Since its installation in April, the expansive Drew School vertical garden has filled out beautifully. Gracing the new Sam Cuddeback Assembly Wing with California native species,
Patrick Blanc: Drew School Vertical Garden
the garden merited a “Wow… wow!” from its designer, artist/botanist Patrick Blanc, the inventor of the Green Wall as we have come to know it.
Only a few hours after his flight from Paris touched down in the Bay Area, Patrick had arrived at the Drew School to mingle with parents and fans of his work, before presenting an update on current projects – of which there are many from Miami to Bahrain. Patrick shared his impressions of how the school’s garden fared thus far. Overall, the San Francisco habitat is proving beneficial to most of the plant selections, with a spot here and there that may need replanting; the amount of water will be reduced now that plants have become established.
Everything Green!
A good-by hug after Patrick’s enthusiastic presentation at the school’s state-of-the-art theatre.
An exciting revelation in Patrick’s talk: The world-class botanist specializing in tropical flora has had a new plant named for him. Patrick discovered Begonia blancii in Palawan, in the Philippine Islands.
Follow this Youtube link and you’ll be trekking in the jungle with Patrick and his associates as they come upon the Begonia growing in its native habitat, the Bulalakaw Falls area in Palawan.
- Heuchera Bloom Oct 2011 Photo © Alice Joyce
Heuchera and Aquilegia, lupine and Mimulus area but a few of the plants blooming now.
Patrick Blanc: The Vertical Garden on Amazon.com
Blanc Garden S.F. Oct 2011 Photo © Alice Joyce
Approximately six months since the planting of the Drew School Vertical Garden and the growth is lush, and rich with blooms.
