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Botanical Gardens

Ruth Bancroft Garden

Bancroft Garden - Photo: Brian Kemble

Displaying an originality that outshines traditional garden settings, The Ruth Bancroft Garden, located in Walnut Creek, California, reveals an eccentric cast of characters, along with an enthusiasm for succulent plants that traces back to the 1950s, when Mrs. Bancroft began collecting potted specimens. Ruth Bancroft’s design artistry and gardening prowess as creator of an iconic landscape inspired the founding of The Garden Conservancy in 1989. Having set its sights on preserving our country’s horticultural legacy, the Conservancy championed the 3-acre Ruth Bancroft Garden, selecting it as the first to be listed on the organization’s register.

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Garden Travel

Worth Garden: A Paradise in Mill Valley

Worth Garden /Silver leaves and Steps Photo © Alice Joyce

Artist/Photographer Don Worth created a paradise garden in Mill Valley, California. Soon you’ll have a rare opportunity to experience the garden’s tropical splendor on Saturday, June 16th, 2012 when The Garden Conservancy Open Days Program allows visitors access to this beguiling landscape. In 1964 Worth bought the property in Mill Valley and began to work on a garden. When I walked through the landscape with Don in 2004, he remembered thinking of all the photographs he would take. “It became a laboratory for me,” he said, “… a never-ending source of subject matter.” Don passed away recently, but his garden remains a testament to a stunning artistic vision. You’d never know this setting had been overgrown with poison oak, French broom, wild blackberries and as Don told me, “more different kinds of weeds than one can imagine.”

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Botanical Gardens

Tucson Botanical Gardens

Tucson Botanical Moorish Garden Photo © Alice Joyce

Springtime is a particularly lovely time of year to tour the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Located in the very heart of the city, the Gardens comprise an engaging layout of specially designed spaces where you’ll experience visual delights while taking in the enlightening educational aspects of each area. Near the Gardens Gift Shop you’ll encounter the Porter Patio Garden which surrounds the former home of Bernice and Rutger Porter. Look for mature specimens of olive, myrtle, pomegranate and citrus in this welcoming spot.

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