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Interested persons can see examples of the Arboretum\u2019s South African collection by visiting the Arboretum’s website<\/a> and searching for \u201cSouth Africa.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n The South African Garden was\nestablished early in the Arboretum\u2019s history, which dates from 1964. Its\ndevelopment continued over several decades, but slowed markedly after the\nretirement of Ron Arruda, then the curator of the South African Collection. Due\nto budgetary limitations, a new curator could not be hired, so other staff\nprovided minimal maintenance and development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The arrival of Martin Quigley,\nthree years ago, and Martin Grantham, last fall, brought a combination of\nvision and expertise to the South African Garden. Quigley brought a strong\nbackground in botany, horticulture, landscape architecture, plant ecology, and\nrelated fields. Grantham, a new addition to the staff, but about nine years ago\nhe produced impressive \u201cobservations and ideas\u201d for the South African\nCollection. Together, they soon generated an imaginative plan for renovation of\nthe South African Garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years, the South\nAfrican Garden had developed a remarkable collection, but the typical visitor\ncould easily feel confused by its arrangement of unfamiliar plants. While there\nmight be a horticultural rationale to the grouping of plants, each plant seemed\nunrelated to its surroundings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One notable exception has been\nthe grouping of several species of Cape Heaths (the large genus Erica),\ncomprising perhaps the largest collection of these plants outside South Africa.\nThe Erica collection provides a valuable opportunity to compare diverse species\nand enjoy their flowering in late winter\/early spring and mid-summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The renovation plan for the\nSouth African Garden envisions several focal displays. Visitors can anticipate\nthese unique presentations: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Silver Tree Grove<\/strong>. These small trees (Leucadendron\nargenteum) are relatively short-lived, but their silvery, silky leaves\nprovide a memorable effect. A gathering of these trees will be quite charming,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pelargonium Field<\/strong>. Gardeners often have been confused by the\nrelationship of geraniums and pelargoniums. There are historical reasons for\nthe confusion, but today\u2019s taxonomists tell us that these are different genera\nwithin the family Geraniaceae. Here\u2019s a short explanation\nfrom geraniumguide.com: \u201cGeraniums are herbaceous perennials of the Northern\nhemisphere that can be also found in Africa and South America. Pelargoniums, on\nthe other hand, are subshrubs from the southern hemisphere and occur naturally\nalmost entirely within South Africa.\u201d The Arboretum\u2019s plan includes the\ncreation of a Pelargonium Field that will both help to identify true\npelargoniums and suggest the great variety of plants that are native to the\nCape Floristic Region. It also will provide a pleasing display of colorful\nblossoms and attractive foliage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Restio Maze.<\/strong> One of the exceptional plants of South Africa are the\nmembers of the genus Restio, which includes more than 160 species. These are\nrush-like plants that likely \u201coriginated more than 65 million years ago during\nthe Late Cretaceous period, when the southern continents were still part of\nGondwana.\u201d This genus includes a great variety of species, as one might expect.\nThe Arboretum\u2019s plan includes the development of a maze comprised of several\ndifferent Restios, designed to showcase the variations within the genus and\noffer visitors an opportunity to commune with these dramatic plants. A maze and\na labyrinth differ in important ways. By some accounts, a maze presents a\nchallenging puzzle, while a labyrinth offers tranquility. We will have to\ndiscover the Arboretum\u2019s Restio Maze when it ready for visitors. Today, it consists\nof plowed circles defining a coming attraction that is fifty-feet in diameter,\nwith ten-foot wide pathways. Fortunately, Restios grow relatively fast, so it\nwon\u2019t be very long before we could explore this maze. It surely will be the\nfirst of its kind!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This plan for renovation of the\nArboretum\u2019s South African Garden is still evolving, so expect to see additional\nfeatures in the coming months. The Arboretum has a long history as a\nhorticultural treasure for the Monterey Bay area and California, and this new\narc of development will increase its value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the South African\nGarden continues to invite a casual stroll on a pleasant day, and a resource\nfor broadening one\u2019s horticultural experience. The Garden\u2019s plants all grow\nwell in the Monterey Bay area, and a selection is available for purchase at the\nArboretum\u2019s garden store. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I recently visited UC Santa Cruz\u2019s Arboretum & Botanic Garden for a preview of plans to renovate the Arboretum\u2019s South African Garden. Executive Director Martin Quigley and Nursery Manager Martin Grantham presented these plans to a small group of interested … Continue reading