Saturday, July 6, 2013

Back at the UC Botanical Garden- 6 month retrospective

It's a wonderful feeling to be back at the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley in a part time role as the Program Coordinator. I have the great privilege to put together workshops on a variety of topics ranging from orchid propagation and care to jam making, natural dyeing, compost building, tea tasting and so many more.

For those of you who have not visited, the Garden is situated on 34 acres in the beautiful Strawberry Canyon just above Berkeley. We are a non-profit institution and living museum housing over 12, 000 different kinds of plants that are distinctively grown from wild collected seed or plant material.

Everyday the Garden is changing and it is ever inspiring for me to head out there and experience it. Whether you are a gardener, photographer, textile designer, chef, teacher, child or just looking to relax and tour the Garden always has something beautiful to offer and teach. I highly recommend a membership so you can experience the Garden year round and come to our many many special events.

Here's a collection or plants, events and other photos I've been taking over the course of the past 6 months. Enjoy!

pipevine swallowtail caterpillar feeding on CA pipevine Aristolochia californica

this has been one of my favorite plants for years and is in the arid house

one of our many garden friends

our visitor service team enjoying a sunset wine tasting from the canary islands

teaching a chai workshop in the most ideal of all settings - the tropical house! 

design inspiration, love the structural eryngium with the lacy soft plant in the background

another all time favorite located just above the crops of the world garden

using my "iphoneography" skills from a workshop at the Garden on my precious puppies.

a gorgeous plant in our special plant sale silent auction

a lucky day: on an evening photo shoot with my all time favorite garden photographer marion brenner.

the gorgeous "fried egg" plant.

a blooming terrestrial orchid from Asia

one of the garden's residents

the celebrity Puya chilensis. spectacular.

my favorite rhodie

this little stunner from Southern Africa

my new office mates - silk worms!

to die for.

succulents all ready for our mother's day tea celebration and succulent crafting

the bouquets made at an incredible workshop with Svenja Brotz of Chestnut & Vine

Our Tokyo Cherry Tree dedication ceremony. Horticulturist Elaine Sedlack wrote haiku on the paper blossoms that each guest read to welcome this tree into the collection.

a gorgeous dye find - the wild mediterranean olive!