwood Marsh, the Deerfield Ranch Winery granted a conservation easement to Sonoma County.  In addition to occasional Checkerbloom Society fundraising events, Deerfield Ranch Winery is bottling a special wine with a Checkerbloom label. Profits from the sale of this wine will be donated to the restoration effort of Kenwood Marsh.

Support the Garden's conservation efforts by becoming a UC Botanical Garden member.

October Programs and Events

Sick Plant Clinic: Saturday, October 3,  9 am - noon
Join Dr. Raabe for his monthly Sick Plant Clinic and find out which diseases ail your plants. Entomologists are also available to identify the pests that are living in your plants. Please bring plants and disease samples in closed containers or bags.

Native Plant Dyes: Sunday, October 4, 10 am - 4 pm
This one-day class focuses on dye making the natural way. Common California native perennials, and several invasive species will be used to create a myriad of colors. Participants will learn the art and ethical practice of harvesting.  We will explore the general patterns of local land-use history, and its effects on our relationships with these plants.  We will learn how to prepare plant fibers for dyeing.  Dye vats from five plants will be made ready for us to experiment with, using locally sourced wool, and silk as our palettes.
$75, $65 members.  FULL! 

pumpkinFall Harvest Social:
Thursday October 8, 6 - 9 pm
Celebrate our exhibit "Foods of the Americas" by coming to this exclusive after hours event. You'll have the opportunity to browse the displays, drink seasonal beers or warm cider, and carve pumpkins too!
$25, $20 members price includes 2 drink tickets, and a pumpkin.  Registration Required

Mayan and Aztec Medicinal Plant Tour:

Sunday, October 11, 11am - 12:30 pm
Walk through the garden's collection of Mayan and Aztec medicinal plants in the renowned Mexico/Central America Area with Horticulturist Eric Schulz. See plants such as Mal Hombre, the Monkey Hand Tree and Tree Dahlias and learn how they were used.
$17, 15 members.  Registration Required 

Members Only Redwood Grove Reception: Thursday, October 15, 4:30 - 6 pm
Members are invited to join Director Paul Licht and Barbara Licht for an afternoon wine and cheese reception celebrating the re-opening of the Stephen T. Mather Redwood Grove.
Members free

Kids Cook in the Garden: Saturday, October 17, 11 am - 12:30 pm
There's nothing better than eating what you've freshly picked! Join Garden education staff to discover foods growing in the Garden's Crops of the World Collection where you'll harvest ingredients and learn to create delicious snacks, like the Sunny Sunchoke Salad.  For budding chefs aged 7-12. 
$18, $15 members (adult chaperones welcome with Garden admission).  Registration Required

Intoxicating Plants of the Garden: Sunday, October 18, 5 - 7 pm
Join us for this new and exciting evening event. A sunset stroll throughout the collection to learn about plants used for making intoxicating elixirs accompanied by food and drink. A few plants we'll see & taste along the way are opuntias, rhododendrons, wormwood, sugar cane, and more!
$55, $50 members Limited to 20 participants.  Registration Required

Fall Bird Walk: Saturday, October 24, 9 am - 10:30 am
Observe resident, migrant and vagrant birds in the Garden's many bird friendly micro habitats with birding expert Phila Rogers and Associate Director of Collections & Horticulture Chris Carmichael.
$20, $15 members.  Registration Required

3rd Annual Spooky Tales in the Redwood Grove: Saturday October 31spooky stories,1 - 2:30 pm
Wear your favorite Halloween costume to the spell binding enchantment in the UC Botanical Garden.

OH YES! Join a costume parade among the tall, mysterious redwood.
OH DEAR! Bring your favorite Halloween riddle to stump the Witches.
OH MY! Listen to the Witches Four: Jean Ellisen, Bobbie Kinkead, Carol Nyhoff, and Karin Werner tell you playfully scary stories.
OH DEAR!  And, watch the Teen Witches perform a hilarious 'Ghost Idol' with startling talents, of course!
 
$10, $8 for members, price includes one adult and one child, $3 for each additional family member.  Registration Required


Always check the Garden Calendar for event details and updates.
Reservations are accepted daily, including weekends, 9 am - 4:30 pm.
Call 510-643-2755 x03 for event registration or to purchase/renew a membership.

Giving Opportunities

http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.eduGood News!
If you're at least 70 � years old, taking mandatory distributions from your IRA, and looking for a way to support the Garden tax-free an expiring tax code provision allows you to make gifts directly to the Garden totaling up to $100,000 a year from your Roth or Traditional IRA - without incurring income tax on the withdrawal. The provision is effective only for the 2009 tax year, so you must act by December 31 to take full advantage of this golden opportunity. 



Tribute Benches
Draped with a wandering vine, the Lilo Rosenmeyer bench is a welcoming feature of the Crops of the World garden. Tribute bench donors contribute $15,000 to $20,000 depending on the location. Honor someone you love with the wonderful gift of a tribute bench.

Quadruple Your Gift
The New Alumni Challenge invites all undergraduate and graduate alumni from the Classes of 2005 through 2010 to participate in a first-ever 3:1 match for all contributions up to $1,000. That means a donation of $25 (when combined with the $75 match) will equal $100 for Cal, while $1,000 will increase to $4,000! Best yet, gifts may be directed to the Garden!

Please encourage any qualifying alumni in your life to direct their gift to the Garden. There's an ongoing phone and mail campaign to reach this audience, but your new alumni will have to specifically request that the gift be directed to the UC Botanical Garden.

For more information on any of these giving opportunities, please contact Vanessa Crews at 510-643-2937 or [email protected].


Just for Members � One Day Only � 40% Off Carved Gourd Art in the Garden Shop

Wednesday, October 14gourd artgourd art
Members Only
40% Off Carved Gourd Art in the Garden Shop

These hand-carved gourds bring a modern twist to a tradition that is over 4000 years old.  Gourds are grown in Northern Peru, harvested, and then dried on sandy beaches in the hot desert sun.  Village artists carve designs, using hand chisels, and then apply fire to naturally color the gourds.

Get a head start on your holiday shopping with this great discount. Best of all, proceeds from your shopping support your treasured Garden!

No other discounts apply. Offer is only for members and limited to a small supply on hand.


Manage Your Subscription
The UC Garden Clippings is a publication of the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley. You can manage your subscriptions to Garden electronic publications by choosing Update Profile/Email Address at the bottom of the newsletter. The Update Profile/Email Address feature provides subscription options, allowing you to select those garden publications you wish to receive. Select Safe Unsubscribe to remove your email address from all UCBG electronic publications. The Garden offers four email publications:
  • UC Garden Clippings: This is a monthly newsletter featuring garden events and stories.
  • Updates: Occasional brief emails are sent to highlight special garden events.
  • Plant Deck: This is a monthly email describing plants available for purchase in the Garden.
  • Garden Clubs: This is an occasional publication describing special events and opportunities for garden clubs and plant societies.
  • Tours: Be the first to know when the Garden has a new tour available for schools and other groups. Get details on arranging tours for your group.
Editor: Vanessa Crews, [email protected], 510-643-2937