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; A periodic report from the Los Angeles State ated Coney Ac borctum aac 1 fit California Arboretum Foundation, Inc. Arcadia, California APRIL, 1959

TO ALL FOUNDATION MEMBERS

ARBORETUM FLASHES

Completion of the Hugo Reid adobe and grounds expected by Sep- tember ~--~ Pasadena Garden Club sponsors "Queen Anne Cottage" land- scaping ---- Administration Building Wing to house library, herbarium, and to provide class rooms, completion due in August ---~ Arboretum attendance during 1958, 300,000 ---- Plant Collector's Garden being revised, scheduled for completion May 15 ---- Orchid Show attendance March 28 and 29 was 28,000 ---- Arboretum Foundation membership now stands at 678 ---- 6748 school children visited the Arboretum from September, 1958 to April 1, 1959 ~--~- New rest room facility complet- ed and now opened in the historic area of Arboretum ---- Fragrance Garden wall construction completed. Garden sponsored jointly by Los Angeles County Medical Association and District 12 Garden Clubs ---- Plans being developed for public eating facility at Arboretum ---- San Gabriel Valley Branch of Begonia Society of America and other branches contribute to Begonia display greenhouse ---- New orchid propagating house donated by Mr. and Mrs. John Jewet Garland family in honor of their mother, Mrs. William May Garland ----~ District 12 Garden Clubs to stage Spring Flower Show at Arboretum, May 1, 2, and 3 «--- Peacock feeding machines prove huge success, everyone wins, visitors, peacocks and your Foundation ---- Children's activities at Arboretum as shown on Lasca Leaves cover Winter - 1958 to be used in UNESCO publication for world-wide distribution ---- Arboretum Founda- tion receives research grant to support smog research and entomolo- gical research ---- Arboretum has introduced six new plants into the commercial trade during the past year ---- Silk Floss Tree (Chorisia speciosa) presents spectacular display in January 1959 -=== Oak root rot experiment installed in Australian section of Arboretum by Dr. Ames of staff ---- Xanthorrhoea Preissii ("Australian Black Boy" or "Grass Tree") flowers for first time at Arboretum ---- Mr, George Pring, Superintendent of Missouri Botanical Garden visits Arboretum and advises on water lily and Lotus plantings. Lotus pond to be de-

veloped near Herb Garden ---~- More to follow ----~ See next issue of News Letter ----

NEWS NOTES

The last session of adult courses in horticulture will begin at the Arboretum and Descanso Gardens on Monday, April 20.

Courses at the Arboretum will include: (1) Introduction to Home Landscaping, Mr. Woolley, instructor; (2) Botanical Sketching, Mr. Patten, instructor; (3) Advanced Plant Identification,

Dr. BET. inepructor,

Courses at Descanso Gardens include: (1) Introduction to Home Landscaping, Mr. Anthony, instructor; (2) Home Landscape Design, Mr. Nowa, instructor; (3) Botanical Sketching, Mr. Patten, instructor; (4) Floriculture (Orchids), Mr. Hiatt, instructor.

The courses at the Arboretum in Home Landscaping and Plant Identification, carry a registration fee of $2.00, payable at the time of the first meeting of the class. These courses are co-spon- sored by the Adult Education of the Arcadia Unified School District. The courses at Descanso Gardens are co-sponsored by Pasadena City College, Extended Day Division.

For additional information and registration blanks, phone the Arboretum, Hillcrest 6-5247 or Descanso Gardens, Ryan 1-0331.

Op WMicay, Mey 8, wie Director, Dr. William 3, Stewart, and nis family will leave for Australia to be there for a period of six months. As recipient of a Fulbright Award, Dr. Stewart will be lec- turing at the University of Western Australia in Perth on the pro- gram, operation, and administration of arboreta and botanic gardens. He will be there during the second term and also during the National Science Meetings of Australia. Following the meetings he will be lo- cated at the University of Tasmania at Hobart for the third Academic term. In Hobart he will lecture and consult on arboreta and botanic gardens and in addition give a series of lectures on plant hormones.

At the University of Western Australia, plans are being devel- oped for a University-City-State botanic garden to be developed in or near Perth, At Hobart, Tasmania, consideration is being given to the revision of the present botanic garden.

En route to Australia, the Stewarts will fly via Japan and the Orient and expect to return via New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawaii. Along the way, conferences will be held with directors of botanic gardens and arboreta in the various countries, as well as meetings with hor- ticulturists and plant research people in these areas. While in Australia, Dr, Stewart is planning to visit the main botanical gar- dens, confer with horticulturists, and to supplement the complete collections recently made by Mr. Spalding, Arboretum Superintendent, on his collecting trip for ornamental plants last year. It is hoped some herbarium specimens may also be made to add to the new herbarium of the Arboretum. The Stewarts expect to return in December.

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George Spalding, Arboretum Superintendent and Secretary of the Foundation, is back at his duties at the Arboretum after a five and a half month seed and plant collection trip to Australia, Looking Tit as a fiddle. George traveled nearly 20,000 miles in the States of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia as well as the Capitol territory. The Arboretum will share in the col- lections which totaled a thousand different items.

Iris enthusiasts.from throughout Southern California will hold their 1959 Annual Iris Show at Descanso Gardens in La Canada on Sat- urday end Sundey, April 12 and 29, This eoloprul Gicviay will te free and open to the public. The hours are 8 A.M. to dusk on both days.

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The following plants will be distributed to members of the Foundation who are in good standing at the Annual Membership meeting held at the Arboretum at 3 P.M. on May 19. MEMBERS MUST ATTEND TO RECHIVE THEIR PLANTS, AND PRESENT MEMBERSHIP CARDS.

1. Mahonia bealei - A neat seven foot slow growing shrub. Takes shade and severe cold, yellow flowers, blue fruits, very interesting foliage.

ee Chorisia speciosa - Fast growing large tree, beautiful pink flowers after five years, semi- deciduous and tender.

3. Grevillea lanigera - Low, wide spreading shrub to 5 or 6 feet, taking a variety of soils and drought. Good for banks, pink flowers in winter.

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PIANT CULTURES

Grevillea ilanigera - low spreading evergreen shrub for full sun, banks, and drier areas, Takes poor soils -- or soils with humus only, No fertilizers - light green foliare ~ reddish flowers in late winter. Hardy to 25° ~ medium grower .

(New introduction)

Mahonia bealiii - slow growing, very long lived shrub, to 10

feet. Completely cold hardy, evergreen, Yellow flowers, blue fruits. Likes light shade, rich damp soils, lots of humis and likes good mixed commercial fertilizer.

(A classic)

Chorisia speciosa - fast growing tall evergreen tree to $0

feet. Likes moisture, good soil and drainage or a slight slope.

Dislikes being in lawns. Gorgeous large 5 petal pink flowers,

October - December. Spiny trunk. Frost tender for first few years. Flowers after 5 years of age,

(Rare and beautiful)

—— * A periodic report from the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum to tl L fo California Arboretum Foundation, Inc. Arcadia, California

SEPTEMBER, 1959

TO ALL FOUNDATION MEMBERS ARPORETUM FLASHES

Hobby Garden in Home Demonstration Gardens completely renovated - - Plans well along for Fall Flower Show jointly sponsored by Arboretum and Independent-Star News, to be held at Arboretum October 30, 31 and November 1 -- Plans being drawn for second annual Orchid Show next March---Adobe restoration completion expected late Fall. It will be one of the most authentically interesting buildings of its era, boasting perhaps the only cane roof in California restora- tions--Cooperating with Los Angeles County Health Department, Arbo- retum distributed mosquito fish to nearly 200 people---Arboretum will participate in Decorator's Show at Pan-Pacific Auditorium in October with large exhibit including grotto with waterfall, using ferns, tropical plants, and orchids---Director Dr. William S. Stewart expected at Arboretum early in November.

NEWS NOTES

October through November the Arboretum will have many colorful spots. In the Australian section brilliant flowering Eucalyptus will bloom in yellows and reds, early flowering Acacias will start late November through Christmas, if it is not too wet a period. Kapok trees, Chorisia speciosa - pink to rose flowering, and Chorisia insignis with cream to yellow lily-like blooms will be in continuous show, if we do not have too. wet a November. These will be in many places throughout the grounds and on Baldwin Ave- nue's east side. Golden flowered Cassias are starting and should give us several weeks of rich beauty. Sun Azaleas are opening a fine color display behind the fragrance garden and fall and winter annuals soon start, together with the "mums" in the test and display area. Truly, fall splendor at the Arboretum will be a reward for the long hot days of toil to keep our plants healthy, happy and showy for all plant lovers.

Your Foundation has been busy providing facilities for the Arboretum. Currently, through the generosity of Mr. Alexander King and Mr. Thaddeus Libby Up de Graff, a shade structure is under con- struction at the jeep loading station. The many visitors to the Arboretum each year will, we are sure, appreciate this added facil- ity. This is a result of efforts of the Foundation's Board of Councilors and is the first of several projects the Councilors are undertaking.

The fall educational program is also under way and registration has been gratifying. Courses are offered in Home Horticulture, Home Landscaping, Plant Identification, Floriculture, Principles of Land- scape Design and Botanical Sketching, Diseases of Ornamental Plants.

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Dr. Ames, Arboretum Plant Pathologist is concentrating efforts on investigation of oak root rot. Other diesases being investigated include bleeding canker, powdery mildew of oaks- this mainly from the standpoint of control; determination of the nature of a virus-like ailment of philodendron; dodder control; flower blight of camellias, etc. In addition to helping diagnose and recommending controls for plant ailments, the pathologist performs this service, to a limited extent, for individuals or concerns bringing specimens to the Arboretum,

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The beautiful new Library wing was made available June 8. The reading room will soon be furnished and shortly after the first of the year will be open from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Saturday.

Funds have been provided the Library by the Foundation again this year for the purehass of rare volumes. Bolus,.ORGHIDS OF SOUTH AFRICA, a rare and valuable basic work, was purchased recently through this fund.

The Herbarium will occupy the rear half of the upper level and though the cases that will complete it are not yet installed, the taxonomist is hard at work in his office. The lower level, avail- able to horticultural groups for meetings was inaugurated September 8 with the season's first meeting of the San Gabriel Valley Branch of the American Begonia Society, followed by the September 17 meet- ing of the San Gabriel Valley Orchid Hobbyists.

The Foundation is administering a U. S. Public Health Grant for the study of effects of smog on plants. To determine why certain plant cells are damaged by smog and others are not, research is being carried out in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Foundation members are svecially invited to come in to see experi- ments that may be in progress at the time.

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Dr. William Hovanitz is in charge of the research project under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation and administered by the Poundation, and is soly assisted by Mr. Vincent Chane of Hone Kong. Research is being conducted as to the plant preferences of insects.

The Foundation has provided funds to match those of Sunset Magazine for the continuing development of the Home Demonstration Garden, enabling the Garden to present an ever-changing scene with each month of the year. Members who do not visit us often are miss- ing many interesting and informative ideas presented in the Garden.

The Slosson Glasshouse for begonias was donated by the late Mrs. HE. B. Slosson and other members of the San Gabriel Valley Branch of the American Begonia Society. This glasshouse is 18 x 50, completely air conditioned, and covered with Saran plastic netting which extends over a rock garden - pool area for outdoor planting of begonias.

Steel benches and a pipe-frame with Saran plastic netting for light control, were donated to improve appearance and flower display for the Cypripedium glasshouse.

Cooperation with the Botany Department of the University of California at Berkeley has brought many rare and important additions to the orchid collection. Also, donated funds have enabled us to purchase large selections of. orchids from Costa Rica and India.

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