Tilden Eden (Regional Parks Botanical Garden)

On my semi-annual circuit to visit relatives in Northern California in mid-July, I discovered the Regional Parks Botanical Garden in Tilden Park, Berkeley.  This natives-only garden put the native section of the U.C. Berkeley Botanical Garden (which has terrific world garden sections) to shame.  Thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  

Nestled in a canyon, the Garden has huge east- and west-facing rock terraces to showcase a vast collection.

In addition to its extensive collections of plants from all over California (including ones from Orange County I'd never seen before), the condition of all the plants at Tilden was top-notch.  No scruffy runts, and they are managing to keep some stress-deciduous varieties green in July while still cultivating plenty of summer-dry-loving specimens.  They have some very knowledgeable gardeners. (Bart O'Brien, director since 2013 and formerly of Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, is one.)

Found in a rock planter near the entrance.  Happy like all the rest.  But no label.  Do you know what it is?

Berkeley hills, being further north and shrouded in fog most nights of the year, has a much longer spring season than Southern California before summer dormancy.  Still, the variety of plants in bloom at one time (from nine different regions of California) speaks to a deep knowledge of what makes natives happy.  A dozen different low-growing Ceanothus and Manzanitas formed emerald mats, as one expects in the Berkeley hills.  But I wasn't expecting the profusion of annual wildflowers.

Various species of Clarkia (Farewell-to-Spring) were in profuse bloom, crowding whole garden beds.  Oh, bliss!  

Another variety, Clarkia gracilis ssp. albicaulis

This ruffled version was labeled Presidio Clarkia, from, you guessed it, the Presidio in San Francisco.  But it doesn't match the Calflora entry, so who knows. A happy hybrid?  Unusual foliage form, and just as prolific here as its relatives.

Tilden runs the gamut from meadow flowers and bulbs to redwoods and sequoias, chaparral plants to riparians (with their own streams and waterfalls), and a bewildering variety of shade lovers.  I could camp there!

Many native gardens have their own Coast Redwood or five, but Tilden has its own Giant Sequoia grove.  They are babies compared to the remnant old growth groves in the Sierras, but it's all relative.

Plants that never looked worth the bother of cultivating other places are in their glory here.  And plants I'd never even heard of.  Most of the plants appear to be collected or propagated from the wild (locations marked on the pretty good signage) rather than cultivars chosen by propagators, which accounts for the uniqueness of so many specimens.  CNPS folks, put this place on your bucket list!

After seeing this fine fellow I finally understand why people bother cultivating Monardella.  Not sure which species it is, though.

Their shade collection is diverse and fascinating, covering a lot of territory both geographically and in plant families.

Leopard lilies (Lilium pardalinum) are a specialty of the garden, popping up (and up) under many trees.  This specimen was eight feet tall.

Yet their chapparal plants seemed entirely at home too, not stunted or spindly from overwater.

Oh-so-happy Dudleyas, these from way up north.  And in bloom, below.

Alas, my visit was too short.  Will someone please visit for me, and quiz the gardeners on how they achieve this state of garden nirvana?

Growing happily on a west-facing slope with no label. Could it be Clarkia biloba?

As we struggle through drought and  landscapers with zero native experience tell us how to garden, resources like this seventy-five year old garden and its staff are invaluable. A small greenhouse and growing yard were raising up the next generation of beauty.   I met a cadre of volunteers throughout the garden, busily trimming and planting.  This does seem to be one of the requirements for a successful botanical garden.  I'm adding this garden stop to my annual visit to the relatives!

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