Saturday we got stuck in Salt Lake City overnight because of
weather and pilot delays. Delta made it up to us quite nicely, however, by giving
us upgrades to first class the next morning, of which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Sunday
Because of our delayed arrival in California, we were late
catching up with the Public Horticulture Garden Tour but made it to the second
stop, the Fullerton Arboretum. In
addition to seeing the diverse landscapes California has to offer, we learned
several interesting tidbits, such as the difference between a pond and a
lake. Rather than size being the
determining factor, the difference is related to the amount of sunlight that
reaches the bottom. In a pond, sunlight
reaches through the water and supports plant life, while the sunlight cannot
reach the bottom of a lake.
Leah’s favorite part of the tour was visiting the Arboretum’s
shop and nursery called the Potting Shed.
Here she acquired several botanic books from the 1950’s, further
enabling her old book addiction.
Ann’s favorite part was the succulent garden that was filled
with the best plants in the world, Agave. It also incorporated other
interesting cacti and succulents, many of which she’d never seen and a Century
Plant in full bloom
Monte’s favorite area was the tree grove with a creek
running through it that was planted with bald cypress and numerous other conifers. It was a quiet. Peaceful spot to sit and
reflect.
We then left Fullerton and headed to Rancho Santa Ana
Botanic Garden, which interestingly enough, has moved from Santa Ana to its
current location closer to palm desert. Its focus is on entirely native plants
and it contains the 10th largest herbarium in the U.S. While at the gardens, we were able to tour
their seed bank which ranks as California’s #1 and official seed bank. There we
saw several old specimens and learned about their operations. We were also able to tour the grounds, which
boasted a beautiful container garden, a wildflower meadow, and a gigantic
heritage oak. The oak and its surrounding area was far and away our favorite part
the garden.
Following the tour, we headed towards Palm Desert where we
passed through “Windmill Valley,” which was filled with more windmills than we
could possibly count. This was our first introduction to the many sustainable
practices utilized in California.
Monday
We started off the first official day of the conference by
attending the Human Issues in Horticulture working group. Working groups are meant to bring people from
the same field of interest together to share ideas, offer advice, collaborate
on potential projects, and of course, to socialize. We also attended the Public Horticulture
Working Group and discussed an idea to bring both groups together next year for
a colloquium. In the colloquium we plan
to discuss qualitative research, an approach that is an integral part of each
of our research projects. The idea was well
received in both groups, and we’re excited to see how it may impact these two
groups in the future. During the meeting, Dr. Robinson was re-elected as the
Public Horticulture Working Group Chair, while Ann was nominated as the chair
elect and will serve as the chair in 2015. Ann is very excited to receive such
an honor and also excited for the great resume builder it provides! Following
the two working group meetings, we attended a poster session where we saw a
great variety of research projects in our area. We even had a great conversation
with the Assistant Director of Crosby Arboretum in Mississippi who shared with
us about her various roles at the Arboretum and the many benefits and
challenges of working at a public garden.
She even recommended a garden to us, Alabama’s own Splinter Hill, which
boasts a great carnivorous plant display.
Tuesday
We went to the amazing Joshua Tree National Park. We headed
out in the afternoon and were there long enough to see an amazing sunset and
moonrise. The plant life was incredibly diverse and ranged from Ocotillo to
Barrel Cactus to, of course, the Joshua Tree, which appeared as we drove higher
up the mountain. This was one of our favorite parts of the trip as it
demonstrated the native habitat of the California area. It was quite a change
from the heavily irrigated turf that surrounded our hotel and actually left us
speechless, so we’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:
Wednesday
Leah returned to Auburn on Wednesday for a final. Monte and
I (Ann) attended a symposium hosted by the Public Horticulture Working Group,
and led by Dr. Robinson. At the
symposium, we discussed the challenges and opportunities of operating a
University Garden. The discussion was varied and fast-paced and provided us
with great advice to apply to the garden we’re planning to implement on
Auburn’s campus. It also provided us
with practical advice we can apply in our future public garden careers. During
the symposium I (Ann) found out about a new job opening in the Education
Department at Longwood Gardens. That evening I met with a Longwood employee to
discuss the job opportunity and to receive advice on how I can boost my chances
of getting the job.
Thursday
Monte left early in the morning to return for Auburn, as he
had to move out of his apartment over the weekend. I (Ann) attended the
Teaching Methods Oral Session where I heard several interesting talks about how
individuals were applying innovative teaching methods at either their garden or
in the classroom at their university. Later in the day I presented my own
research in the Human Issues in Horticulture Oral Session. My research was very well received and
several people were interested to learn more about the study.
In addition to having a great time, this conference provided
us with the opportunity to network, and during the trip we spoke with fellow
graduate students, multiple professors, and many professionals in the field,
all of whom may be our co-workers or employers in the future.
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