Monday, June 25, 2012

Scientific Illustration and Plant Identification


Held at locations in and around the Los Angeles area, this course teaches plant identification and scientific illustration of plants, including essential plant form and part characteristics and illustration techniques using lead pencils. Working with an established plant pallet chosen by the instructor, students learn how to use plants and other garden elements to create a particular aesthetic.

Taught by David Squires.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Soil, Soils Reports, Remedies, and Plant Survival

Nothing to do this weekend? Brush up on soils in our Saturday workshop

Get a clear perspective on the business of growing.

Soil, Soils Reports, Remedies, and Plant Survival offers a solid foundation or refresher for anyone involved in the care and feeding of plants.

Join us Sat, Jun 16, 9am-2pm, in Westwood.

You’ll learn:
·         How to test for soil problems
·         Where to take tests
·         How to read a soils report
·         Ways to remedy soil problems

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

International Speaker Series: Cuban Permaculturist – Roberto Pérez Rivero



Start: June 20, 2012 6:00 pm
End: June 20, 2012 8:00 pm
Organizer: ULI Orange County/Inland Empire
Phone: (714) 262-6217
Email: orangecounty@uli.org
Venue: Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center

Phone: (949) 923-2290
Address: 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA, 92660, United States

The Urban Land Institute’s OC/IE Sustainable Communities Initiative Council, is pleased to present Roberto Pérez Rivero of the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Humanity and featured in the film: “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.”

Roberto Pérez Rivero is the Environmental Education and Biodiversity Conservation Program Director of the Cuban NGO, the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Humanity www.fanj.org, the oldest environmental organization in Cuba. Roberto has also served as their Project Officer on Urban Agriculture and Environmental Programs, Publishing Editor, and Teacher of Environmental Education, Sustainable Agriculture and Permaculture. He has a Graduate Degree in Biology from the University of Havana and also studied Community-based Resource Management at the University of St. Francis Xavier, Nova Scotia, Canada. Since 1999, Roberto has traveled extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and the United States, presenting Cuba’s approach to sustainable living in the face of declining petroleum and other nonrenewable resources.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Chris Rosmini speaking on Great Garden Design

Southern California Horticulture Society's next meeting features Guest Presenter Chris Rosmini speaking about Great Garden Design.

Join them Thursday Night, June 14th, at 7:30pm at the Witherbee Auditorium at the Los Angeles Zoo.

This event is free to SCHS members and $5 for non-members. Children under 18 are free. Ample onsite free parking is available.

From SCHS Website: Chris Rosmini, 1992 SCHS Horticulturist of the Year, is one of the top garden designers practicing in Los Angeles today. Her skilled work harmoniously combining climate appropriate plants with hardscape elements (paved surfaces, containers, water features, etc.) is renowned.

Chris studied the classics at UCLA in the 1960s, but found her passion for plants and honed her skill as a designer in the 1970s. Chris is a collector of fine plants and of many objects that interest her. She’s been gardening her home ground since 1971.

For those of you who keep back issues of journals (or have access to them at a library or friend’s home), you can get a preview of some of Chris’ work at her own garden in Garden Design 17 (1): 6, 76-83, 94. February-March 1998. The article, titled “Inside Out,” was written by Susan Heeger and the photographs are by Susan Seubert. Unfortunately, this piece does not seem to be on the web. One of my favorite quotes from that article is, “My approach is similar indoors and out. I like to collage related things with small gradations of disparity. Same forms, slightly varied colors; or the same colors, but different shapes. The closer you get, the more you see, until you’re lost in the experience.”

In March of this year, Chris and John C. MacGregor IV led a SCHS field trip to Judge Cynthia Hall’s garden in Pasadena. Chris wrote an article that told the story of the development of that beautiful garden in Pacific Horticulture 61 (1): 30-36. January-February 2000. She wrote, “ One of the particularly satisfying things about designing gardens for other people is that, in most instances, I get to consider the project as a whole, from the beginning. I can plan the overall structure, the hardscape and the planting as a more or less coherent design; manage the construction; and plant it as a continuous, if sometimes rather drawn-out process.” However, this project was different, in that it evolved in stages, like most gardeners’ gardens.

Chris will be taking us on an adventure through a selection of her garden design work, both past and present. As such, her presentation will be slides (not computer images!) as these best capture the breadth of her work.