President`s Letter - The Ruth Bancroft Garden

Fall09volume17 issue2
President’s Letter
Patti Paulson
President, Board of Directors
What an odd
summer! Rain in
May, hot in May, then
cool weather, warm,
then hot, now cool
again. Confusing for
people and plants.
Not confusing is the
work that continues
at the Garden. We
experimented with
opening the gates for weekend visitors with great
success. We placed sculptures throughout the garden
after our Sculpture Show weekend for another
month, giving an unusual and striking look to the
Garden. We have work parties where wonderful
volunteers come in and weed, plant, divide plants,
giving us much appreciated behind the scenes help.
Speaking of behind the scenes, in my last letter
I mentioned our hard working Board of Directors.
Many of you may not know what the role of a director
might include because sometimes board directors
are not very visible. They rely on staff and others
to carry out programs while they go to meetings,
make decisions, and guide the organization. We are
lucky that we have a board that volunteers their
time with meetings that shape the policies of the
Garden. The fiscal health of the Garden is the board’s
responsibility, so we pay careful attention to our
budget and fundraising each year. Board members
support the Garden in many ways; by donating
dollars above and beyond the usual membership
amount, helping with fundraising by planning and
buying tickets to our events throughout the year.
Having our board members at events sends the
message to our community that we have a board that
cares and gives, the same as we ask of others. Our
board members are the ambassadors for the Garden,
connecting with others in the community to bring
added support and spread the word about what we
accomplish here.
As you can see, it is not a job to be taken lightly! The
“perk” we get is the satisfaction that we are helping a
cause in which we truly believe. I am very fortunate to
be working with such a dedicated group, and to those
of you who may be serving on a board, thank you. You
are members of a special part of the community.
Hope to see you in the Garden!
ffRBG Announces New Docent Training Program
Do you have a passion for drought tolerant gardening?
Are you interested in learning more about the Ruth Bancroft
Garden’s plant collection and history?
Want to share your love of nature with others?
Docent Paula
Shadle leading
a group tour
Then sign up for our new Docent Training Program and become
a member of our fun, intelligent, and respected docent team!
The docents at the Ruth Bancroft Garden play a vital role, interpreting the flora of the garden to hundreds of visitors per year.
See Docent Training - Continued on page 9
INSIDE
Gatsby Dinner
Donors enjoy a special
Fundraising Dinner
page 4
In The Garden
See what Fall brings
to The Garden
page5
Plant Profile
Haworthia glauca is highlighted
in this month’s issue
page8
Angela Lansbury
Founder’s Day Honorary Chair
Board of Directors
Ruth P. Bancroft
Garden Founder
Antonia Adezio
Garden Conservancy President
Patti Paulson
President
Nina Bancroft Dickerson
Gretchen Bartzen
Thomas Bassett
Darlene Cimino-DeRose
Annette Gelinas
Gail Giffen
Brian Hirahara
Billie Hopper
Natalie Inouye
Rosemarie Kramer
Barbara Loebel
Jim Mills
Bonnie Randall
Greg Randall
Bud Rotermund
Mary Lou Williams
Garden Staff
Becky Rice
Executive Director
Brian Kemble
Director of Horticulture
Rebecca Ines
Development Director
Pat Bassett
Membership Manager
Andrew Wong
Gardener
Freya van Dien
Volunteer Coordinator
Karen Gardner
Education Coordinator
The Newsletter Staff
Rebecca Ines – Editor
Becky Rice – Contributing Editor
Brian Kemble – Contributing Editor
Liz Munnelly – Design & Layout
Contact Information
Mail
The Ruth Bancroft Garden
1552 Bancroft Road
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
Call
(925) 944-9352 Office
(925) 210-9663 Events & Tours
Web
www.ruthbancroftgarden.org
E-Mail
info@ruthbancroftgarden.org
©2009 The Ruth Bancroft Garden, Inc.
Life Lessons
By Becky Rice
Executive Director
Life lessons from the garden…
Just yesterday, I paused to observe
bees and a hummingbird drinking
nectar from the enormous blooms
of the giant blue Agave franzosinii.
I admit it was with some degree of
sadness that I first learned this spring
that these magnificent plants were
going to bloom – three in one summer!
After all, it takes nearly thirty years
for each plant to reach the point of
flowering, after which the plant then
dies. In the case of Agave franzosinii,
the leaves have already begun turning
pastel hues of peach and yellow, even
while the flowers are still open.
When I started working in the garden
eight years ago, these sizeable
plants formed a massive ring of
pale blue foliage, a truly incredible
often-photographed feature of the
garden. Over the years, individual
plants have flowered, breaking the
continuity of this impressive ring.
Upon learning that three would flower
in one summer, well, l was at once
breathless, speechless, and tearful.
Of course, we have been replanting
pups with each successive flowering,
and as my fiancé reminded me, we can
return many years from now to see the
reformation of this beautiful feature.
As sad as it is to
lose such giant
specimens, I am
reminded that
this is the life of a
garden – ever-changing, ever-evolving.
As gardeners, we must look to the
future, embrace change, and reimagine our world. What an incredible
lesson this is to learn, and how
applicable it is in our daily lives.
As we plan for the future, we ask for
your help during this time of great
change in our world. The garden is
poised to make an incredible impact
on our community and on the way
people view gardens and resource
conservation. We are at a time in the
life of this garden when it is critical to
invest in its restoration, and we invite
you to become an active participant
in the process. Remembering the
garden in your charitable giving is a
direct way to invest in its future; even
small contributions can have great
impact. Volunteering your time and
energy is also a way to connect with
the natural world and take those
valuable moments to slow down and
enjoy the lessons the garden has to
offer. With your help, we can ensure
that the garden remains an important
community resource for many
generations to come.
Change is in the Air
•The Garden is now open 7 days a week, Monday – Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm.
•We have incorporated a Free Garden Day on the First Tuesday of every month.
•New admission fees include: General admission is $10
Seniors over 65 and Students $7
Members & children under 12 are free
fall09 page3
News In The Garden
Farewell To A Beloved Garden Member
In Memory of Marcheta Bowdle
Our dear Marcheta Bowdle, age
85, succumbed to leukemia on
August 22, 2009 surrounded
by family in her own home.
She was a graduate of Miami
University at Oxford, Ohio, where
she made lifelong friendships
in her Tri Delta sorority and met
her husband, Thomas Bowdle.
Marcheta worked in retail
merchandising in New York City
during the War and while Tom
attended law school in Cincinnati.
After Tom died of
emphysema in 1994, she
continued to pursue his passion
for genealogy, searching out and
visiting Bowdles and Bowdlers in
the United States and in England.
Her love of gardening was
reflected not only in her backyard
but in the many hours she spent
volunteering at the Ruth Bancroft
Garden in Walnut Creek up until
a few weeks before she died.
She was gracious, lovely, strong,
dignified, and independent,
always taking life as it came to her
without ever a complaint. She was
the primary caregiver for her aging
mother-in-law, her own mother,
and her husband. She was
blessed with perfect health until
her brief terminal illness.
ff
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Go
B a rr el
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F
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ld
In 1963, they moved to a home
in Walnut Creek, California,
where Marcheta would live for
the next 46 years. In addition
to caring for her husband and
two sons, Marcheta engaged in
a wide range of hobbies, arts
and civic endeavors over the
years. She was actively involved
in the Tri Delta organization and
maintained close friendships
with her sorority sisters. She
was a docent of the Oakland
Museum. She had a lifelong love
of dance and was a fan of the San
Francisco ballet. She loved to
read and had a home filled with
books. In the last few years, she
hosted a book club
called the Earthworms
at her home. For a
time she and her
friend Sallie carried on
a flourishing business
designing and sewing
aprons, which they
marketed through local
kitchen specialty shops.
A sad emptiness is left in the
hearts of all of her friends and
family, including two sons and
their wives, two grandchildren
and her brother. We will
always hold her in our hearts
and will miss her so much.
Remembrances and donations
toward The Marcheta Bowdle
Memorial Fund will be used
to create a memorial bench
in the garden in Marcheta’s
memory. We are planning a
gathering in The Garden on
November 8th at 2 pm.
Annual Giving
It is that time of the year again when things slow down. The Golden
Barrel Annual Fund was established to help keep the garden going
financially through the months that we do not have funds coming in
through fundraising events, or plant sales. The Fund provides a stable
source of income for the upkeep and enhancement of the Garden,
as well as for the programs that bring such wide recognition to this
inspirational garden. This year is especially important because of
the economic stress on many of our donors and the increased costs
of goods and services to the Garden. Thank you for your continued
support! As always your gift is tax deductible.
Fundraising in The Garden
By Rebecca Ines
Development Director
Sculpture in The Garden Exhibit
This year’s Sculpture event was spectacular. We raised over $30,000
in art sales. The event stayed up for one month, June 19 – July 19.
This gave The Garden another reason to show off! People brought
out of town guests to see the exhibit and even more art was sold
during this time. We extended our hours to accommodate the event
and this change was so popular, we are now keeping The Garden
open seven days a week.
Annual Dinner Goes Gatsby
The feathers were flapping and the
champagne flowing. The Annual
Dinner was a great success and a fun
time for all. The Garden honored
our very special Dr. Bud and Olga
Jane Rotermund for their years of
dedication and support of The
Garden. This was the largest
crowd ever and we hit our target
sales netting $34,500 for the
event. Everyone had a smashing
time. Congratulations to
Natalie Inouye and Rosemarie
Kramer for their hard work
and leadership for this year’s
event. We are looking
forward to 2010.
By Brian Kemble
Director of Horticulture
Once again this year we have had an interesting
assortment of agaves come into flower at the
garden. One of these is Agave vilmoriniana, known
as the octopus agave on account of its long arching
leaves, extending like tentacles in all directions. It
becomes quite large but does not put out offsets,
and it is unusual in having neither teeth along the
leaf edges nor a spine at the tip. Its flowering cycle
progresses very rapidly. The plant which flowered
this year at the garden began to send up its tall
stalk at the tail end of March, and by late May the
last of the flowers had already gone by. However, it
has a trick up its sleeve, because after the flowering
is over it sprouts a host of little plantlets all along
the stalk, and these subsequently rain down to
provide a back-up in case its seeds fail to sprout.
Another pleasant surprise was the appearance of
flowers on the plant we received as X Mangave
‘Macho Mocha’, a hybrid between a Manfreda and
an Agave. Many taxonomists now favor including
the genus Manfreda within Agave, so we could just
call it Agave ‘Macho Mocha’. But by any name, its
wide leaves spotted with dark purple and washed
with a violet tinge are a stunning sight. Its flowers
proved to be unusual rather than showy; green
on the outside with a brownish-purple face, and
creating a spidery look with their long protruding
stamens and pistils. After flowering, the plant has
begun making offsets around its base.
In the California natives area at the west of the
garden, the desert penstemons had a banner year
with hues of red, white, pink, magenta and purple. To
the west of these we have planted some Joshua trees
near the soundwall, and we look forward to the day
when their spiky silhouettes will draw attention from
drivers on Bancroft Road as well as garden visitors.
To the west of the garden’s central pool, the bed
dominated by echeverias and their relatives has
been revamped, with new plants added along with a
healthy dose of fresh compost.
On the east side of the garden, we have long been
concerned about the large specimen of Yucca
treculeana growing alongside a Chilopsis tree. In
trying to avoid the tree’s shade, the yucca grew out
into the path and made it difficult to pass. We have
addressed this by cutting out the leaning trunks of
the yucca, which will be allowed to re-grow from its
base with the tree canopy well above it.
French intern Fabien Decoucut took on the central bed
in the east shadehouse as a special project, working
with Andrew to remove an overgrown Euphorbia, and
then putting in an array of new plants.
ffThe Garden Wish List
ffWe're on Facebook! And Twitter!
Thank you Michael
O’Connor for donating a
great color printer.
It's finally happened. The Ruth Bancroft Garden has
officially entered the 21st century! Please join us
on facebook and twitter to receive up-to-the-minute
happenings in the garden, special offers, and
information about upcoming events.
Thank you Greg and
Bonnie Randall and
Paul and Peggy Rice for
the Laptop computers.
We Still Need:
Weed Eater
Tools Heavy duty loppers,
professional pruning
saw and pole saw.
Find us on twitter at:
http://twitter.com/RBancroftGarden
...and on facebook at:
www.facebook.com/ruthbancroftgarden
fall09 page5
In The Garden
fall09 page6
RBG Volunteers
ffThe Garden Cultivates a Volunteer “Department”
There is a lot of great news to share about the Garden’s “Volunteer Department”.
First of all we are happy to announce that as of April 6th the garden has a Volunteer
Coordinator, Freya van Dien. Since April, we’ve had a steady flow of new people signing
up to volunteer, including a number of teens who have been working with us during the
summer. During our busy Spring season,
volunteers have again contributed to the
Kyle Yaple
garden in many extraordinary ways: staffing
the busy sales registers during our events, giving ‘private tours’ to
grandmothers on Mothers Day, taking pictures for the Sculpture Show, the
list goes on. It goes without saying, but we do want to say it again and
again: our volunteers are WONDERFUL and their contribution to The Garden
is immeasurable!
ffThe Garden Welcomes - New Volunteer Coordinator
In the beginning of the year we received a grant from the Stanley Smith Horticultural
Trust for hiring a Volunteer Coordinator. In April we hired Freya van Dien, who will be
supporting our volunteers in all their various contributions to the garden, and recruit
new volunteers.
Freya van Dien moved to the Bay Area from The Netherlands in 2007. Inspired by the
ecology and the engagement with nature in the Bay Area, she uses her experience in
Freya van Dien
non profit management to support the connection between the general public and the
natural environment. Since her graduation from The Rotterdam University with a degree
in Cultural Social Studies, Freya and has been active in the fields of public art, sustainable design and art education.
ffVolunteers In The Garden
ffSpecial Thank You’s!
by Freya van Dien
We want to take this opportunity to thank the
following efforts of individuals who have gone over
and above to help us. We want you to know that it did
not go unnoticed:
Working as a Volunteer Coordinator for a garden
this beautiful, with its important mission of being
an example of water conservation, is a long awaited
opportunity. I am very excited to work with people
with whom I can share my love for plants and
sustainable gardening and to contribute to this
unique garden.
The Garden volunteers and staff work together
in preserving The Garden for the education and
enjoyment of the general public. I count myself
lucky to be working with such a strong and
generous volunteer base, and I invite everyone
who is interested in volunteering to get in touch
with me. I look forward to meeting you and
providing you with great volunteer opportunities!
Please feel free to contact me at:
freya@ruthbancroftgarden.org
Bear Begelman for building the grape stake enclosure
around the pool filter.
Paul Dobson for building display racks for the
Propagation area and repairing all the wheel barrows
and carts amongst other handy work he has provided.
Paul Lonsdale for power-washing the stone terrace
prior to the Sculpture Show Event.
Jeremy Olson for selecting to build new display shelves
for the plant sale house as his eagle-scout project and
donating his time and talents.
Jim Herrity, Bill Piona, Richard Rex and Jim Tomasini
for putting up the grape-stake fence around the
propagation area.
fall09 page7
College Internship Program
ffThis year’s College Internship Program
has been very successful!
The Garden has taken five new interns aboard this summer. First, Paul
Skillin, who is the son of plant photographer Rob Skillin, and who is very
interested in aloes and agaves. Intern Tito Abbo began at the garden in
late August. He will be attending college at SOAS (part of the University
of London) beginning in September 2010. He has a long-standing interest
in succulent plants, and we welcome his help at RBG, both working in the
garden and also in the propagation area. Tito attended high school at ISM
in Monaco, and lived in Venezuela prior to that.
We recently said goodbye to three exceptional interns: Fabien Decoucut,
from the French landscaping school ENSNP, recent UC Davis graduate
Felicia Yu, and Allison Trujillo, from the California Culinary Academy. These
interns put in a tremendous amount of work: Fabien in the garden, Felicia
in our propagation area, and Allison in event planning.
We are always looking for new interns, in many areas: Plant Propagation
and Greenhouse Management, Landscape Management, Interpretive
Education, Plant Inventory and Database Management, and Marketing
and Event Planning. For more information on our internship program, or to
apply, please check out our website, and click on “Education & Programs.”
From top to bottom:
Fabien Decoucut,
Allison Trujillo,
Felicia Yu , Tito Abbo
and Paul Skillin
ffGarden Education Program
By Karen Gardner
Education Coordinator
Greetings! It is my extreme pleasure to be a part of the Ruth Bancroft Garden. This
garden is a truly special place indeed, and I am thrilled to be able to help educate
people about the plants, history, and philosophy of this garden.
Although I have only been here for a few months, I have been very busy. One of my
major projects has been the children’s tour program. We are hoping to have more
kids than ever in the garden this year, and to make the tour as educational and
fun as possible. Having already led a handful of children’s tours with our amazing
children’s docents, I have some great ideas about improving and expanding the program. Education at The Garden is
not limited to just kids, though: I have also developed an adult education workshop series which started in August with
a very successful “Drip Irrigation” workshop. I also organize the horticulture seminar series. But that’s not all! You will
also see major changes on our kiosk at the Garden’s South entrance.
I thought I would fill you in a little on my background and what brings me here. I graduated in 2005 from Humboldt
State University with a B.A. in Environmental Politics. I completed a Permaculture Design Certificate just a few
months ago, and I am currently enrolled in a Landscape Architecture Program at U.C. Berkeley. I have been in the
field of environmental education for some time now, as a garden teacher, watershed educator, and youth organizer.
Educating others about environmentally sound ways of living is truly my passion, and I believe that the possibilities
of doing so here at the Garden are endless.
Again, I am very excited to be a part of this exceptional garden, and I am looking forward to meeting and working
with you all!
09profile45
fall
Gasteria armstrongii
The genus Gasteria is closely related to Aloe, but it is a
much smaller group with a less extensive distribution,
occurring only in South Africa and adjacent countries. The
name for the genus derives from the Latin word “gaster”,
meaning stomach, and refers to the appealing pot-bellied
flowers which dangle from the floral branches when the
plants come into bloom. Gasterias are also sometimes
called tongue plants because of their tongue-like leaves,
but this term is also applied to other unrelated plants.
Foliage
Some of the more robust gasteria species develop large
rosettes of leaves which may exceed two feet in length,
but most kinds are smaller, with leaves under a foot long.
One of the interesting smaller-growing species is Gasteria
armstrongii, with chubby dark green leaves which look
almost as though they were made of leather. This gasteria
has a distichous leaf arrangement, which means that
the leaves are all in one plane, coming out first on one
side and then the other of the central growing point, with
newer leaves stacking on top of the older ones as the
plant grows. The leaf surface is somewhat bumpy rather
than completely smooth, and some specimens have a
scattering of off-white spots peppering the leaves, while
others lack this. In nature, plants can be hard to spot
because the leaves are quite short and pressed tightly
against the ground, acquiring a brownish tinge which
makes them blend into their surroundings. In cultivation,
plants are generally not so flat, and they make delightful
potted specimens. They put out occasional offsets, and
these may be removed and potted up, or else left in place
so that a compact clump is formed.
In some reference books, Gasteria armstrongii is listed
as a variety of Gasteria nitida. The two are certainly
closely related, and young plants of G. nitida look very
much like G. armstrongii. However, the former grow to
be much larger, with spotted triangular leaves and a
branching inflorescence.
G. armstrongii flowers in summer. The flowering stalks
are unbranched and rise to a height of a foot and a half
or less (40 to 50 cm). The curving flowers are swollen at
the base and form a slender tube towards the
mouth. They are about ¾ of an
inch in length (20 mm) and coral
red in color, with a paler mouth.
Like other gasterias, their
flowers contain a clear nectar.
In their native habitat near
South Africa’s southern coast,
they are visited by nectar-loving
sunbirds, and in gardens in our
part of the world they attract
hummingbirds. When fertilized,
the flowers are followed by little
green pods which turn to tan as
they ripen. At this point they
split open to shed the small
black seeds.
Gasterias are easy to grow from
seed, though it should be noted
that they readily hybridize with
other gasteria
species if these
are present, or
Flower
even with close
relatives such
as aloes. If pure
seed is desired,
flowering plants
should be kept where
pollinators cannot visit
them, and then crosspollinated by hand with pollen
from another plant of the same species.
Though Gasteria armstrongii is most often
seen as a potted plant, in mild climates
it can be grown in the garden. It prefers a
semi-shaded position, and should have a spot
towards the front of a bed, because its short
stature would otherwise tend to leave it hidden by
other taller-growing neighbors.
Plant Profile by Brian Kemble. Plant illustration from Walther Haage, Kakteen von A bis Z, 1981.
Flower illustration by Paul Skillin.
This is the 45th in the Plant Profile Series published in The Ruth Bancroft Garden Newsletter.
For more information visit www.ruthbancroftgarden.org © 2009 The Ruth Bancroft Garden
ffDocent Training continued from page 1
The Ruth Bancroft Garden is pleased to announce our
2009 workshop series! Sponsored by the Contra Costa
Water District, this series will focus on sustainable
gardening techniques. In this time of drought, learn
how to make your garden more environmentally
sustainable and beautiful at the same time!
The docent training provides you with knowledge
about our collection of drought tolerant plants,
the history of the garden, our geographic location,
as well as training in interpretive skills and public
speaking. As a trained docent, you will be certified
to lead tours through the garden and share your
knowledge with our visitors.
The benefits of becoming a docent include a free
garden membership and ongoing docent enrichment
educational opportunities, in addition to the
satisfaction of working in a beautiful place and
contributing to your community. If you are a student,
we will work with your school so you can earn
college internship credit for becoming a RBG docent.
The cost of the docent training is $75.
Scholarships are available, and we will not turn
anyone away for lack of funds.
Dish Gardening October 10, 12 noon -1:30 p.m.
Presenter: Hank Jenkins
Come for our plant sale, stay for the workshop! In this
fun and hands-on class, you will learn how to make
beautiful and dynamic succulent dish gardens.
Herb Walk October 17, 10 a.m. -12 noon
Presenter: Marina Storm
This workshop will focus on the medicinal and ethnobotanical properties of many of the plants of the Ruth
Bancroft Garden.
Workshop Pricing:
$20 for RBG Members & Garden Conservancy Members
$25 for the General Public
All workshops will be held at the Ruth Bancroft Garden
unless noted otherwise.
3 ways to register:
Online: www.tinyurl.com/RBGworkshops
By mail or fax: registration form can be found at
www.ruthbancroftgarden.org
By phone: call Karen at (925) 944-9352
The 10-session docent training program will begin
October 24th, with sessions occurring twice per
month until March 2010. Please visit our website,
or contact our volunteer coordinator Freya van
Dien for details about the training at
freya@ruthbancroftgarden.org
fall09 page9
ffThe Ruth Bancroft Garden
2009 Workshop Series
fall09 page10
Members Make A Difference
Thank you for your support. Your membership and donations keep The Garden thriving.
GOLDEN BARREL DONORS
BENEFACTORS ($5,000 to $10,000)
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cabot
Ms. Patricia Paulson and Mr. Pat Matthews
PRESERVATIONIST ($2000 +)
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Coit
Mr. and Mrs. James Mills
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Randall
Dr. and Mrs. Maynard Rotermund
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Rudiger
VISIONARY - ($1,000)
Jane Freeman
Mrs. Gwen Gallagher
Billie Hopper and David Mitchell
AGAVE ($500)
LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS
Mr. Peter Bancroft
Mrs. Ruth Bancroft
Peter Blaney
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Coit
Mr. and Mrs. John Dickerson
Gail Giffen and Chris Pisarra
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Haughton
Mr. and Mrs. Loreto Hidalgo
Dr. and Mrs. Luman Hughes
Ms. Patricia Paulson & Mr. Pat Matthews
Mr. and Mrs. Lyles Pember
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rainey
Dr. and Mrs. Maynard Rotermund
Mrs. Kate Rowe
VISIONARY LEVEL
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Fleischer
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Hirahara
Martha MacLaughlin
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Sekella
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Rudiger
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cabot
California Association of Nurseries & Garden Centers
Mrs. Jeanne Hittell
Mr. and Mrs. Lon Israel/Oakmead Foundation
Lorna Lee
Mr. and Mrs. Barclay Simpson
ALOE ($250)
AGAVE LEVEL
Ms. Barbara Cox
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Griffiths
Ms. Joyce Munson
Ms. Alida Thompson
CEREUS ($100)
Mr. and Mrs. Leland G. Anderson
Marion Brenner
Ms. Ann Cox
Mr. and Mrs. Raleigh Davis
Ms. Darlene DeRose
Ms. Gloria Duffy
Ms. Jane Erwin
Gail Giffen and Chris Pisarra
Ms. Arlene J. Grieve
Jeff Gustafik and Kathy Simons
Ms. Susan Hermanson
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Hicks
Ms. Lois O. Holt
Mr. Stephen Hudson and Mr. Damon Duree
Sandra Mocco and Jim Koeppel
Cindy and Thomas Silva
Mr. and Mrs. John Sustek
Mr. and Mrs. Page Thibodeaux
Grace Williams
BASIC ($50)
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Antle
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Bonarius
Mr. George Boyd
Mr. Donald J. Frediani and Ms. Renata Gasperi
Mr. and Mrs. Ivan H. Gilman
Mr. and Mrs. David Goldsmith
Ms. Donna Herdman
Mrs. Jeanne Hittell
Mr. John Hook
Ms. Rosemarie Kramer
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Larson
Mr. and Mrs. David Light
Karen Sturges
Mr. Fred Thompson
OTHER
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Barry
Ms. Carol Bergren
Mrs. Nancy Dehaesus
Jacki Gelder
Patricia Hohne
Mr. and Mrs. William Martini
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Moore
Ms. Patricia O’Leary Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Milton Greenstein
Mr. and Mrs. John Harrell
Mr. and Mrs. John Fischer
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Griffiths
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ingraham
Mrs. Susie Newcomb
ALOE LEVEL
Dr. William Billings
Ms. Barbara Cox
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Holmer
CEREUS LEVEL
Ms. Antonia Adezio - Garden Conservancy
Ms. Gretchen Bartzen
Blackhawk Bloomers
Ms. Marcheta Bowdle
Mr. Tim Breza
Mr. Bradley Brown
Ms. Sally Chapman
Mrs. Louise Clark
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Dobson
Mr. Lawrence Einhorn
Ms. Arlene J. Grieve
Ms. Arlene Groen
Mr. Al Hart and Ms. Pat Fury
Mr. and Mrs. James Herrity
Mr. and Mrs. Colin Holland
Jeannette Holmes
Billie Hopper and David Mitchell
Mr. and Mrs. Tudor Jones, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Soren Knudsen
Ms. Barbara Koepsell
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Larsen
Belinda Ledgerwood
Mr. Alex Muhanoff
Jannifer Puyans
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Randall
Fresno Cactus & Succulent Society
Mr. Larry Read
Gwen Regalia
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Rice
Mr. Dennis Sasaki
Mrs. Jean Schulz
Mrs. B. P. Sloan
Ms. Bessie Smyth
Mr. and Mrs. John Sustek
Ms. Chris Szybalski
Orinda Garden Club
FAMILY LEVEL
David and Lisa Ackerman
Mr. Robert Aichele
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Anduri
Dina Angel-Wing
Anonymous (2)
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Antle
Gregg and Marion Armstrong
Mr. and Mrs. Barone-Powleson
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Barry
Mr. and Mrs. Ted Bayer
Marilyn Bayer
Mr. Web Beadle
Lucy Beazley
Bennett Berke & Lorna Wallace
Ronald Boheim & Janine Sullivan
Emil and Christy Bohn
Mr. Joseph A. Bologna
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Bonarius
Mr. and Mrs. Jake Bronson
Trace and Madeleine Bronstone
Mr. John Browne, III
Mr. and Mrs. James P Butler
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Canning
Ms. Lynn Carrere
Ms. Jenny Caulfield
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Conrad
Mario Correa
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Coull
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Dahl
Mr. and Mrs. Raleigh Davis
Michael and Barbara Day
Mr. and Mrs. Jarl De Boer
Mr.Tom Decker
Marcia Donahue
Merrie DuFrenen
Patrice and Ronald Ehrlich
Ms. Rachel Ellsworth
Dr. and Mrs. Marvin Epstein
David Frane & Charla Gabert
Rebecca Fox
Mr. Steven Frank
Mr. Richard Frankel
Bob Fraysse
Tom and Megan Fraysse
Mr. Donald J. Frediani & Renata Gasperi
Mr. Herb Fredricksen
Mr. Steve Freedman
Boudin Bakery
Piedmont Garden Club
Mr. and Mrs. Andy Gandolfo
Mr. and Mrs. Philip Gardner
Leslie Garrow
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gelinas
Rob Grady
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Griffee
Ms. Kathryn Griffin
Mr. and Mrs. Reijer Groenveld
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hartman
Henry and Karen Haugse
El Cerrito Garden Club
Carol Hehmeyer
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Hicks
Ms. Cheryl Hines
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hockel
Denise Howard
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hussey
Mr. Dennis Hwang & Laura Blackwell
Mr. and Mrs. George Jardim
Nancy and Norm Jokerst
Mr. and Mrs. Herman Jurkovich
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Kennedy
Don and Alice Kennelly
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Kirk
Mr. and Mrs. Ira A. Kleiman
Ms. Sylvia Klein
Mr. David Kleinecke
Carol and Doug Knowles
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Kovar
Ms. Rosemarie Kramer
William and Cheryl Ku
Sumiko Kurihara
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Lang
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Leach
Kenneth and Gabriele Levine, D.V.M.
Ms. Heloise Levy
Mr. and Mrs. David Light
Ms. Barbara Loebel & Bear Begelman
Bret Lyon and Sheila Rubin
Mr. Stephen Lysaght & Mr. Gary Anderson
Carol and John Maerzke
Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Malmstrom
Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Marraccini
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Matthews
Mr. and Mrs. Lowman McCarley
Walnut Creek Garden Club
Alex MacLeitch
Robert and Barbara McCullough
Mr. and Mrs. Vern Miller
Ms. Dani Miller
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Mitchell
Jim and Jody Morgan
David Morris
David Moyal and Nicole Howard
David Mudgett and Linda Bell
Leslie and Jude Munn
Ray Muscat
Ms. Ruth Nelson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Nielsen
Mr. Tom Noble
Debbe and Joseph O’Brien
Mrs. Naoko Ochikubo
John Oldani
Judy Onopchenko
Leroy Parker
Ron and Martha Parriott
Mr. Charles Redfield
Mr. Richard Rex
Mr. Michael Rippey
Lorraine Rose-Lerman & Bradley Rose
Everett and Stefanie Rosemond
Ms. Lauren Ross
Ms. Veronica Roussel
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Rudiger
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Ryan
Jeanne Savarese & Mickey Urdea
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Schnoll
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Schroder
Ms. Gloria Scilacci
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Sekella
Mr. and Mrs. James Servais
Tom and Shari Shastid
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shaw
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shenk
Mr. Joe Sidran
Livermore Amador Valley Garden Club
Cindy and Thomas Silva
Mr. Joe Smart
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Smith
Ms. Gerriann Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Stem
Ms. Libby Stevens
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Sullivan
Mr. Joel Summerhill
Mr. Charles Swanson
Mr. Don Tatzin & Ellen Reintjes
Ms. Ann Testa
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Thiessen
Ms. Alida Thompson
Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord Thorne
Ms. Roxanne Tjaden
Dr. and Mrs. Allan Tobias
Marion and Bob Trentman-Morelli
Vince and Dana Vanelli
Dr. Harry Verby
Ms. Jean Vieth
Dave and Elaine Wegenka
Kevin Weinstein & Ellen McCarty
Bryan and Judy Welden
David and Carrie Wendt
Bud and Judy Wisecarver
Mrs. Jane Wulff
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Yates
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Yolland
Happy Valley Garden Club
Mt. Diablo Iris Society
BASIC LEVEL
Ms. Barbara Abbott
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Alspaugh
Alexandra Ashton
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Aston
Ms. Paula Baessler
Ms. Mary Jo Baietti
Randy Baldwin
Mr. Don Bates
Ms. Ruth Beeve
Helen Benjamin
Ms. Leigh Benner
Ms. Carol Bergren
Ms. Edith Bergstrom
Mr. Gerhard Bock
Mr. Robert Bru
Ms. Carol Bryan
Mr. Stafford Buckley
Sydney Bynum
Ms. Mercy Calman
Ms. Janice Cattolica
Charles Caudle
Mr. Patrick Cearley
Constance Chiba
Mr. and Mrs. Jorge Chinchilla
Ms. Kathleen Collins & Richard Cowan
Ms. Dianne Cooper
Marilyn Cooper
Mr. Glenn Corlew
Wendy Cowles
Ms. Sue Cross
Clayton Valley Garden Club
Kathy Dasso
Rosemary Dauenhauer
Ms. Analice Decker
Ms. Darlene DeRose
Ms. Enid Dickson
Ms. Rebecca Doe
Ms. Verna Dow
Jeff Dudum
Rick Dudum
Gay Edelson
Loyal Elam
Quin Ellis
Ms. Sande Ellsmore
Mr. Gordon Erspamer
Mr. Tom Evanoff
Ms. Anne Fallin
Ms. Libby Flynn
Mr. James Forslind
Ms. Phyllis Gaines
Mrs. Gwen Gallagher
Ms. Doris Garrett
Mr. Gregory Gatwood
Jacki Gelder
Ms. Jeannie Graham
Katherine Greenberg
Ms. Irene Guros
Ms. Ilse Hadda
Ms. Kathy Hallock
Gen. Jack Hancock, (Ret.)
Mr. and Mrs. John Harrell
Ms. Kathy Hart
Ms. Hali Hausmann
Dolores Henderson
Catherine Herdering
Harwood and Betty Hoeft
Ms. Lois O. Holt
Ms. Trudy Huenninghaus
Ms. Lesley Hunt
Mr. Ersten Imaoka
Ms. Natalie Inouye
Linda Jaffe
Ms. Irma Jarvenpaa
Ms. Jeannette Kade
Ms. Linda Kay Keener
Deborah Koenig
Ms. Eunice Kritscher
Sabine Kroeber
Ms. Gloria Laird
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lerner
Emrys Lloyd Roberts
Sue Loyd
Ms. Cindy Lyon
Mary MacMaster
Ms. Susan MacNeal
Ms. Kelly Marshall
Ms. Margie Marsted
Michael Martin
Ms. Lee McCaffree
Suzanne McCann
Ms. Kathy McCarthy
Phyllis McCole
Mary McComb
Sally McCraven
Kelley Macdonald
Brenda McNeely
Ms. Sherry Merciari
Ms. Mary Leigh Miller
Ms. Jane Minor
Judith Mollica
Ms. Caroline Moyer
Charlene Mulcahy
Ms. Gail Murray
Ms. Betty Niland
Ms. Betty Nostrand
Il Fornaio
Mr. Robert Paine
Ms. Katherine Palmbaum
Felix Parra
Mr. Michael Paster
Jean-Paul and Kathleen Peluffo
Ms. Eleanor Perry
Ms. Carollee Peterson
Mr. Gary Peterson
Dr. Danka Petrovic & Dr. Edwin Poore
Ms. Nadine Peyrucain
Ms. Mary Anne Pienta
Mr. Porter Poirier
Ms. Janis Porter
Bob Power
Mary Ransdell
Ms. Barbara Reed
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Reifschneider
Brenda Roberts
Stephanie Roberts
Bill Rocha
Mr. and Mrs. Randy Rosso
Patricia Rowe
Algis Rudinskas
Ms. Helen Scharmer
Ms. Joanne Schultz
Joe Secola
Hunter Sessions
Dr. Paula Shadle
Susan Sharman
Ms. Shirley Shean
Margot Sheffner
Sally Shute
Ms. Nan Siegel
Mr. Robert Silverberg
Mr. Neil Sims
Kimmen Sjolander
Ms. Lindsay Skidmore
Mr. Gary Skrel
Ms. Linda Slevin
Ms. Eleanor Slovak &
Mr. H. Jeffrey Lawrence
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Smith
Rebecca Stager
Stacey Street
Mrs. Linda Strickland
Karen Sturges
Tina Swan
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Thompson
Mr. Fred Thompson
Ms. Clare Tongue
Ms. Judy Torrison
Marilyn Tragoutsis
Natalia Udaltsova
Chris Ullsperger
Ms. Connie Van Ness
Lisa Wallace
Deb Wat
Ms. Karen Weichert
Judy Weichold
Ann Wiggins
Ms. Julie Wilde
Pat and Joan Williams
Mr. Steven Wilson
Susan Wittenmyer
Kristie Wurzburger
STUDENT AND SENIOR LEVEL
Mr. and Mrs. Leland G. Anderson
Diana Arsham
Mr. and Mrs. George Blackmore
Ms. Lynne Blower
Mr. Michael Braude
Dagmar Coolins
Barbara Crawford
Mrs. Nancy Dehaesus
Mr. Philip Dowling and Ms. Erilda Satti
Ms. Avis Eukel
Mr. Morris Fraser
Ms. Ursula I. Garvey
Mr. Bob Gesley
Lois Gilmour
Ms. Kathleen Gonzalez
Joann Grant
Mr. Danny Hagan
Mrs. JoAnn Hanna
Mr. Wayne Hofer
Dr. and Mrs. Barry Hunau
Jackie Jones
Ms. Bobbie Jorgenson
Ms. Corrine Kirsten
Mrs. Mimi Knox
Ms. Karen Larkin
Ms. Patti Marcus
Ms. Sue Martin
Margaret Mc Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Nash
Ms. Patricia Prejza
Ms. Gloria Saltzman
Ms. Mary Scott
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sereda
Mr. Caleb Shaffer
Mr. Maury Stern
Ms. Sara Tancredy
Linda Tennis
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Tom
Ms. Katherine Van Hoesen
Ms. Mary Wall
Ms. Beverly Weis and Mr. James Morton
Mary Wood
ONGOING PLEDGES annual giving
Marcheta Bowdle
Gretchen Bartzen
Ms. Trudy Huenninghaus
Mr. and Mrs. Luman Hughes
Mr. and Mrs. Lyles Pember
Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Rotermund
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Rudiger
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Thiessen
fall09 page11
Membership as of September 15, 2009
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