March 11, 2012 San Francisco Botanical Garden Tour

We met at the rock garden at the entrance to San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing, and there Dick Turner began, taking us on a trip not only through the mediterranean climate zones of the garden, but on a journey through the history of the garden. He shared anecdotes about the monastery stones found throughout the garden, stories about the trees originally planted there that have survived umpteen redesigns, tales of plantsmen from Victor Reiter and Arthur Menzies to Ron Lutsko and Bernard Trainor.

While in the South African zone, we commemorated Dick’s retirement from Pacific Horticulture with a plaque and a year’s membership in the MGS. Thank you, Dick!

Before we left the arboretum, he prepared us for seeing the vertical garden designed by Patrick Blanc for the Drew School north of Golden Gate Park. Because parking was difficult in the area, we arrived at the school a few at a time. The wall is planted entirely in California native plants, from tiny ferns to Ceanothus. It is astonishing, and a bold experiment I look forward to following for years to come.

More photos are posted on the MGS-NorCal Facebook page!

- Cheryl Renshaw