UC Garden Clippings

University of California Botanical Garden

April  2013 - Vol 4, Issue 9

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Free with Garden Admission

Sick Plant Clinic
Saturday,  April 6
9 am - 12 noon   

Free
 

Saturday, April 13
10 am - 11:30 am
REGISTER ONLINE

Cal Day Saturday, April 20
9 am - 5 pm

Docent Walks 
Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays
1:30 pm

  

Spring Self-guided Tour 
The tour, which highlights plants from around the world, is a circuit and takes about one hour. It starts at the Garden Entrance. Look for the ORANGE numbered markers to guide you to the featured plants. Download the tour and map here. 

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Banner Photo | Monkey Puzzle Tree  
Paulownia tomentosa var. tsinlingensis
Trees of the Garden 

The UC Botanical Garden is more than an arboretum, a public garden made up of woody plants, particularly trees and shrubs.   Our biogeographical collections recreate natural habitats from around the world, from large trees down to tiny annuals and groundcovers. Yet it is often the trees we remember for their stately presence or their stunning floral displays.  

 

Tall redwoods form a protective canopy for woodland growers in the Asian Area. Beneath their branches tree-sized rhododendrons are still in bloom, and purple flowered empress trees (Paulownia tomentosa var. tsinlingensis) will blossom soon.  

 

The Garden's oak and magnolia collections are nationally recognized by the North American Plants Collections Consortium of the American Public Garden Association. While members of both these groups are found throughout many of the biogeogpraphical collections, magnolias and oaks from our Mexican and Central American Area have been singled out as distinctive and rare in North American collections.    

 

Whether deciduous or evergreen, trees add structure and form throughout the Garden. Monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana) in the South American Area just beyond the Garden of Old Roses are some of the most unusual and downright weird trees in the collection. The next time you are in the garden take a moment to really notice the trees. Visit our Facebook page to share with us which Garden trees are your favorite.

 


Members Walk: Trees of the Garden 

Thursday, April 11, 1 - 2:30 pm

Join our Associate Director of Collections and Horticulture,  

Chris Carmichael, for a rare tour of the Garden focusing on  

our trees.Members only; free.

REGISTER ONLINE 


Spring Self-Guided Tour
Dawn redwoods, stop number 18 on the tour.
Photo by Melanie Hofmann 
Each season the Garden offers a self-guided interpretive walk to discover intriguing plants in the collection and the stories behind them.

  

Look for the orange numbered markers to guide you to the featured plants. Pick up a copy (no map) at the Entrance Kiosk or download a copy with a map here. Visit our Facebook page to see photos of the plants on the walk.  

 

Stop number four on the tour is the Empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa var. tsinlingensis). Named for the daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia, this spectacular tree is sure to attract attention in spring when its leafless branches are decked with foot-long clusters of slightly fragrant foxglove-like lavender flowers. Three species of this fast growing tree are represented in the Garden. The wood is lightweight and water resistant, and for this reason is used to make "geta", Japanese clogs.

Spring Plant Sale 
  

Join Us for the Best Plant Party in Town

Platinum sponsors: Bancroft Hotel and Expert Tree Service 

Gold Sponsors: Diamond K Supply, Eden Canyon Vineyards and Navarro Vineyards 

 

Members' Preview and Silent Auction 

Friday, April 26, 5 pm - 7:30 pm

Members are invited to the preview reception and silent auction. Enjoy appetizers from  

Bancroft Catering and sip wine from Eden Canyon Vineyards and Navarro Vineyards  

with the first choice of plants in a beautiful twilight Garden setting.  

Read more about the Members' Sale.  

Join the Garden! 

 

 
Cornus florida
Photo by Melanie Hofmann

Public Sale

Saturday , April 27, 10 am - 2 pm

Browse our vast selection of unusual perennials, trees, and shrubs. Specialty items include beautiful flowering vines, temperate and tropical carnivorous plants, exotic cacti and succulents, hardy palms and cycads, rare houseplants and herbs.   

 

Visit our Spring Plant Sale website to see the latest Silent Auction items, available plant lists, map, sponsors,  

tips for success and more.

 

 

 

 

 


SPRING PLANT SALE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Have a strong back? We need you!

Volunteer Shifts:

Friday, April 26, 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 27, 9:15 am - 12:30 pm
Saturday, April 27, 12:15 pm - 3:30 pm

 

Jobs include helping customers put plants into the hold areas, writing up tags for purchase at cashiers' station, moving/loading plants for customers, returning plants to stock after the sale, and clean-up. Volunteers must be able to lift approx. 20 lbs and be willing to work cooperatively with others in a fun, but often hectic environment!

Contact Volunteer & Tour Coordinator Grace Pegan Weltner at [email protected] or 510-643-7265.

 
Propagator's Choice
 
Magnolia figo var. crassipes
(Michelia crassipes)

This lovely, small Magnolia (to 10' tall) was known as Michelia crassipes. It is now a variety of Magnolia figo, the banana shrub. It has large, dark green leaves and large, open, creamy white flowers to 3" across. The blooms have a delicate, citrus scent. It prefers sun to part shade, and a rich and well-drained soil. It has average water requirements and is hardy in the Bay Area. One gallon pots of this beauty are $18.00.

During the month of April, while we are preparing for our annual Spring Plant Sale, we close our propagation area sales. They will reopen on Tuesday, May 2. We do, however continue to sell plants off our Plant Sales Deck.

I am really pleased at the plants that we will have available at our Spring Plant Sale. The volunteers have been diligently working to offer you with a nice collection of beautiful, uncommon, and desirable plants. Many of the really choice plants are in short supply. You may want to consider getting a Garden membership to gain access to our Members' Preview Sale and Silent Auction. I'm sure you'll have a great time.
Membership
Invest in the Garden through Membership

Membership is an investment in our Garden community and an opportunity to meet fellow enthusiasts and new friends. Spring is a great time to take on new adventures and we welcome you on this exciting journey. Join us for horticulture walks, tours, workshops, art & education exhibitions, volunteer opportunities, campus, community and Garden events and more!

 

Explore our new Membership Central website and discover FAQ's  

and a page devoted to our partner nurseries. Read about the benefits of membership and download a reciprocal admissions brochure. Purchase or renew your membership online.

 

Questions? Contact our Membership Department:
[email protected] or 510-643-1924

Four Ways to Join or Renew
Online
On-Site: Stop by the Garden Kiosk
Phone: 510-643-1924 
Mail: 200 Centennial Dr � Berkeley � CA 94720-5045
April Programs
 

FIRST FRIDAY | Opening Reception, Discussion  and Book Signing
The Future of Plant-Based Textiles 
Friday, April 5, 6 pm - 8 pm
Join us for an evening viewing of the Fiber & Dye exhibit and conversation with local textile artisans and activists Sasha Duerr of the Permacouture Institute and Rebecca Burgess of Fibershed. Refreshments included.
$20/$15 members

REGISTER ONLINE

Pigments, Dyes and Fibers from Plants  
A  Gentle Introduction to their Chemistry 
Saturday, April 6, 10 am - 12 :30 pm

Join Professor Margareta Sequin on an adventure to learn the basics of organic chemistry in the world of plant color and fiber. A slideshow presentation will be followed by a walk in the Garden.

$20/$15 members

REGISTER ONLINE  


Sunday, April 7, 1 pm - 4 pm
Learn to make water-based paint and inks with plants and earth pigments for use on paper or fabric with local artist and instructor Judi Petitte. Sample paper, fabric sample and brushes, ink rollers, stamps provided. The inks are appropriate for printing on paper or fabric. $60/$50 members
REGISTER ONLINE

BOTANICAL ART
Spring Flowers with Catherine Watters

Thursday, April 11, 10 am - 4 pm
Springtime is a lovely time to dive into botanical illustration using all the brightly colored flowers that surround us. Born and raised in Paris, Catherine Watters is an enthusiastic instructor who enjoys sharing her passion of botanical art. She will guide you through the steps of drawing and building layers of color to capture their form, rich colors and texture. Advance registration required.

$85/$75 members

REGISTER ONLINE  

 

Traditional Dyes from Around the World
Saturday, April 13,10 am - 11:30 am
Tour the collection with Garden Program Coordinator Deepa Natarajan to learn about plants used around the world for fibers and dyes.
Free with Garden Admission
REGISTER ONLINE

Felting with Plant Dyed Wool

Sunday, April 14, 1 pm - 4 pm
Learn the basics of creating a hand-felted textile using plant dyed wool with artist Ashley Helvey.

$60, $50 members

REGISTER ONLINE 

 

Cal Day
Saturday, April 20,
9 am - 4 pm
The garden is free and open all day, with guided one-hour tours at 11 am, 12 pm, and 1:30 pm. Enjoy special docent interpretation stations featuring California native plants, insects and animals in locations throughout the Garden from 2 pm - 3:30 pm. On campus, visit "EXTINCTION!" a joint interactive exhibit of the Berkeley Natural History Museums in the Valley Life Sciences Courtyard. See real specimens in Berkeley's premier collections that are now gone forever, on the brink, or have been rediscovered. Talk with museum scientists in this event featuring fossils, live plants and animals, plus a carnival wheel with prizes! See carnivorous plants at our South Lawn booth outside the building. Get your Sciences@Cal Passport stamped at any of our locations! Take the Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall entrance to visit the Garden. All Cal Day festivities are free!

FAMILY PROGRAM | Animals of the Garden

Sunday, April 21, 10 am - 11:30 am

Come join the Garden on this special journey to discover the many wonderful creatures living in the Garden. On our animal hunt, we will learn about newts, birds, butterflies, frogs, lizards, foxes, snakes and more! Hone your skills of observation and learn how plants and animals live together. Fee includes a light breakfast and a copy of the Illustrated Guide to the Common Animals of the East Bay Hills (one per family). Adults: $15, $12 members, Children: $12, $10 members

 REGISTER ONLINE  

 

iPHONEOGRAPHY | Create Great Garden Photos Using an iPhone

Sunday, April 28, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm 

The best camera is the one that is with you! Let expert iPhone photographer  

Yoni Mayeri show you  how to capture and edit images with just your iPhone. Learn the best practices for photographing and editing using exclusively the iPhone. The class will cover: essential phone camera tips for optimizing digital capture, choosing subjects and framing that work best with the iPhone, best practices for saving, uploading and transferring images and using apps for basic editing and enhancing images...all done on the iPhone. Whether you shoot people, flora and fauna, landscape or abstract subjects or just want to make great images with the iPhone this class will help you take your iPhoneography to the next level.  

Advance registration required; $50, $45 members and UCB students 

REGISTER ONLINE 

The Garden Shop
In the Garden Shop...
A beautiful catalog of the recent exhibition of 11 site specific installations at the Garden
is now available for purchase in The Garden Shop

Registration Open!
 
Summer Camp 2013 
Our very popular Green Stuff summer camp is open for registration and some weeks are already full!

Children spend one magical week at this special outdoor science day camp exploring our amazing collection of plants from around the world. Each day is unique and includes walks and creek discoveries, hands-on investigations, journaling, edible gardening, animal studies, storytelling, crafts, and lots more.

Camps are divided by week for 5 - 7 or 8 - 10 year olds
with 12 campers and 2 counselors, held June 17 - August 16.

CLICK HERE  for more information and to REGISTER!

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