City Gardener

It has been a sincere pleasure for me to volunteer a few hours a week at the University of Minnesota Botanical Conservatory. After many visits over the last few years, exactly none of those days have felt ordinary or repetitive. If there is a routine , it is that the botanic diversity of the collection - with over 3000 species - is displayed in a spectacular way each day. The Conservatory is located on the St. Paul campus, and is free of charge and open to the public during typical weekday hours. For instance, today most of my allotted time was spent in just one of eight rooms, the room that houses the tropical collection. The chores included pruning, re-potting, spraying, sweeping, etc. As I moved through the room, in every direction, there seemed to be a stunning plant pleading to be admired.  After the chores were complete, I had the opportunity to go back and photograph some of the beauties that surrounded me while working.  Dendrobium tangerinum , Papua New Guinea Dendr...

The Mission: This is the third year I've chosen a native rush to fill the planter boxes that line my west-facing 13th floor balcony.  Grass seems to be a good plant for the balcony (or a rush in this case, it is not technically a grass) because it visually softens the concrete and metal edges of the balcony. Few other traditional annual plant species tolerate deep shade for most of the morning, followed by intense afternoon sun, and constant wind. Plants that have medium to large leaves (e.g. tomatoes) get shredded by the wind. Grasses and rush grasses will tolerate wind, heat, and some degree of drought. The Plant: Juncus inflexus , commonly known as blue arrow rush. It grows to a height of about 24 inches in the 5-gallon planter bags (but would likely grow higher, to 36 inches, if planted in the ground). Native to northern Europe and Asia, Juncus is also considered native to eastern North America. Although its seed heads are small and indistinct, the blades have a muted blu...

This adobe wall and gate are part of the original hotel in Palm Springs, California. In 1938 the old adobe hotel was purchased by Chester Moorten, who had previously been a stunt man in early Hollywood working on films including the Keystone Cops movies. He and his botanist wife Patricia, lived and operated a desert garden center out of the old hotel. Locally he was known as "Cactus Slim" for his ability to maintain desert plants. Chester's son, Clark, carried on the business and became a noted expert in desert plants. Clark Moorten still owns and operates the Moorten Botanical Garden which is open to the public (except on Wednesdays, which I discovered the hard way). Original adobe wall of the old hotel, now Moorten family home Layout of the botanical garden Compared to other botanical gardens, this one is limited to one acre. However, what it lacks in size it compensates with variety and quality. There are specimens in this garden that would be difficult to find in the ...