I grew up in Walnut Creek but it wasn't until a couple years ago that I became aware of this national treasure in our town: the Ruth Bancroft Garden. The garden was once part of a 400-acre fruit and walnut farm, started by Hubert Howe Bancroft, the historian and publisher whose personal book collection became the nucleus of UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library.In the early 1970s, his daughter-in-law Ruth Bancroft took three acres that remained of that farm and began her famous experiment in raising succulents and other plants suitable to our Mediterranean climate. Over the years, her garden became a home to an important collection of aloes, agaves, yuccas, and echeverias. As her garden gained notice from horticulturalists from all over North America, it inspired the Garden Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving significant American gardens.
The Ruth Bancroft Garden also became a nonprofit and a model of exceptional garden design using water-conserving plants.
The Ruth Bancroft Garden celebrates its official Opening Day Saturday with its annual Spring Plant Sale. This will be the first of six plant sales this year, taking place from April through October.
The garden has for sale this year an assortment of natives, succulents and other drought-tolerant plants, including large and small cacti, agave, aloe, dyckia and yucca. The garden will have horticultural specialists on hand to answer questions regarding plant purchases.
The public is also invited to do more than buy plants Saturday. You can join a docent-led tour of the garden, where protective winter covers have come off, the cacti and succulents are glowing, and flowers are budding.
The garden, moreover, is kicking off its 2010 series of workshops, which coincide with the April-October Saturday plant sales and are designed to give the public tips on sustainable gardening. This Saturday's workshop, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will cover composting.
Admission is free to the public during plant sales. Garden member admission is always free and is available at the door.
The garden is located at 1552 Bancroft Road. For more information, call (925) 944-9352 or visit the visit Ruth Bancroft garden website.
7 comments:
SM,
You are so right. What a great asset.
This is a beautiful place. My daughter has never been there, so this may present a nice opportunity.
I am working away in my garden in england at present but would love to be able to visit on open day. As much as i love my garden here I am not too fond of many Californian water intensive European style gardens and so the Bancroft example is to be admired and emulated.
the members sale time for the plant sale is 9am to 11am then the publics time is 11a-2p thank you for the corection
I grew up in Walnut Creek and recently moved back (as in, last week!). I drove by this garden and thought that it was such a lovely idea. I can't wait to go check it out. Thanks for featuring it!
I found this blog by accidentally clicking on recommended feeds in my reader. Hmm how did it know I just moved here? Creepy...anyways, glad I found it!
Another hidden gem we have here in WC. Others include the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, all our open space, the trail system, and of course, Mt. Diablo State Park.
We are lucky people, despite all our complaining.
Welcome back, Steph.
I'll echo 8:07's comments. So many things in our backyard. I was way out in the open space on a sunny day recently. Beautiful, emerald green colors looking to Mt. Diablo. I felt like I was in a different world! Later that evening I went to a couple of the nice places downtown.
We have it good...
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