A walk interrupted by diversions and roadblocks

I visited South Coast Botanic Garden this week, my sixth visit this year.  My motivation was to check out their gift kiosk for something I had in mind for a friend but of course, knowing they had a few major activities in the works,  I had to check out the garden as well.  I'll introduce those later but I'll start with the images that grabbed my attention as I made my rounds.

Even though they're just beginning to bloom, the Aloe vanbalenii and the hybrid variety behind them looked great

This display of fall color on the walkway bordering the rose garden stopped me in my tracks.  I'm not positive but I think these are crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia sp.).

I appreciated the new plantings in the beds on either side of the entrance courtyard too.  I should have taken a closer look at the trees in the top photo.  Could that be Podocarpus 'Icee Blue'?

No post on SCBG is complete without a de rigueur photo of the Living Wall.  At first it bugged me that the cafe tables had been moved right in front of the wall but I decided that arrangement gave people a better opportunity to appreciate the wall while eating and talking.

There were fewer flowers but there are always some.  Clockwise from the upper left: Aloe 'David Verity' (I think), noID Brugmansia, Dalia imperialis (aka tree dahlia), Justicia aurea, noID Senna, Tecomaria capensis, and Tithonia diversifolia (aka Mexican sunflower tree).

There were 3 of these holiday trees constructed of potted Cyclamen.  I wanted to like them but I couldn't warm up to them.  Maybe they'd have been more appealing if they were surrounded by colorful foliage and flowers at their base.

The garden opened a Lego exhibit, Nature Pop, on November 5th.  I loved the previous Lego exhibit in 2016 but, while I admired the artistry that went into the new exhibit, I couldn't get excited about it.  However, to be fair, I only viewed only a handful of the 40 sculptures.

Note the complexity involved in incorporating a polar bear cub on its mother's back (photo top, right).  This exhibit runs through January 24th.

My attention was diverted by the activity involved in readying the Astra Lumina light show for its opening on December 8th.  SCBG is hosting the event but more information is available here from the parties responsible for logistics.

Map showing the different staging areas associated with the exhibit, which is scheduled to run through January 15th

I think these photos captured most of the sites on the map, other than the Celestial Trail and probably the Starburst Rays.  If I guessed correctly, clockwise from the upper left, the sites shown follow the map from the photo station through the Archway (with the 2 exceptions I noted).

These are closeups of the Starlight Lanterns, located in the Garden for the Senses

As I walked through the garden I ran into several areas that were closed to the public.  I was aware that SCBG has begun work on its new children's garden but, as familiar as I am with the garden due to my prior stint as a volunteer, I was temporarily disoriented about where I was and how to navigate the garden areas that were still open.

Access to the Banyan Grove (perhaps my favorite area in the garden) was partially blocked but it and the blue sphere sculpture (second row, right) told me where I was.  The lavender field and the desert willow trees that stood along the tram road appear to be gone.

I'd already surmised that the enclosed area is the staging ground for the new children's garden but I didn't see any official notice of this until I found this relatively small sign adjacent to the bridge in the existing children's garden.  More signage around the fenced area would be helpful but with the light show and other events kicking off perhaps someone felt it would be confusing,

The upper meadow and parts of the rose garden were also closed

I checked the gift kiosk for the gift I was looking for but didn't find what I wanted.  Regrettably, the garden shut down its propagation area early in the pandemic and apparently has no plans to reopen it, which I think is a pity on several counts.

At least I got my steps in on the day of my visit.  I recorded over 16,000 steps that day, the most since I started tracking them - and I didn't even cover half the botanic garden on this visit.  

We're looking forward to a wet weekend.  Hopefully, Mother Nature isn't planning to pull the rug out from under us once again this time.  Whatever your weather, I hope you enjoy a pleasant weekend.

All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party