Ethan Fenner, Horticulturist | Southern Africa Plants have evolved a variety of ways to protect themselves under less-than-ideal conditions. In the Western Cape Province of South Africa, where rainfall is limited to wintertime, species must find ways of making it through long periods of drought. It is advantageous for plants to develop some kind of…
Jan O. Washburn, Entomologist & Garden Volunteer Sarab Seth, Photographer & Garden Volunteer Dragonflies and damselflies are conspicuous insects that can be seen in the Garden throughout much of the year. These insects (Order Odonata) have been living on earth virtually unchanged for over 300,000,000 years and were one of the first insects to take…
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Ethan Fenner, Horticulturist A visit to the Southern African collection is rewarding any day of the year. Walking south along the main road, just past the Arid House, you’ll find the sloped beds representing an ecoregion known, generally, as “Karoo.” Derived from a KhoeKhoegowab word meaning “Land of thirst” (1), the Karoo beds are home to…
Anthony Garza, Supervisor of Horticulture & Grounds Roses are red violets are blue these here roses are missing you Over and gone the season will arc so grow Rosa roxburghii it really has bark Only one bloom but fabulous hips your simple beauty let’s come to grips Despite my heavy (read: absurdly biased) preference for…
With the onset of warm weather, the collection care team has been busier than ever! We are still working in a reduced staffing mode so the Garden is a little less groomed than usual but, overall, it is as healthy and beautiful as ever. This is a testament to our horticultural and curatorial staff, both…
As rain began to wash across the Garden this morning, the smell of freshly wetted pavement snapped me back in time…back to being a kid, enjoying the simple pleasure of playing in the rain. This nostalgic moment set me to pondering how central scent is to the experience here – or at any garden for…
Greetings to our distant, yet dedicated, Garden community! I have the privilege of coming into work during this strange and liminal time to assure the collections are cared for, yet it saddens me to know that you are missing these ephemeral moments of beauty. I hope that these photos will bring back some fond memories…
Dear Garden Community: Many of you have reached out to express concern about the care of our collections during shelter-in-place. We appreciate your messages and are deeply touched that you have kept the Garden in heart and mind during this extremely challenging time. Please rest assured that the Garden is being well looked after. A…
Dr. Lew Feldman, Garden Director The genius of Charles Darwin was his ability to predict systems of interactions that take place in the natural world without seeing them for himself. One such case is the orchid plant Angraecum sesquipedale, commonly known as Darwin’s Orchid. Darwin observed this orchid on an expedition to its native habitat…