Grand Entrance

Written By Don Burns

San Mateo County Times

April, 1998 Edition

Strybing Arboretum's updated Entry Garden showcases established species, new varieties

A world-class arboretum deserves a world-class entry garden, and now San Francisco's Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Garden has one.

Located in the heart of San Francisco's beautiful Golden Gate Park, just inside the arboretum's main gate, the new Entry Garden is a living tapestry of vibrant colors and bold textures wrapped around a water garden, numerous weathered urns and 12th century monastery stones.

Designers Roger Raiche and David McCrory of the Berkeley-based firm Planet Horticulture have designed a most inviting garden at the 'arboretum's main entrance. They've highlighted the arboretum's established species while including exciting new varieties suited to the central coast region of California and the Bay Area.

The garden replaces the arboretum's popular English-style mixed borders next to the Helen Crocker Russell library. with a more contemporary display of perennials, ornamental grasses and multi-colored succulents. An impressive collection of palms and cycads is also woven through the design.

The perennial borders that dated back to the early'80s were changed to reflect evolving taste in horticulture. The idea was to take a more worldly perspective and showcase new plants, reflecting Strybing's goal of learning which new plant introductions will be useful for Bay Area gardens.

Statuary, plus an assortment of glazed urns and garden ornaments, help establish a whimsical mood in this elaborate mounded garden. "Flora," a columnar stone carving by Marcia Donahue, is one of the garden's many artworks. The 5-foot-tall statue stands at the base of a wooden footbridge silently watching as visitors pass by en route to the rest of the arboretum.

Strybing Arboretum currently houses more than 7,000 kinds of plants and covers more than 55 acres, according to Cheryl Reiss, Strybing's public relations coordinator. It includes large gardens of California native plants, Australian plants, plants from New Zealand, the Mediterranean, South Africa, Chile and the world's cloud forests.

Reiss stresses that, like the arboretum as a whole, the new Entry Garden is free and open to the public daily.

OUTSTANDING ENTRY GARDEN PLANTS

Splashes of color originate from a broad diversity of flowers and foliage plants included in the Entry Garden's complex design. A surprising number of geranium varieties, including the blue-flowering Geranium Brookside, are threaded through the garden. Patches of both scented and border geraniums are joined by yellow day- lilies, burgundy-red Oriental poppies, purple arctotis and double champagne-pink poppies to create strong color combinations.

An array of foliage colors add to the excitement of the garden. Deep-red, spikey blades of Rainbow River flax add depth and contrast color to the water garden area. The pink- and green-leaved Sundowner flax is used effectively along the adjacent arroyo.

Additional foliage color is provided by red-leaf canna lilies, South African silver trees (Leucodendron argentem), blue- gray iceplant (Senecio mandraliscae), yellow and green variegated Acorus gramineus Ogon and the deep purple succulent leaves of Aeonium arboreum Atropurpureum. Some of the garden's other choice specimens include:

* Trachycarpus wagnerianus. Although presumed extinct in its native Himalayas, this deep-green fan palm is thriving in the new Entry Garden;

* Phormium Guardsman. Like the other two flax varieties previously mentioned, this multi-colored New Zealand native adds striking contrast foliage color to the garden. One main difference, though, Guardsman produces 8-foot leaf blades with streaks of burgundy, roes-pink and cream;

* Cupressus macrocarpa Saligna-Aurea. Perhaps the most striking addition to the garden is the golden threadleaf Monterey Cypress with its graceful, weeping branches. Pendulous branches with scale-like needles make this small tree the perfect addition to any Japanese-style garden or water garden;

* Geranium Ann Folkard. With golden-yellow foliage and purple magenta flowers, this new geranium is a bold choice for any border garden. Gardeners can expect blooms all summer from this and other geranium hybrids on display in Strybing's Entry Garden.

These and many of the other plants on display in the Entry Garden are often difficult to locate through local nurseries. Your best bet is to go to a Saturday plant sale at Strybing Arboretum. Plant sales are set for 10 a.m. to I p.m. They're scheduled for today (birds and butterflies), July 25 (perennials), Aug. 15 (ferns and shade plants), Sept. 12 (grasses) and Sept. 26 (natives). They take place at Strybing Nursery near the Arthur Menzies Garden of California Native Plants. Call (415) 661-3090 for more dates and details.