On a recent field trip to the Gardens at Lake Merritt, we discovered
a wonderful collection of mature, established trees at Lakeside Park. Most of
the tees have ample room in which to grow, so they have been able to spread out
and grow naturally. Trees add so much to the environment, so their presence is
pleasure enough. But to the gardener, this is a wonderful resource for viewing the
natural form of a tree, its true size in its later years, and its
transformation throughout seasonal cycles.
When planting a tree from a five gallon bucket, it is easy
to be enamored with its physical qualities as seen in close up photographs of
bark and flower, but much more difficult to envision how tall a 60-80 feet tree
really is! Seeing trees in situ can help when you’re selecting a tree for your
yard, or envisioning how your current landscape may change over the next decade
or two.
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| Cork Oak |
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| Bonsai |
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| Dawn Redwood (deciduous) |
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| Monkey Puzzle Tree |
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| Wine Palm |
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| Young Olive |
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Many of the trees are not native to the Bay Area, but they
are beautiful trees worthy of study and appreciation. Many of us have some of
these trees in our yards, or access to them in parks, so it helps to see good, healthy specimens.
For trees like the Wine Palm, which has been over harvested, parks
like this help preserve tree specimens until they can be restored in the wild. For trees like the Monkey Puzzle tree, which was greatly coveted during the plant collection
frenzy of the Victorian era, parks provide a glimpse into the past. I recommend a stroll through
Lakeside Park to see its trees in any season.
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