Strybing's New Entry Garden Tantalizes

If You haven't visited Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens lately, you're in for a surprise. The staid perennial garden that greeted visitors inside the main gate for 13 years has been replaced with a kaleidoscope of plants in every color and shape imaginable.

Instead of coreopsis, anemones and lobelia, there are more than 20 species of hardy palms, five species of cycads, eight species of bamboo, five types of bananas and a rare batwing maple.

Some new plants are mixed in with existing ones. For example, above, tiny pink Huecera micrantha 'Martha Roderick' is contrasted with existing blue blossoms of Corydalis flexnosa 'China Blue.'

David McCrory and Roger Raiche of Planet Horticulture in Berkeley were given the job of showcasing the arboretum's diverse collection of 7,000 plants and introducing new varieties.

Among the 500 plants they feature in the 3/4-acre entry garden are many unusual specimens that nursery owners usually won't sell to the public. "They were happy to see them go the new garden because they recognize Strybing as a leader in plant introduction," says McCrory.

He and Raiche spent six months planning the entry garden and another 2 1/2 months installing it - including 56 days of working in Pouring rain.

They reflected the Bay Area's geographical diversity with zoned irrigation systems, mounds, rocks and ponds, a geyser that spouts every IO minutes and a simulated earthquake fault enhanced with fiery plants.

Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens is located in Golden Gate Park near Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way, San Francisco. Open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays; IO a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. Admission, free. Information, (415) 661-1316.

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