Spring Update!
What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been! From the trip to California for the NARGS winter study weekend, Speaking at the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden, the first plant sale of 2024, an early March snow storm, to our first 70 degree days, our local chapter annual pot show and of course in between it all closing in on the final work of completing the new greenhouse. I haven’t really had time to catch my breath, let alone post up here, despite the best of intentions to do some plant updates. Here is a brief gallery on the comings and goings of the last few weeks:
I have to say a big thanks to the NARGS WWSW organizers, they were very gracious hosts and I had the most inspiring time. It’s been a long time since I have been able to attend one of the NARGS conferences and I’m so thankful for the invite. I had the most amazing time in Berkely, getting to share lodging with the two travelling South African speakers, Adam Harrower of Kirstenbosch and Karel Du Toit, a law enforcement officer working to stop illegal poaching of South Africa’s endangered plant species, and the lovely Marcella Ferreyra who wrote the books on Argentine Montane and Steppe Wildflowers. Some incredibly inspiring conversations were had, I hope to see all of them again some day, hopefully in South Africa or Argentina! The entire event was an energizing treatment of gardens, plant lectures, workshops and sales. The Ruth Bancroft garden was a highlight and the discussion on Gardening in the face of Collapse by the assistant curator Walker Young, was a mind expanding take on what we are facing with social/economic/environmental consequences of the last few hundred years of humankinds actions and the effects it will have on gardening and plant collecting. It was awesome to see and hear from a new generation of rock gardeners, whatever the folks in Oakland and Berkeley are doing, it is working to attract a younger crowd and I’m so jazzed about that! A big thanks to Linda and Bart for providing housing and getting us around in Berkeley and Oakland!
On the home front, the seed germination is under way after the few months of cold vernalization. As we get more growth I’ll be able to offer some amazing collections from the Czech collectors Holubec and Stanek, with some amazing plants from Central Asia to the Alps and beyond. The catalog is coming, but I do have to remind folks that I’m still in a capacity building phase, so it will be a bit before I hit full production. The greenhouse is coming along well and with any luck it will be put into service in the next month or so.
The first opportunity to get plants will be at the Hortlandia sale, in a few weeks. After that I will be into the catalog/mailorder season and will announce an open house date when it looks like the peak bloom is coming on in the rock gardens.
I do appreciate the patience as I’m one person wearing many hats these days.
Oh, one more exciting bit of news, I’m working on a bog addition to the upper rock garden, and with any luck will have that planted by the open house, so stay tuned for updates on that.
Back to cooler weather after the last few days of unrealistic warm weather.
cheers,
Mark