What's new at South Coast Botanic Garden?

I don't usually visit botanic gardens in December, especially when they're running light shows, which I don't much care for.  But I'd heard South Coast Botanic Garden had made some changes since my last visit in August so I popped by one morning earlier this week to check things out.

The large area near the garden entrance known as the Volunteer Flower Garden is gone, along with the iconic sculpture of a kneeling gardener that's been there as long as I've been coming to the garden.  The original beds were admittedly something of a hodge-podge, cobbled together over decades, but they were always colorful and they contained a lot of well-established plants.  

Photo taken October 2019

Photo taken in June 2020 when the volunteers were still furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Photo of Geranium and Pelargonium bed in the Volunteer Garden taken in April 2020

What replaced the former Volunteer Garden were geometric-shaped beds, some framed by Corten steel or an equivalent.

The beds were recently planted and it looks as though the staff ordered whatever they could find to provide color this time of year, including Salvias, Pentas, Euryops, and Argyranthemum, with some succulents thrown in.  It's a bit boring but, as I added many of the same plants to the beds I tore apart in my own back garden this fall, I can't be too critical.  Hopefully, they'll put together more interesting combinations over the coming months.

They're using more succulents throughout the garden, which makes sense given the severity of our drought; however, I think the raised planter on the right could use more groundcovers to add interest and color.

The beds shown on the left, including the one with the tree marigold, Tithonia divesifolia, were tweaked rather than being created from scratch.  The bed on the right with an ornamental banana plant surrounded by black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus) and oyster plants (Tradescantia spathacea) is new.

The Living Wall has been in place since 2018

The raised vegetable beds and the small seating area surrounded by herbs were replaced by wooden picnic tables and smaller tables with chairs surrounded by Corten steel raised planters

The planters contain a mix of things including ornamental grasses, Senna, and Salvia

The beds just outside the seating area (left photo) were planted with what I think are olive trees with rosemary and Hebe used as groundcover.  Another Senna was planted in the middle of the seating area.

I understand that there are plans to set up food service of some kind.

It's my guess that the area in the background here is intended for whatever food service arrangements the garden has planned

Directly adjacent to the Living Wall is a new Staghorn Fern Collection.

I hope some informational signs are planned for this area.  There's currently nothing describing the unique qualities of these plants nor any plaques differentiating them by species or cultivar.

One of the trees serving as host to a very large staghorn fern is underplanted with a collection of bromeliads.  Oyster plants (Tradescantia spathacea, right) were used extensively as groundcover beneath the staghorns mounted on the wall.

Tillandsias and potted plants have been placed next to the new staghorn collection

I walked through other areas of the garden during my visit.  I'll post photos of the Desert Garden next week.  Many of my favorite areas were largely unavailable due to the GLOW light show set sup.

The Banyan Grove was off limits

The Mediterranean Garden was also screened off

It was still possible to walk through the Rose Garden, although it looked as though Dr Who and friends had landed their Tardis' there

I know many people like light shows but I'm not one of them.  Most strike me as garish and more suitable to Halloween than the year-end holidays but that's just one viewpoint.  What's yours?  If you're interested in SCBG's GLOW event, you can find more information here.

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