banner

UC Garden Clippings

University of California Botanical Garden

February 2012 - Vol 4, Issue 8
In This Issue
February in the Garden
Garden Ambassadors
Propagator's Choice
Natural Discourse
Conservation
Garden Rentals

twitter

Find us on Facebook

Quick Links

UC Botanical Garden 

 

Plan Your Visit 

 

Garden Calendar 

 

Garden Sections 

 

Conservation


Tours


Facility Rentals


Volunteer


Membership


Give to the Garden


Garden Shop    

 

Self Guided Fall Walk and Map  

 

What's in Bloom 

 


Tribute Benches

 

Memorial Gifts

 

Tribute Bricks  

    

 


California Native   

Plants Nursery  

 

Landscape Cacti &
Succulents Nursery
 

 

Bulbs Nursery  

 

Tropical & Indoor Plants Nursery  

 

Vines Nursery    

 

The Natives growing area is open to the public most Thursdays, weather permitting, from 10:30 AM until 1:30 PM. Come by and check our plants. There are volunteers who can give you help if you would like, or just stop by and browse.  

 

 

  

 

 

 

February in the Garden  


Magnificent Magnolias 

Magnolia campbelli
Magnolia campbelli
Mid-winter in the Bay Area is the beginning of magnolia season.  Around town hybrid magnolias are springing into blossom.  The Garden has an excellent collection of magnolias, scattered throughout our Asian, Eastern North American and Mexican and Central American Areas.  Most of our plants were obtained from the wild, and the collection has recently been recognized by the North American Plants Collection Consortium (NAPCC).  The first Asian magnolias are already in blossom, led by the stunning Magnolia campbellii, which we grow in both its pink and white forms.  Other magnolias will soon follow, and various species will be in bloom through early summer.

American Gardener Magazine recently featured NAPCC collections in this interesting article. The Garden has three NAPCC collections: oaks (Quercus), magnolias (Magnolia) and cycads.

 

 


Members' Horticultural Walk: Magnolias
Tuesday | February 28 | 1 - 2:30 PM
Associate Director of Collections and Horticulture Chris Carmichael will lead a walking tour of the Garden's nationally recognized Magnolia collection.
Free. Members only. Registration required. Call 510-643-2755.




Garden Ambassadors
Garden Ambassadors are the first point of contact for visitors to the Garden and play a key role in greeting visitors and sharing information about the Garden collection, membership & programs, the Garden Shop & Plant Deck, and campus events.

greeter table
For more information about volunteering, and to apply for Ambassador Training, call the Volunteer Coordinator at 510-643-7265 or email [email protected]

Propagator's Choice
Magnolia-yunnanensis by James Gaither
Magnolia laevifolia. Photo by James Gaither.


by Bryan Gim, Volunteer Propagation Coordinator and Horticulturist, Arid House

Magnolia laevifolia (formerly Michaelia yunnanensis) is from Yunnan Province which is, botanically, one of China's richest areas. It forms a small tree bearing numerous golden buds. The waxy, cup-like flowers are cream-colored with yellow stamens. They are produced from spring through late fall. The flowers are sublimely fragrant. Give rich but well-drained soil, regular water and full sun to part shade. We have 4 inch pots of this beauty for $15

 

Natural Discourse
Natural Discourse
Friday | February 10 | 9 am - 4 pm
Join the discussion with a Garden hosted symposium, Natural Discourse: Culture and Ecology. This is an exciting opportunity to interact with a diverse group speakers who will address questions about how man's invention and interpretation of nature has influenced their practice.

Registration required; $65 general , $30 students. Ticket price includes lunch and refreshments. Register online or call 510-643-2755.

Speakers Include:
  • Chris Carmichael - Associate Director of Collections and Horticulture, UC Botanical Garden
  • Hazel White - Poet and author of 'Perils As Architectural Enrichment', Kelsey Street Press 2011
  • William L. Fox - Poet, Author, Editor, and Director of the Center for Art +Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art
  • Gail Wight - Artist, Associate Professor, Stanford University
  • Dale Clifford - Architect, Assistant professor Carnegie Mellon University


Conservation
magnolia sharpii by James Gaither
Magnolia sharpii pictured here and in the banner.
Photo by James Gaither.
by Holly Forbes, Curator

The Garden's Magnolia collection includes 42 accessions of 36 taxa (different kinds). 26 of these accessions are of wild origin, which was the main factor in achieving NAPCC status for the collection. Most of these are in the Asian Area (two-thirds of the accessions), and the remaining third is split almost evenly between the Mexican/Central American and Eastern North American Areas. Seven of the Asian and five of the Mexican/Central American taxa are rare and/or endangered in habitat.
Collected by Dr. Bruce Bartholomew, then Garden Curator, and Dr. Dennis Breedlove of the California Academy of Sciences, in 1981, the evergreen Magnolia sharpii was at the time thought to be restricted to one population in a high mountain valley of Chiapas, Mexico. It flowered for the first time in the Garden in 1989. More recent field work has located only five populations in evergreen cloud forests of the central highlands of Chiapas. Forest fragmentation and habitat changes are limiting conditions for many understory trees such as M. sharpii. You can typically see this species in flower in May in the Garden.

 

February 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 x03 for event registration or to purchase/renew a membership.

Sick Plant Clinic
Saturday | February 4 | 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 cover plants and disease samples in containers or bags before entering the Garden.
No reservation required: free

newtNewts Explained at the Japanese Pool
Sunday | February 5 | 2-3:30 pm
Sunday | February 26 | 2-3:30 pm
Come visit the Japanese Pool at the Garden where the newts are having all kinds of fun. 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.

Natural Discourse Symposium: Artists, Architects, Scientists and Poets in the Garden
Friday | February 10 | 9 am - 4 pm
Join the discussion with Natural Discourse: Culture and Ecology. This is an exciting opportunity to interact with a diverse group speakers who will address questions about how man's invention and interpretation of nature has influenced their practice.
Registration required; $65 general , $30 students. Ticket price includes lunch and refreshments.

Valentines Day Tea for Kids
Sunday | February 12 | 10 -11:30 am 
Sunday | February 12 | 1 - 2:30 pm 
Enjoy a special celebration of herbs and flowers at this afternoon tea party. We'll use our senses to explore these fragrant edibles, talk about their uses and benefits, and see how they grow. Make fresh teas and bite-size herb finger sandwiches. Also make valentines from pressed botanicals to take home.
Registration required: $18, 15 members

Garden Glasshouses: Members Walk
Thursday | February 16 | 1 - 2:30 pm
Come in out of the cold and delight in the "gems" we have in our glasshouse collections. You'll be introduced to some of the treasures in the Garden's glasshouses by expert Horticulturist Christy Matasick. The tour will take you through the Orchid, Fern and Carnivorous Plant House and the Tropical House. Please note, the Arid House is not included.
Registration required: members only; free.

Rainwater: What is it Good for? Absolutely Everything!
Saturday | February 18 | 1 - 2 pm
Tom Spargo, inventor of the RainSaucer standalone rainwater harvesting system, will discuss how personal rainwater collection is crucial to solving the world's water crisis. Learn how you can make a difference by harnessing this fresh, free, and sustainable resource. Tom will demonstrate how to create a standalone rain barrel in under 10 minutes with no tools required.
Registration required: $10, $7 members.

Members' Horticultural Walk: Magnolias
Tuesday | February 28 | 1 - 2:30 pm
Associate Director of Collections and Horticulture Chris Carmichael will lead a walking tour of the Garden's nationally recognized Magnolia collection.
Free. Members only. Registration required. Register online or call 510-643-2755.

 

Garden Rentals
wedding by Barney Chan Photography
Redwood Grove wedding. Photo by Barney Chan Photography.



Hold Your Event at the Garden

This is the perfect time to plan your spring graduation celebration or summer wedding and reception in the Garden! We know you enjoy visiting the Garden  but may not have thought of renting one or more of the beautiful sites the Garden has to offer. I am happy to tell you more about planning an event here and check date availability for you. I encourage you to call, email me at [email protected] or drop by for a site visit soon.

Margie Richardson, UCBG Rental Coordinator, 510-642-3352

 

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 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.
  • 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.
  • Botanical Art: You''ll receive exclusive information about classes and exhibitions.  
Editor: Vanessa Crews, [email protected], 510-643-2937