Boston Flora

Tag: San Diego Zoo

  • Thursday, April 5 – Friday, April 13 – Gardens of San Diego & Anza Borrego Desert

    Susan Mahr and Hidden Treasures Tours will take you to San Diego and the Anza Borrego Desert April 5 – 13.  The tour will start with a visit to a private garden set on a hillside with several levels and a lot of steps, followed by a welcome dinner. The next day will be spent in Balboa Park, one of the most lushly planted urban parks in America, which includes the famous San Diego Zoo. On Saturday your day will start at the Little Italy Mercato Farmers Market and then on to the San Diego Horticulture Society’s annual spring garden tour in the Encinitas area north of the city. A multi course dinner at the Wine Vault & Bistro will complete the day. Sunday you’ll drive north again, through a section of Torrey Pines State Park, to the San Diego Botanical Garden and Mission Trails Regional Park. Dinner will be at Ironside Fish & Oyster in Little Italy. Monday will focus on the coastal environment with a trip to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, and Tuesday will begin the optional desert extension, stopping first at The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, then after lunch on to the Imperial Valley floor and Anza Borrego Desert State Park. There will be some optional hiking to see ocotillo, beavertail, barrel, fishhook, and other cacti before heading to Borrego Springs Resort Gold Club and Spa. On Wednesday drive past the Salton Sea into the Coachella Valley, with lunch at Shields Date Garden in Indio and a tour of The Living Desert, a remarkable combination garden, zoo, and natural history museum. In late afternoon you’ll arrive at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, with two outdoor pools, before dinner at The Steakhouse. Thursday features a drive over the coastal range to Temecula, San Diego’s wine country. For complete itinerary visit http://hiddentreasurestours.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/San-Diego-2018-Itinerary-Final-1.pdf

  • Tuesday, February 28 – Discount Registration Deadline for the 2018 World Bromeliad Society Conference in San Diego

    Planning for the 2018 Fiesta de las Bromelias conference, taking place May 29 – June 3, 2018 is well underway. We have secured the fantastic bayside resort Paradise Point which is close to San Diego restaurants, parks, attractions and the airport. We hope that you will plan on joining us for an exciting bromeliad extravaganza. There are several bromeliad growers and nurseries within striking distance, and there are both public and private gardens to see.

    San Diego shares a border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Our mild, dry Mediterranean climate means that xerophytic plants are particularly well-suited here. [Think Puya, Dykia, Hechtia and the many dry Tillandsias.] Yet within these limits, almost anything can be grown with regular irrigation under shade cloth! San Diego, the eighth largest city in the USA, is often referred to as “America’s Finest City”. Known for its great climate, pristine beaches, friendly people and a plethora of entertainment options, San Diego is a favorite travel destination for visitors across the globe. Our city has a huge variety of horticultural attractions close to the conference venue, and the resort is set on 44 lushly landscape acres.

    Balboa Park is located just minutes from downtown San Diego. Admittance is free to the Park grounds, Botanical Building, outdoor gardens, and some attractions. The San Diego Zoo is located inside the park. Most of the horticultural societies, meet in the park, and there are botanical oddities and interesting things to see at every turn. Other destinations close by include Torrey Pines State Park, La Jolla Cove and other free parks and beaches.
    There are some great Southern California nurseries specializing in Tillandsias; maybe we’ll see their plants at the sale, alongside plants from other nurseries and local growers.

    Registration Fee:

    • $350.00 if postmarked July 1, 2016 – Feb. 28, 2017
    • $390.00 if postmarked March 1, 2017 – May 1, 2018.
    • All registrations after May 1st, 2018 will be at the door at the rate of $425.00.

    If you are not a current BSI member, your annual membership fee must be paid, in addition to, the above Conference registration fee as follows:
    • USA residents add $45 single and $60 dual membership (add $5 for 1st class delivery)
    • Other countries add $50 single and $65 dual membership (includes airmail delivery)

    For complete information and registration forms, visit http://www.bsi.org/new/conference-corner/

  • Tuesday, November 8, 10:00 am – Boston Committee Annual Meeting and Luncheon

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is an affiliate member of the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America, which has its Annual Meeting in the fall each year.  This year on Tuesday, November 8 (yes, election day), John R. Clark, President and Executive Director of the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) in San Diego, California  will speak.  Registration and coffee begin at 10:00 am at The Country Club, 191 Clyde Street in Brookline.  A short business meeting will follow at 10:30 followed by the lecture at 11.  Luncheon will follow.

    Dr. John Clark is a distinguished scientist with the CPC. In 2015, CPC moved its headquarters to San Diego in order to formally partner with the San Diego Zoo Global.  Together, these two world class organizations are working to “preserve the imperiled plants and animals of the world.”

    CPC is a non-profit association of 40 botanical gardens, arboreta, and other groups that work collaboratively on sustainability and restoration of native ecosystems, habitat monitoring and management, plant-animal interactions, and recovery programs for endangered species.  In addition, their global management models and seed bank initiatives include 800 of the nation’s endangered plant species.

    CPC originated by Harvard University scientists at the Arnold Arboretum and was formerly based at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Dr. Clark will speak on CPC’s model programs and collaborations with a particular emphasis on Sustainable Ecosystems to Protect Endangered Plants and Animals.  The event is open to all members of the member clubs of the Boston Committee and their guests. Please email info@bostoncommittee.org for more information.  Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive a car pool notice.

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  • Wednesday, March 21 – Sunday, March 25 – Bold Colors and Exuberant Flowers: San Diego County

    Join the American Horticultural Society, with host Evelyn Alemanni, on Wednesday, March 21 through Sunday, March 25 for a tour of exciting public landscapes and spectacular private gradens during one of the most colorful months in southern coastal California.  You will stay at the  historic Inn at Rancho Santa Fe in the foothills of Northern San Diego County, pictured below.  Trip highlights include a sneak preview of new plants being introduced to the horticultural trade at the California Spring Trials, a stop at the world-famous Flower Fields to view a stunning display of ranunculus, and a private tour of both the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and the San Diego Botanic Garden.  For more information, contact MacNair Travel by emailing ahs@macnairtravel.com, or call 866-627-6621.