Botanical Gardens: University of California, Berkeley

The UC Botanical Garden, which is associated with University of California at Berkeley, has over 13,000 plants from around the world installed in naturalistic settings on 34 acres. The plants are arranged in nine major geographic regions (such as Mediterranean, South Africa, Australasia, the Americas, and California); and in special collections (such as Chinese Medicinal Herb, old roses, cycads and palms, crops of the world, tropical, and carnivorous plants).




Printable version: http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/GardenMapPoster.pdf

My first visit was on a class tour that was led by Dr. Lawrence Lee, one of my professors at Merritt College. Lee had worked at the UC Botanical Garden early in his career, so knew many interesting facts about the plants and history of the garden. The setting is spectacular—high in the Berkeley Hills overlooking the San Francisco Bay. I have visited the garden multiple times, in different seasons, and there is always something new and interesting to see.
 

Entrance to UC Botanical Garden, at Berkeley

Palm Collection

I always seem to gravitate to the trees and palms; to the desert plants in Arid House; and to the carnivorous plant collection. The California native plant collection is extensive, and a valuable asset as we all try to learn more about drought tolerant, and low water usage plants for our gardens.

Arid House

One of the many interesting specialty collections

The education program hosts lectures, such as iPhone plant photography, botanical painting, dyeing with plant materials, and native plants. Check their calendar regularly for interesting offerings.

Carnivorous plants	Needle grass
Yucca rostrata	Blueberries from New Zealand

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Docent-led tours are available, or you can explore the garden on your own. The gift store has a great collection of books and garden-related items (gift worthy, if you want to do a little holiday shopping while enjoying a beautiful garden). Their nursery offers many California native plants, and their fall and spring plant sales are legendary.

 

Address: 200 Centennial Drive; Berkeley, CA 94720-5045 Web Site: http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu Directions: http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/directions/ For other botanical collections in the San Francisco Bay Area see: http://www.edenbythebay.blogspot.com/2015/02/botanical-collections-of-bay-area.html

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Mom's Garden

My folks have lived in Southeast Alaska for over fifty years. Southeast Alaska is an arboreal rainforest that receives an average of 58 inches of rain a year, making it green and lush. Most of Alaska is a wild garden, but Southeast Alaska seems especially beautiful. The Sunset climate zone is A3 (mild, maritime climate, with influence from the interior of Alaska and Canada), and the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone is 5b-7a. The growing season is short but intense, with 12 to 18 hours of daylight during the summer.

Mom and Dad have tamed the wilderness surrounding their home, clearing the dense underbrush to create a small lawn and several raised flower beds. They frequently grow containers of beautiful flowers, many started from seed by my sister-in-law early in February. In the back yard they grow rhubarb, and harvest wild blueberries that are wonderfully flavorful from the moist, tannic soil. Gardening in Southeastern Alaska has many challenges, including the short season, drainage issues, blue clay, mold, not enough sun, and too much rain. But the rewards are well worth the effort.

Mom's garden in Southeast Alaska

Mom is a lot like her garden – gracious, beautiful, welcoming, hardy, and tenacious. She is at home in the wilds of nature (whether cold, damp forest, or hot, dry desert), and in concert halls, opera houses, and theaters (a consummate Lipstick Adventurer)! Mom is a continual source of inspiration and encouragement, and an oasis is the wilderness of life.