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UC Garden Clippings
University of California Botanical Garden
January 2012 - Vol 4, Issue 7
In This Issue
January in the Garden: Plants Illustrated
Programs
Just for Members
Chilean Bell Flower
Conservation

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Bulbs Nursery

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Save the Date
Spring Plant Sale
Saturday | April 30 | 2012


Self-Guided
Winter Tour

 to
Ceanothus,
sand mesa manzanita,
tanbark oak,
burrawang,
chenille plant,
laurel,
magnolias & more

January in the Garden: Plants Illustrated
Plants Illustrated
January 14 - February 3
Before photography, scientists relied on the work of botanical illustrators to document and record plants. Today botanical art is prized for plant portraits that are both elegant and technically accurate. Artist Catherine Watters explains, "Botanical art is a magical way of looking at plants. You see things most people never see and appreciate the wonders of nature in a new way.
magnolia x soulangia by Peggy Irvine
Magnolia x soulangiana
by Peggy Irvine
(available as a Garden notecard)
It's a marriage of art and science."

Botanical artists are trained to be patient and observant. A  portrait usually begins with close examination of a living plant using a magnifying glass. This is followed by a detailed pencil drawing and slowly adding many layers of color. A single piece can take an artist 40 to 120 hours to complete, and can combine views of plants at different seasons and include tubers, roots and even visiting insects. Catherine Watters suggests, "The elegant images of botanical art capture the soul of the plant."

Watters and fellow artists from the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists are sponsoring Plants Illustrated, January 14- February 3, in the Garden's Conference Center (free with Garden admission). With 60 pieces of original artwork in watercolor, graphite, colored pencil as well as pen and ink this show will delight admirers of both plants and art.

conservation plants Podcast
Listen to Paul Licht's  complete interview with Catherine Watters. Born and raised in Paris, where her love of art began,  Watters is a botanical artist who paints in watercolor on paper and vellum. She shows her work in several juried and invitational exhibitions each year, most recently at Kew, The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in Pitttsburgh, PA, The Horticultural Society of New York, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the San Francisco Botanical Garden and Filoli.

cone by Freeman Botanical Art Note Cards
Take home a little piece of Plants Illustrated by purchasing note cards featuring botanical illustrations from the exhibit. These beautiful cards are a Garden exclusive and include the Garden logo and plant information on the back. Thank you to artists Maria Cecilia Freeman, Peggy Irvine and Marilyn Danny Swanson  for adding their graceful images to our set of cards. All proceeds from card sales benefit the Garden. Cards are available at The Garden Shop individually priced or in mixed sets of 12 for only $12.95.


Banner photo and photo above right: detail from
Cupressus abramsiana
by Maria Cecilia Freeman (available in a Garden notecard)
Programs
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 for event registration or to purchase/renew a membership.

Sick Plant Clinic
Saturday | January 7 | 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 too! Please cover plants and disease samples in containers or bags before entering the Garden. Free!

Newts Explained at the Japanese Pool
Sunday | January 8 | 2 - 3 pm
Come visit the Japanese Pool at the Garden where there are a few newts for viewing (despite the lack of rain). A docent will be available to explain the newt activity and maybe even net a newt or two for a close-up look, while explaining the newt's life-cycle and habitat. Free with Garden admission. Registration not required.

Quercus lobata by Marilyn Danny Swanson 
 Valley oak
(Quercus lobata)
by Marilyn Swanson
(available as a Garden notecard) 
Plants Illustrated Exhibition

January 14 - February 3 | 10 am - 4 pm
The Garden is pleased to announce its third annual botanical art exhibition, Plants Illustrated. The exhibition, held in conjunction with the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists, invites viewers to explore the relationship between scientific study and fine art. The exhibit presents original artworks in watercolor, graphite, colored pencil and pen & ink and explores the many styles, forms and approaches unique to botanical art and illustration. Free with Garden admission.

Botanical Art for Youth and Young Adults
Saturday |  January 14 | 10 am - noon
In this creative youth workshop students will be introduced to Botanical Art and tour the wonderful botanical illustrations in the Plants Illustrated exhibition. Students will discover how to draw flora from the Garden and have fun making impressive works of art to take home. We'll even create an online gallery to display the work! Recommended for ages 8 and up! Registration required: $20, $15 members.

Botanical Art Through the Ages
Friday | January 20 |  2 - 3:30 pm
Join artist Catherine Watters for an in-depth look at the rich history of botanical art. View a collection of prints, slides and other media covering major botanical artists such as Pierre-Joseph Redout� and Maria Sybilla Merian and events such as Tulipomania and the Age of Exploration.
$10, $5 members, UCB students, staff & faculty.

Winter Bird Walk
Saturday | January 21 | 9 - 10:30 am
Winter is a surprisingly active time for birds in the Garden. Join Chris Carmichael, Associate Director of Collections and Horticulture and Phila Rogers for this lovely morning walk through the Garden. A pair of comfortable shoes, binoculars and a warm jacket will be in order.
Space is limited. Registration required: $20, $15 members.

Arid House: Members' Walk
Thursday | January 26 | 1 - 2:30
Join Horticulturist Bryan Gim on this special tour through the Garden's Arid House. Explore colorful cacti, succulents and other plants from cool, dry and warm, dry areas of the world in this glasshouse adventure.
Space is limited. Registration Required; members only; free.


 

Just for Members
The Art of Membership
This January the Garden's Plants Illustrated exhibition (January 14, 2012 - February 3, 2012) brings even more inspired beauty to each and every Garden visit. The exhibition is accompanied by a rich program of activities and events designed to illuminate the interplay between the creative visions of both scientific study and art practice.

On January 20 from 2 - 3:30 pm renowned botanical artist Catherine Watters will guide you through the vivid history of botanical art at the Botanical Art through the Ages workshop. You won't want to miss your opportunity to meet and mingle with the artists of Plants Illustrated at our Artists' Reception on January 21 from 2 - 4 pm.

And, of course, members enjoy free Garden admission throughout the year. Members also receive a 10% discount in The Garden Shop, discounts at local nurseries, invitations to exclusive members-only events and much more!
Helleborus 
Helleborus by Carol Varian
 

Free For Member
s in January
Members
'Reception
for Plants Illustrated

Saturday, January 21 | 2 - 4 pm

Free to Garden members, no reservations.

Arid House Walk
January 26, 1-2:30 p.m. Reservations required.

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive  offers free admission January 14 -  February 3. Bring your Garden membership card.

Five Ways to Join
Online
On-Site: Stop by the Garden Kiosk
Phone: 510-643-2755 x0
FAX: 510-642-3012
Mail: 200 Centennial Dr � Berkeley � CA 94720-5045
Chilean Bellflower (Lapageria rosea)
 
lapageria by Catherine Watters
Lapageria rosea
 by Catherine Watters
(available as a Garden notecard)

Propagator's Choice by Bryan Gim
A revered climbing vine, Lapageria rosea, deserves to grow in everyone's temperate garden. It is highly valued for the beauty of its deep red, lily-shape flowers. These blossoms ornament the temperate rainforest of its native Chile, where it is honored as the national flower. The Garden website offers more information on the history and cultivation of Lapageria. The 4 inch long succulent flowers appear in late summer and fall. They are usually rose-pink color but are available in a range of creams, whites, pinks and reds. Hardy to around 15-20 F, they prefer bright shade in a rich, well-drained soil with regular irrigation. Lapageria are available on the plant deck in one gallon pots that start at $25.00.

Arid HouseI'm leading a tour of the Arid House on January 26. This is a rare opportunity for visitors to go behind the scenes and view this unique and valuable collection closely. As the horticulturist for the Arid House I'm looking forward to helping guests explore and become acquainted with plants like the Welwitschia mirabilis and our extensive collection of Lithops, the living stone of the South African and Namibian deserts. Our monthly horticultural walks are limited to 20 people and fill up quickly so make your reservations early. See you on the tour!

Conservation
by Holly Forbes, Curator

The dry weather (nine inches less than at this time last year) is having an impact on our native plants. We are especially concerned about some of our rarest annuals, as they typically germinate in November
Amsinckia grandiflora
Large-flowered fiddleneck (Amsinckia grandiflora)
and December and little has happened to date.

20,000 seeds San Mateo thornmint (Acanthomintha duttonii) produced in the Garden's nursery were delivered to our colleagues at the Creekside Center for Earth Observation in late December. They are to be sown at Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve near Redwood City, as well as at two new sites on San Francisco PUC land. The lack of rain has delayed opportunities to sow them directly in the field.

Seedlings in the Garden's nursery, however, enjoy regular watering from our dedicated staff. Large-flowered fiddleneck (Amsinckia grandiflora) is doing very well, as is another annual, California jewelflower (Caulanthus californicus). This state and federally-listed annual is limited to small populations in grasslands of California's southern San Joaquin Valley and western Transverse Ranges.
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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 five 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.
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  • 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