Volume 26, Number 1 Published by the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN at Berkeley Winter 2001

Last winter, during California’s rainy season, I began read-ing about natural forest openings, including scientific

articles on grassy balds, limestone barrens, and cedar glades.When I heard about the World Botanic Gardens Congress inAsheville, North Carolina in June, I knew I could plan acomplementary itinerary that would take me through manyof the cedar glades that survive through the efforts of TheNature Conservancy, the state of Tennessee, and privatelandowners. Like California’s serpentine barrens, cedar gladesare a unique habitat existing only in isolated spots where thesoil conditions are perfect.

I flew into Georgia, and after escaping Atlanta’s sprawl,more than just the humidity reminded me I was east of theMississippi. The lush hardwoods lining the highway were,when not masked by kudzu, the familiar sassafras, sourwood,maples, oaks, locusts and hickories from my Pennsylvania days.The following morning in Nashville, I met with Bill Ades,Director of Science and Stewardship for The NatureConservancy of Tennessee. Although new to his position there,he had worked with The Nature Conservancy for many years,and was generous with his knowledge. With his directions, Iwas off to two cedar glades 30 miles southeast of Nashville.

Mount View Road Cedar Glade Preserve is 9 acres in anincreasingly urbanized area. The entrance is fenced off, and acement pillar four feet high is the only marker visible fromthe road, giving no indication of the treasures within. Once Ihad climbed over the six-foot chain-link fence, I wanderedthrough a woodland of American and Blue Ash (Fraxinus

BBU N I V E R S I T Y o f C A L I F O R N I A

N E W S L E T T E R

OTANICALOTANICALGGARDENARDEN

Echinacea tennesseensis with its vivid magenta flower was oncebelieved extinct; now it is now protected in five Tennessee populations.

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Exploring Tennessee’s Limestone Barrens and Cedar Glades

americana and Fraxinus quadrangulata), Hackberry (Celtislaevigata var. laevigata), Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muehlen-bergii) and Hickory (Carya spp.), and came across periodicopenings where Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)and Redbud (Cercis canadensis) were scattered among

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CHANGE IN GARDEN HOURSBeginning February 1, 2001

Regular Garden hours will be 9:00 am –5:00 pm.To conduct maintenance projects, the Garden will be closed

the first Tuesday of each month.

2 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

(continued from page 1)exposed limestone and dolomite rocks and varied herbaceousmaterial. It took me a few minutes to realize the poison oakreminiscences I was having were not caused by its easterncousin, but by another Anacardiaceae member, FragrantSumac (Rhus aromatica), the female plants of which werecovered in brilliant red fruit.

Absorbed in trying to identify every single plant, it tookone magenta flower to jolt me out of my reverie and makeme look up and around. I had spotted Echinacea tennesseen-sis! The Tennessee Coneflower was believed extinct until itsaccidental rediscovery at Mount View Cedar Glade in 1968.With five remaining populations, it remains on the federalendangered species list. Having read of the plant, I waspleasantly surprised to find it in full bloom over much of thelargest glade opening on the Mount View property.

Also in bloom were two or more species of Hypericum,Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina), and Smooth Savory (Saturejaglabella). I spotted False Aloe (Manfreda virginica) in bud,Cancer-weed (Salvia lyrata), Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa),Astragalus tennesseensis, and Nodding Onion (Allium cernuumvar. cernuum) in seed.

The characteristics of a cedar glade had become clear.Mount View Road in particular reveals a remarkably self-sus-taining character. The limestone soil composition and shal-low substrate easily maintain the Eastern Red Cedar and thedrought-stressed Redbud and Persimmon (Diospyros virgini-

ana) at low enough concentrations to allow the varied andsometimes endemic herbaceous material to thrive.

My next stop was Flat Rock—at 175 acres, Tennessee’slargest cedar glade preserve. Though the surrounding area isless heavily populated than Mount View Road, developmentencroaches. Recreational use poses a problem, particularlyhorseback riding, which can introduce exotic plant vectors.Whereas Mount View Road is open to the public by permis-sion only, Flat Rock is open year round, and has a 10-carparking lot. I followed a marked loop trail through the firstfew glade openings, but a sudden and fierce thunderstormcut my visit short. Before the rain drove me away, I noticedthe habitat and flora were very similar to Mount View Road,with the noted absence of Echinacea tennesseensis, and theintroduction of Colic Root (Liatris squarrosa) and IndianHemp (Apocynum cannabinum), which you can also see inthe Garden’s Bed 304.

Though I also had directions to the Sunnybell CedarGlade Preserve, they had come with the warning that Iwould not only have to climb another 6-foot fence, but alsowalk through a culvert under a major interstate. As the thun-derstorm showed no sign of letting up, I decided to save thatadventure for another trip to Tennessee’s cedar glades, whereplant treasures thrive through the dedicated efforts of TheNature Conservancy and countless supporters.

—Daria Curtis

Top: Ruellia humilis is one of many ground-hugging perennials that grow inthe nutrient-poor soil of Tennessee's limestone barrens. Right: Indian hemp,Apocynium cannabianium, which is preserved in Tennessee's largest cedarglade preserve, can be found in the Garden's bed 304.

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Winter 2001 3

DIRECTOR’S COLUMNA marker at the entrance to the Bronx Zoo commemo-

rates a well-known episode in the history of plant disease:"Near this site in 1904 the chestnut blight fungus(Cryphonectria parasitica) was introduced acci-dentally into North America from Asia."Though the exact date and location ofC. parasitica’s introduction hasnever actually been deter-mined, the history of itsonslaught is well known. Atthe close of the 19th centu-ry, nurseries throughout theU.S. shipped thousands ofscions and seedlings ofJapanese chestnut trees. Becausethis nursery stock was able to har-bor C. parasitica withoutexpressing symptoms, it isthe likely source of theinfection that, within 50 years, left3.6 million hectares of Americanchestnut trees dead or dying. While this chestnut blight storyis familiar, the story of an earlier chestnut blight is not. TheAmerican chestnuts that C. parasitica attacked were restrictedto upland areas because, since 1824, American chestnuts inmoist lowlands had been decimated by the root pathogenPhytophthora cinnamomi.

Today, Californians are becoming better acquainted than

we would like with the tongue-twisting name of the fungalgenus Phytophthora, pronounced Phy-TOFF-thor-uh. Since1995, a mysterious epidemic has been felling native coast

live oaks (Quercus agrifolia), tanoaks(Lithocarpus densiflorus), and

California black oaks (Quercus kel-loggii) in coastal areas of centralCalifornia. The first reports

came from homeowners inMill Valley, Marin County,who observed tanoaks dyingnear their properties along the

urban forest edge. CalledSudden Oak Death (SOD),

this syndrome had, by 1999, pro-gressed to coast live oaks and black

oaks. In July 2000, David Rizzo, aplant pathologist from UC Davisand member of the University of

California Oak Research Team(UCORT), fingered an undescribed species in the

genus Phytophthora as the cause of SOD (See ResearchTimeline). Its closest described relative is Phytophthora later-alis, a virulent pathogen of Port Orford cedar, a beautifultree in the Pacific Northwest. Like Phytophthora cinnamomion American chestnut, Phytophthora lateralis is most damag-ing in moist soils.

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PHYTOPHTHORA AND THE RISE OF MODERN PLANT PATHOLOGY

1840s 1870sThe world's most infamous plantpathogen may be Phytophthora infestans. Belonging to a genus offungi responsible for various blights,P. infestans triggered the Irish potatofamine. P. infestans remains one ofthe most devastating crop diseases.Out of efforts to explain the Irishpotato famine, however, the modern science of plant pathologydeveloped…

Robert Koch’s experiments estab-lished protocols for determiningwhether a particular organism is theagent of a specific disease: Theorganism must be:

1) found in all the diseased indi-viduals examined; then

2) isolated from the host, grownin pure culture, and described.

3) Taken from pure culture, theorganism must produce the samedisease when inoculated on healthyhosts.

Finally, the agent must again beisolated from the inoculated hosts,and its form in pure culture mustbe comparable to that observed instep 2.

Research Timeline

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley4

(continued from page 3)Knowing the Port Orford cedar connection still failed to

explain the origin of SOD, however. The molecular andmorphological similarities between P. lateralis and the undescribed agent of SOD are not sufficient to identifythem as the same species. Perhaps, researchers thought, thefungus had evolved, so it became capable of attacking oaks. A recent rhododendron connection has suggested a far moreplausible theory. In January 2001, Matteo Garbelotto, a UCBerkeley plant pathologist, and other UCORT researchersreported, in collaboration with European biologists, that thegenes of the Phytophthora causing sudden oak death inCalifornia have the same ITS sequence (See ResearchTimeline) as a Phytophthora found on rhododendrons inEuropean nurseries. This species, which has yet to bedescribed, was first isolated from European rhododendronnursery stock in 1993, prior to the first reports of SOD inCalifornia.

With this information in hand, California researcherssought evidence of infection in California rhododendronstocks. Steve Tjosvold, a Santa Cruz County farm advisor,soon found the fungus in a rhododendron taken from aSanta Cruz County nursery. Garbelotto confirmed withDNA analysis that it was the same fungus killing the oaks.If these fungi are the same species, as the ITS sequences

seem to suggest, the rhododendron link could provide animportant clue as to its origin: Because rhododendrons aremore often moved around than oaks, it could also suggest animportant route by which the pathogen may be spread.

A common thread emerging from these examples is thatwhen humans move live plants around, plant diseases spread.In the past, the rate at which pathogenic organisms couldmove was limited by their own biology.

Just as modern air travel has hastened the rate at whichhuman diseases such as influenza or HIV can move amongcontinents, so air and ground transport of live plants hastensthe spread of plant diseases.

Many diseases and pests imported from abroad have dra-matically changed forests in North America. The diseasesinclude Dutch elm blight (Ophiostoma ulmi and O. nova-ulmi), white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), butternutcanker (Sirococcus clavigigenti-juglandacearum), and dogwoodanthracnose (Discula destructiva). The pests include beechbark disease (caused by a combination of beech bark scaleinsect, introduced from Europe, and Nectria fungus), balsamwoolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) and gypsy moth (Lymantriadispar), which affects many different species of trees. Strictsafeguards are needed to reduce the chances of moving such

July 2000David Rizzo and others on the UC Oak Research Team (UCORT)followed Koch’s steps, inoculatingboth seedlings and adult trees with the fungus associated withSOD. Morphological descriptionled researchers to the genusPhytophthora as the causal agent ofSOD, and Rizzo identified the clos-est described relative as Phytophthora

lateralis, a virulent pathogen of Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawso-niana). But in this notorious genus,what exactly was the SOD species?

AS OF NOVEMBER 2000…

…SOD was confirmed in Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma Counties.

…NO confirmed cases have been made in Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo

and Santa Barbara Counties.

Phytophthora enzymes destroy an oak’s dead outer and living inner bark.An ooze of wine red sap from a canker(shown here) appears as the first symp-tom of SOD infection. Leaves turnquickly from green to brown, making"sudden oak death" an apt name.

Confirmed Contagion

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PHYTOPHTHORA IDENTIFIED

Winter 2001 5

diseases and pests from one location to another (SeePrevention Box).

What will be the fate of our oaks? No one really knows.We can take steps to limit the spread of the disease, and wecan look to the example of work done to revive theAmerican chestnut populations. Since these contained noresistant trees, all chestnuts in affected areas died to theground. Remarkably, however, their roots survived and eventoday, root sprouts of the mighty chestnuts persist through-out the eastern deciduous forest. Occasionally a sprout sur-vives long enough to set fruit, providing material for ongoingefforts to breed blight-resistance genes from Chinese chest-nut into the American chestnut.

Another exciting development was the discovery in aEuropean chestnut of a virus that infects the chestnut blightfungus, reducing its virulence. Introduced into NorthAmerica, this hypovirulence infection did not spread easilyin our more genetically diverse populations of chestnut fun-gus. Subsequently, the two viral genes responsible for diseaseremission were engineered into the fungus. Tests inConnecticut and Michigan show this strain spreading. Evenif hypovirulence and tree breeding are spectacularly success-ful, though, it is unlikely that chestnuts will ever recovertheir former ecological dominance. They would face achanged climate, the depredations of root rot byPhytophthora cinnamomi, and attack by oriental chestnut gallwasps (Dryocosmus kuriphilus), which arrived in 1974 on ille-gally imported Asian chestnuts seedlings.

Let us hope that our beloved California oaks are luckier. —Ellen Simms

January 2001To determine the species, UCORTresearchers used the genetic codesequence along a piece of a speci-men’s DNA. In this case, theylooked to a region called the inter-genic transcribed spacer (ITS) thatevolves fast enough that it often dif-fers among species, but not amongindividuals within a species. TheSOD organism’s DNA sequencecorroborated the morphological

observations, placing the funguswithin Phytophthora. Comparing itssequence to similar information cat-alogued about known species ofPhytophthora, however, UCORTresearchers came up short. Theyappeared to have a new species!

UC Berkeley plant pathologistMatteo Garbelotto and otherUCORT researchers, along withEuropean biologists, reported thatthe Phytophthora causing SOD inCalifornia has the same ITSsequence as a Phytophthora foundon rhododendrons in Europeannurseries!

PREVENTING SOD’S SPREAD

The lemon-shaped Phytophthora lateralis has beencalled “highly fecund.” Under optimum conditions,this fungus can produce thousands of offspring(zoospores) in 24 hours. Phytophthora is transported bysoil—and so by shoes, tires, dog paws, and horsehooves. Since the zoospores have two tails or flagella,they can also swim. The greater the number of ways adisease spreads, the more rapid and farther afieldpotential contagion. To prevent the spread of SOD,you can take these steps:

■ Do not transport out of infested areas soil,rhododendrons or other plants, or wood products such as mulch, bark or firewood.

■ Before leaving an infested site, wash soil or mud from shoes, tires, and animal feet.

■ Inspect your rhododendrons for cankers (sores)that spread from twig tips to the base of stems.

■ If you think your oak or rhododendron is infected,contact your county agricultural commissioner.

Contact phone numbers and other information arelisted at http://www.suddenoakdeath.org. The othermajor web site on SOD is cemarin.ucdavis.edu

What to Do

FROM MORPHOLOGY TO DNA

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley6

The Horticulture Staff…

Since late last year, Garden members have noticed two new faces…

NATHAN SMITHHorticulturist of the Native California Section

Nathan was exposed to horticulture at a young age whenhis father used to send him out to weed the lawn for misbe-having. This punishment gardening must, ironically, havesparked something because through the years, horticulturebecame a pastime and later a profession for Nathan. Hisappreciation of California native plants developed while he was studying at UC Santa Barbara, where he hiked with a friend who taught him how to identify the dominant chaparral species.

Yet Nathan’s academic interests reveal a breadth that didnot initially include horticulture. After graduating with adouble major in Environmental Studies and Latin AmericanStudies, he performed small mammal and vegetation surveysfor an oak woodland study undertaken at Camp Roberts,California. Shortly afterward, he moved to Costa Rica, wherehe served as an intern for Conservation International in thebuffer zone of the Amistad Bi-National Preserve, whichspans the border of Costa Rica and Panama. Working inlocal schools to establish school gardens and utilize the gar-dens as instructional tools, he became increasingly interestedin horticulture and outdoor work. The experience of work-ing in a developing country that faces habitat destructionand loss of bio-diversity inspired him to look more closely atthe plight of plants and ecosystems at home in California.

After returning to the United States in 1996, Nathan’sinterest in horticulture deepened through work at two nurs-eries. When offered a job at the Santa Barbara BotanicGarden (SBBG)—"a great California native garden"—hereturned to Santa Barbara. Working as a horticulturistthroughout the Garden, he also helped administer the plantintroduction program and managed the SBBG equivalent ofour volunteer propagator program. "My teachers and co-workers generously shared their knowledge, for which I’m

Gardening Tips

■ REPELLING…In Texas, researchers took a gene fromsnowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, and introduced it into sugarcane plants to induce resistance to the Mexican rice borerand the sugar cane borer. The transgenic plants had far lessdamage than non-transgenic plants. Sugar Journal 63 (1):21……According to Garden Answers, December 2000: 74-75.Plants that are less attractive to rabbits include: box, spireas,Viburnum tinus, Ilex aquifolium, paeonies, Skimmia japonica,Sedum spectabile, Stachys lanata, hemerocalis, tulips, dahlias,delphinium and verbena…

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Nathan Smith

…A gardener in Maine reported that grated orange peelssprinkled in the garden repelled cats. Organic Gardening 48(1): 70…

■ AND ATTRACTING…During warm months, femaleaphids reproduce asexually, bearing only other females. Laterin the year, they produce males and, following mating, layeggs which are the overwintering structures. In England, ithas been discovered that oil from Nepeta species attracts maleaphids, offering capability for controlling the aphid popula-tion’s breeding potential. The Garden 126 (1): 7.

—Dr. Robert D. Raabe

Winter 2001 7

…Growing!

grateful." SBBG also carries the memory of his wedding—appropriate for a lover of native California plants—in theshade of an old live oak tree.

When a fellow staff member at SBBG told Nathan aboutthe position here at the UC Botanical Garden, he found,"Everyone had nice things to say about the staff, the Gardenand Berkeley in general. The transition has been surprisinglyeasy. I enjoy the area, and the people I work with. I’m espe-cially excited about the opportunity to work with and learnfrom Roger Raiche."

When not gardening, Nathan may be found buildingnaturalistically styled mobiles of redwood, steel, brass, andcopper. Based on his father’s designs, Nathan’s mobiles por-tray the motions of leaves, flowers, birds, and butterflies. Hehas sold his work at local crafts shows and wholesale to gal-leries and shops in California and Maine.

Nathan’s wealth of experience in horticulture and in thecomplex milieu of another botanical garden has surely pre-pared him to assume the major care of the California area.

Welcome, Nathan!

ANTHONY GARZASupervisor of Horticulture and GroundsHorticulturist of the New World Desert Section

Anthony Garza grew up in Southern California andmoved to the Bay Area three years ago. Anthony was imme-diately taken with the UC Botanical Garden. After his firstvisit, he often thought "How wonderful it would be tosomeday work here…"

It took Anthony three years. He comes to the Gardenfrom Magic Gardens Nursery in Berkeley, where he hadworked and been a manager since early 1998.

Anthony comes from a family of horticulturists, garden-ers and educators. His interest in plants began during middleschool when he visited his father (a landscape & horticultureteacher and administrator) on weekends. He ended up doinga lot of "yard work" and messing around in the backyardgreenhouse. He also spent weekend days with his grand-mother doing lots of vegetable gardening on her half-acresuburban farm.

At California State Polytechnic University, Pomona,Anthony studied horticulture, sustainable agriculture, andapplied environmental science. While at Cal Poly, he livedfor 2 years at the Center for Regenerative Studies. The CRSwas a live-work-study university institution focused on envi-

ronmental issues and systems including organic and sustain-able agriculture, horticulture, landscaping, energy produc-tion, water use, passive-solar building design, aquaculture,land use issues, and social systems theories.

He also spent a summer during this time farming oncampus with a very progressive agriculturist who had livedand studied under the Amish. Additionally during his stintat Cal Poly, Anthony worked with John Greenlee, the WestCoast ornamental grass expert and nurseryman. Thisanchored his enthusiasm for grasses, and his fascination withmonocots of all sorts continues to grow.

On the botanical front, he is primarily interested in plantsfrom the world’s mediterranean climates, includingCalifornia’s, and how they enrich the garden environment andsense-of-place in relation to our own bio-region. On a moreornamental note, he is intrigued by plants that provide inter-esting form, foliage, and texture for year-round interest andthinks all inflorescence types are subordinate to the umbel.

Anthony says, "I’m honored to be a part of the UCBGteam, among interesting, knowledgeable, and friendly staffand faculty. I hope my contributions to the Garden and thehorticulture staff will be helpful and timely."

At a time when endangered ecosystems present horticul-ture with new challenges, Anthony’s special breadth of expe-rience will indeed be appreciated.

Welcome, Anthony!

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Anthony Garza

8 University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

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GARDEN NOTESA CONFERENCE ATTENDED… Horticulturist Judith

Finn attended a conference at UC Davis on "The Future ofPesticide, Regulations and Restrictions" sponsored by UCDavis. Topics included genetically modified organisms(GMOs), and the ultimate demise of many chemicals that arestill in use by the agriculture industry. Though the Gardenhas not used these chemicals for 15 to 20 years, if at all, itwas instructive to learn about pesticide development over the centuries.

SLIDE LECTURES GIVEN… Horticulturist RogerRaiche gave the following talks: "Dynamic Plantings withPerennials (and other Plants)" to the Northwest HorticulturalSociety in Seattle; and "The Cedars, Sonoma County'sSpectacular Serpentine Canyonlands" for the Milo BakerChapter, California Native Plant Society and for theDecember annual banquet of the California Native PlantSociety, held in Berkeley.

FALLING…A redwood tree in the Mather Grove suc-cumbed to high winds in early January, damaging the railingof the Townsend Amphitheater. Another tree, badly leaning,was removed by the campus treecrew…

AND RISING… The newDesert House constructionis underway, with comple-tion scheduled for thespring. The concrete floor-ing was poured in mid-January. Completion of theCenter for the Study of PlantConservation is scheduled forlate February.

GARDEN HOSTING…The EastBay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society continuesto meet in the Garden’s Mirov Room on the fourthWednesday of each month. Meetings are open to non-mem-bers. For program information, see the organization’s web site,www.ebcnps.org.

STAFF DEPARTURES…The following staff have left theGarden: Horticulturist Daria Curtis and AdministrativeAssistants Angela Esparza and Marilyn Setterfield. We thankthem all for their hard work at the Garden and wish them well.

—Holly Forbes

Mediterranean ClimateGardening

VolunteerWreathmakingVolunteer Tanya

Muschietti tackles a

"Roger’s Red" grape vine,

which she coiled into an

elegant Holiday wreath.

The Garden’s programs for 2001will feature the plants and gardeningtechniques most appropriate for theBay Area’s "mediterranean" type cli-mate. With our warm, dry summersand cool, rainy winters, we havelearned the importance of water-wise

or drought-tolerant gardening. As our population increases,using water more sparingly becomes imperative. This year,you can learn from experts, not merely how to make respon-sible use of our resources, but also how to fine-tune your aes-thetic sense for "mediterranean" gardening!

The Garden inaugurated this theme through the UnseltProgram Endowment, which sponsors an annual lecture on abotanical or horticultural topic. Asthe first Unselt lecturer, we invitedPeter Dallman, author of Plant Lifein the World’s Mediterranean Regions,to lecture on his extensive travelsthroughout the world’s mediter-ranean regions where he researchedtheir extraordinary floristic diversity. Our Winter & Springprogram schedule will follow up with these experts:

■ Annie Hayes on adding the charm of annuals to drygardens

■ Mary and Gary Irish on achieving drama with agavesand yuccas

■ Stew Winchester on selecting trees for drought-resis-tant gardening

■ John Greenlee on new, water-wise grasses ■ Graham Duncan on the riches of South African bulbsGarden docents will also lead two special tours, Plants of

the Bible and Mediterranean Herbs.Our Spring Plant Sale will also offer its usual splendid

cast of all kinds of plants, but drought-tolerant plants—many available only here—will star!

—Nancy Swearengen

Winter 2001 9

NEW BOOKS AND UC BERKELEY TREASURES

The Garden Shop also carries the following books related to the above review:

b Beatrix: The Gardening Life of Beatrix Jones

Farrand, 1872-1959 by Jane Brown

b Beatrix Farrand’s American Landscape: Her Gardens

and Campuses by Diana Balmori, Diane K.

McGuire and Eleanor M. McPeck

b The Bulletins of Reef Point Gardens by Beatrix

Farrand, Introduction by Paula Deitz

b Gertrude Jekyll by Sally Festing

b Gertrude Jekyll at Munstead Wood: Writing,

Horticulture, Photography, Homebuilding

by Judith B. Tankard and Martin A. Wood

b The English Garden: Through the 20th Century

by Jane Brown

b Gertrude Jekyll’s Lost Garden: The Restoration of an

Edwardian Masterpiece by Rosamund Wallinger

The Gardens of Gertrude Jekyll byRichard Bisgrove. University ofCalifornia Press, Berkeley, CA, 2000.Color and b/w photos, color draw-ings, 192 pages, paper, $29.95.

They say musicians can “hear” themusic they read without having toplay it. For those who know plants,reading The Gardens of Gertrude Jekyllwill enable them to “see” the gardensshe designed from the late 1800s untilher death in 1932. Interest in theJekyll gardens is not new. Her workhas had an enormous influence ongarden design throughout the pastcentury. Her contemporaries knew herfrom the books she wrote and fromover a thousand of her published gar-den articles. In addition to this largebody of work, she designed over 250 gardens and left more than two thou-sand working drawings about them.Richard Bisgrove, director of theLandscape Management course atReading University, England, hasselected a representative sample ofthese Jekyll planting plans as the basisfor his research and text. With theassistance of a watercolorist and a pho-tographer (and with current plantnames), he has been able to reconstruct

J

Jekyll’s gardens so that we can picturetheir individuality and character.

The documents for this researchare part of the Reef Point Collectionheld, amazingly, in the rare bookroom of the School of EnvironmentalDesign library at the University ofCalifornia in Berkeley. They havebeen a source of reverence and delightto the countless UC students whohave discovered them, or have beenassigned to take care of them. Thestory of this acquisition is remarkablein itself. The collection was purchasedand saved nearly intact by BeatrixJones Farrand, herself an Americanlandscape architect and one of thefounding members of the American

Association of Landscape Architects,at the beginning of World War II.

Farrand intended to use the collec-tion in the library she was amassingfor her Reef Point school of landscapedesign. That English gardeners andthe Royal Horticultural Societyallowed this sale at all was due,according to Penelope Hobhouse, tothe common belief that England wasabout to lose the war. To help the wareffort, everyone was even “meltingdown their silver.” Later, Farrand real-ized she would be financially unableto establish her school. After discreetinquiries, she decided to bequeath herReef Point collections of books, papersand herbarium specimens (these are atthe UC Herbarium) to UC Berkeley.

For more than thirty years, studiesabout Gertrude Jekyll and her gardenshave appeared. Reissues of her booksand photograph albums have beenpublished, many with scholarly com-ments and color photographs. Forthose of us who would like to “visit”her gardens and experience the excite-ment of handling her garden plans,The Gardens of Gertrude Jekyll is nearlythe same as the real thing.

—Elly Bade

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley10

Recognition Contributions received from 10/20/2000 up to and including 1/31/2001.

New MembersThe Garden wishes to thank our new Individual and Family members:Gretchen Atwood and Javon KanegsonPatricia AyotteMonica BaldzikowskiWendy and Robert BergmanAndrea BirenMargaret BluntAlisa BorroneBarbara BosterSheryl BrunellElizabeth CarolanRandy and Michelle DavisLois De DomenicoWillow DeanWiliam and Anne DelpSharon DivittAnna EastwoodMichael EisenGloria GalindoDorothy HamiltonLaura KainikGretchen KellLucy Canter KihlstromSydney KustuMarie LagardeJenella LoyeCaren MaghreblianShirley McDonaldKim Mondell and Tim BeerlingFlorence Morrison ClarkE. O. C. OrdPhyllis PeacockBob and Tina PrestaJean SmithAngele SweetHerta WeinsteinKuniko Weltin-WuVirginia Yang and Walter FrenchThe Garden thanks these new members for their substantial gifts over and above membership:Robert HicksWilliam RobinsonC. von der Hude

DonationsThe Garden offers warm appreciation and thanks tothese donors for their support of the Garden:Willy and Charles AdamBayard Allmond Jr.Alan and Helen ApplefordRobert ApteBill and Elly BadeRichard and Barbara BarlowDoris BeattyMargaret BenedictPeter and Carol BerkenkotterParke Boneysteele

Patricia CoffeyIrene DelaporteFrank and Janice DelfinoEarl DolvenPhillip DouglassRichard DuranJulie Faisst and Mark SchwartzGabor & Anna FencsikAnne GoetschMerilyn GoldhaberDavid GrayMarion GreeneElmer and Pamela GrossmanJack and Betty GuggolzBeth HeckmanDiane HenryElla HirstElizabeth HookLee and Chris House

Vintage BMW HouseJustine HumeGrant and Suanne InmanPeyton Jacob IIIDwight Jaffee and Lynne HeinrichLyle JensenVirginia JohnstonLeo and Elizabeth KanowitzLizabeth KaskaRuth KasleJanice KiddToni KlassenChristopher KnudsenRoyal KopperudRon and Mary LaiDawn and Patrick LoretzMeredeth MarschakStuart and Melva McDonaldBill McJohnJohn and Barbara NagleBeatrice O'KeefeDonna and Darwin PoulosRaymond and Joyce RaicheCarla ReiterDonald RileyDrew RobartsSusan RogersPatricia RougeauJessie SchillingDeborah SharpeJacqui Smalley and John AustinPeggy SmuklerJean SteidelTed TawshunskyJames and Irma UrenM. VacheronElizabeth WatermanJennifer and Marshall White

Shasta Wildlife Conservation FoundationNorma and Witold WillerChuck and Barbara Woodward

In Support of the RobertOrnduff Fund The Garden offers warm appreciation and thanks tothese donors for their support of the Fund in memory of Dr. Ornduff:Richard and Linda BeidlemanBeth BurnsideLouis CaizzaRobert ConnickRobert and Renate CoombsMary Lynn CoxMichael CraibStephen Dell and Julia WalshJaneanne DoarGladys EatonPhyllis FaberAntoinette and Richard FauverLewis FeldmanIris and Norris GaddisJohn GameNorman and Mary GrahamPat and Duncan Haynes

Haynes Vineyard/Whitford CellarsRichard HeckmanBarbara and John HopperM. Anne JenningsJames JonesJoy KesterLaVerne and Douglas LeachDavid and Evelyne LennetteRobert and Caroline LichtensteinMila MangoldRebeca MarthinsenEmily McKibbenMargaret and James MitchellGeorge NuttingBarbara Peterson and Tom BeachMarian and Roger ReeveJohn ReynoldsJohn and Mary RicksenRobert and Kathryn Riddell Jr.Ann SaxbyRuth SchorerTomiye SumnerRoy and Janet TaylorLaurie Walters and Bill LittmanCecile and Harold WeaverKathy and David WelchJane and Nelson WellerCherie WetzelJanet Williams and Mark WilsonDesiderio and Karen Zamudio

African HillThe Garden especially thanks

Mr. Robert Ferber for his generous contribution enabling the South

African Desert Habitat restoration.

11Winter 2001

GARDEN STAFF

Dr. Ellen Simms, Garden Director

ADMINISTRATIONAfrooz Navid, Administrative Assistant

Margaret Richardson, Tour & Rentals CoordinatorMichael Rimar, Administrative Assistant

Candice Schott, Business Operations SupervisorNancy Swearengen, Volunteer Services CoordinatorJanet Williams, Marketing & Development Officer

COLLECTIONS & HORTICULTUREDr. Christopher Carmichael,

Manager of Collections and HorticultureHolly Forbes, Curator

Barbara Keller, Curatorial AssistantAnthony Garza,

Supervisor of Horticulture and GroundsJohn Domzalski, PropagatorJudith Finn, Horticulturist

Peter Klement, HorticulturistLawrence Lee, HorticulturistJerry Parsons, Horticulturist

Dr. Robert Raabe, Garden PathologistRoger Raiche, HorticulturistEric Schulz, Horticulturist

Elaine Sedlack, HorticulturistNathan Smith, Horticulturist

Gerald Ford, Building and Grounds Maintenance

EDUCATIONDr. Jennifer White, Associate Director for Education

Christine Manoux, Program Assistant

FACULTY ADVISORY COMMITTEEDr. Nan Crystal Arens, Integrative Biology

Dr. Lewis Feldman, Plant BiologyDr. Joe McBride, Environmental Science,

Policy, & ManagementDr. Brent Mishler, Integrative Biology

Dr. Vincent Resh, Environmental Science, Policy, & Management

Dr. Alan Smith, Herbarium

NEWSLETTERJanet Williams, Editor

Marilyn Setterfield, Associate Editor

Administration 642-0849Development 643-2937

Director’s Office 643-8999Education 495-2805

Entrance Kiosk 643-2755Fax 642-5045

The Garden Shop 642-3343Plant Collections 643-8040

Tours/Rentals 642-3352Volunteers 643-1924

E-mail: garden@uclink4.berkeley.eduWeb Site: http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/garden/

The Newsletter is published by the University ofCalifornia Botanical Garden with support from

memberships. © UC Regents 2001Articles may be reprinted with credit to the

authors and the UC Botanical Garden.

Myrtle Wolf LibraryThe Garden offers appreciation to these donors for theirgenerous contributions to the Myrtle Wolf Library: Joan Rock Mirov BailardJoan De FatoGladys Eaton

(in memory of Dr. Robert Ornduff )Verne and Ruth Hendrix

In MemoryThe Garden offers appreciation and thanks for gifts fromthose donors in memory of:Ross Bean from

Kathleen CliffordDorothy Boratko from

W. J. and Marilyn NicholsShih Ning Chern from

Paul ChernPeter and Susan Henderson

Estella and Vincent Clemens from William & Dorothy Clemens

June Falkner fromJoan Rock Mirov BailardJohn and Mary Ricksen

Florence T. LittleJohn fromGeorge and Frances Flannery

Robert Ornduff fromMyrtle Wolf(for the California section)

James Harrold Van Sicklen fromJeanne AbbottSusy CassidyWinnie CaulkinsMr. & Mrs. John CooperJanice DavisGladys EatonMrs. Harry Gibson Jr.Marilyn HeldebrandtMarie and Walter KrenzJean McAbeeMr. & Mrs. G. MillerJoanna and Travers NewtonWarren RobertsCharles and Lucy RoweMrs. Eugene ShurtleffKirkham and Patricia SmithColleen SparkmanMary Elizabeth StevensElizabeth SwearingenMr.& Mrs.Max Thelen Jr.Marci & Peter Van SicklenMary, Andy & Charlie Van Sicklen

Gifts in KindThe Garden offers appreciation and thanks for gifts in kind:Douglas JamesMichael and Klana LitrakFlaget WallyJanet Williams and Mark Wilson

The Garden Was Pleased to Receive……from the estate of Dr. Robert Ornduff, a large donation of books that

were purchased on the Garden’s behalf by Mrs. Phyllis Faber, Dr. WilliamCulberson, Dr. Peter Raven, and Dr. Douglas James. A special bookplate honoring Dr. Ornduff will commemorate this donation.

…from Mr. George Waters, former editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine, a complete run of the magazine, as well as dozens of books, for the GardenLibrary and Garden Shop.

The new research laboratories of the Center for the Study of PlantConservation at the University of California Botanical Garden are nearing com-pletion. Donation of these items needed for the Center would be very warmlyappreciated. If you can contribute, call Janet Williams at 510 643–2937.

■ Kodak carousel slide projector ■ patio table and chairs

■ 5-drawer filing cabinets (several) ■ 2-drawer filing cabinets (several)

■ FAX machine (one) ■ boom box (stereo) (one or two)

■ tall metal storage cabinets (several) ■ couch (one)

■ under-counter (large dorm-size) refrigerators (several)

■ computer tables ■ countertop clinical centrifuge ■ tall bookshelves

■ bulletin boards (two or three)—Dr. Ellen Simms, Director

WISHLIST

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Plants are for sale at The Garden Shop all year. Call 510-642-3343

Nonprofit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAIDUniversity of California

Forwarding and Address Correction Requested

CULTURE AND CARE OF AGAVES AND YUCCASMary and Gary Irish, authors of Yuccas, Agaves and Related Plants,reveal how to make your dry garden a show-stopper! Thursday, February 22, 7 pm$15, Members $10.Booksigning after the lecture.

SMALL TREES FOR WATERWISE GARDENSWhat trees are most suitable for a dry garden? Stew Winchester willsuggest some particularly interesting ones. Saturday, March 10, 10 am$15. Members $10.

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDENJohn Greenlee, author of The Encyclopedia of Grasses, is at the cuttingedge of the grass business. Let him show you how to add the drama ofornamental grasses to your dry garden. Saturday, March 24, 10 am$15. Members $10.Booksigning after the lecture.

SOUTH AFRICAN BULBSSouth Africa’s bulbs make an excellent choice for dry gardens, asGraham Duncan, bulb specialist at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden,Capetown, will show you. Saturday, May 12, 3 pmFree.Reception after the lecture.

FIBERS & DYES EXHIBITFeel the plant fibers and delight in the plant dyes used to make theworld’s fabrics.Saturday, April 14 – Sunday, April 2910 am – 4 pmFree with Garden admission.

BEGINNING BIRDWATCHINGLearn the basics of finding and identifying birds with our long-timeinstructor, Dennis Wolff.4 Thursdays, beginning May 17, 9:30 am –Noon$65. Members $50.

BIRDING BREAKFASTJoin bird-watchers extraordinaire Dennis Wolff and Chris Carmichael foran early morning stroll in the Garden, followed by a hearty breakfast!Saturday, June 2, 8 am$35. Members $25.

SICK PLANT CLINICUC plant pathologist Dr. Robert Raabe and his team of experts willdiagnose what ails your plants.First Saturday of Each Month, 9:00 am – Noon

University of California Botanical Garden

200 Centennial Drive, #5045

Berkeley, California 94720-5045

M OT H E R ’ S D AY T E A

Celebrate Mom’s special day

with home-made treats, music,

and a stroll in the Garden!

Sunday, May 13

Seatings on the hour,

at 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm

$15. Members $10.

Children under 12, $5.

2nd AnnualGARDEN PARTYCelebrate the completion of the newDesert House and the renovation ofAfrican Hill with luscious food, winesfrom "Mediterranean" vineyards, andlively music in the incomparable settingof the Garden!

Saturday June 16, 3 - 6 pm$25

S P R I N G 2 0 0 1 P L A N T S A L E

A dazzling assortment of all kinds of plants—many available only at the Botanical Garden!

The sale will highlight plants perfect for "mediterranean" gardening in the Bay Area.

PREVIEW & SILENT AUCTION(including botanical treasures donated by

Dr. Ornduff ’s estate)Friday, April 27, 5 –7:30 pm

Members Only

PUBLIC PLANT SALESaturday, April 28

10 am–2 pm

To register for any program or event*, call 510-643-2755. *Reservations are not required for the Sick Plant clinic or the Spring Plant Sale.