Meeting:

October 9, 2008

Guest Presenter:

Bart O’Brien

Director of Special Projects at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont

Program:

California Gardens

California gardens are as diverse as our state’s natural landscape. Bart O’Brien shared some of his favorite California gardens, both public and private. Bart discussed these examples of successful plant design, as well as some of the more interesting plants (both California natives and exotics) in them. These inspirational examples of appropriate Mediterranean-climate design and planting range from Los Angeles to Sonoma County.

Besides directing special projects at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, an educational institution dedicated to the research, conservation and horticulture of California native plants, Bart is also the editor of Fremontia, the journal of the California Native Plant Society. An authority on the flora of California and northern Baja California, he’s also an accomplished collector, grower, photographer, lecturer and author.

Bart co-authored two recent books: the award-winning California Native Plants for the Garden (2005: Cachuma Press) with Carol Bornstein and David Fross, and the bilingual Care & Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens (2006: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California) with Betsey Landis and Ellen Mackey.

Bart was named Horticulturist of the Year in 2005 by the Southern California Horticultural Society, and was listed as one of “The 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California” by the editorial staff of the Los Angeles Times/West Magazine (Aug. 13, 2006).

Opportunity Drawing

Plants for our Opportunity Drawing were provided by the South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation.