[NPSBC] UBC Botanical Garden - Native Plants Update

[Daniel Mosquin]

Hi all,

I asked Tony Maniezzo, Curator of the North American Gardens here at 
UBC, to write a summary of what happened in 2012 in UBC's native plantings:

****** begin Tony's summary ******

The B.C. Rainforest Garden (formerly the BC Native Garden) continues to 
undergo renovation in several areas. I have been concentrating on 
forested beds and paths by removing salal and Rubus spp. to achieve a 
more open feel and allow room for understory herbaceous plantings as 
opposed to woody species. Pathways are being made more accessible by 
widening and adding mulches, while pathway edges are weeded to bring 
desirable plants close for viewing. Invasive plants are being kept under 
control and I am especially happy about my efforts to control _Rubus 
armeniacus_.

The bog area of the Rainforest Garden is being revitalized. I was 
inspired by efforts at Camosun Bog on the UBC Endowment Lands. Suckering 
shrubs such as _Spiraea_ and Labrador tea have been removed, creating a 
larger bog area which I hope to plant with bog-loving species. Shrubs 
around the perimeter have been removed or cut back to allow better 
visual access to the pond. The Horticultural Training Program students 
will get into the pond this winter to remove vegetation. Opening up the 
bog has created many more planting spaces but it has also allowed 
grasses and other weeds to thrive especially _Lysimachia vulgaris_ which 
seems to love the added light. Some plants that we are hoping to add 
are; sundews (_Drosera rotundifolia_ and _Drosera anglica_), fernleaved 
goldthread (_Coptis aspleniifolia_), king gentian (_Gentiana sceptrum_) 
and other gentians,  marsh marigolds (_Caltha_ spp), butterwort 
(_Pinguicula vulgaris_), sticky false asphodel (_Triantha glutinosa_); 
lady tresses (_Spiranthes romanzoffiana_) and fringed grass-of-Parnassus 
(_Parnassia fimbriata_).

We have made several collections for the garden over the last couple of 
years. This spring we were able to collect from areas near Princeton. 
Some of the plants collected were: white bog orchid (_Platanthera 
dilatata_), western meadow-rue (_Thalictrum occidentale_),  soopalallie 
(_Shepherdia canadensis_), northern gentian (_Gentianella amarella_ 
subsp. _acuta_), Columbia lily (_Lilium columbianum_), Menzies' larkspur 
(_Delphinium menziesii_), pinedrop (_Pterospora andromeda_), and 
Engelmann spruce (_Picea engelmannii_).

In all things seem to be looking up for the Rainforest Garden, with 
vigilance against invasive species, opening up planting areas, and 
collecting new plants the area can be a  highlight for the Botanical Garden.

****** end Tony's summary ******

I'll also add that a few collections were made for the Garry Oak Meadow 
and Woodland garden, along with a trip to see some of the Garry oak 
plant communities on Vancouver Island.

No collections were made this year for the Pacific Slope garden 
(primarily for woody plant taxa of coastal western North America), but 
many of the seed collections from previous years continue to grow in the 
nursery and will be planted in the next couple years.

A donation from central Oregon of a near-complete _Camassia_ species and 
cultivar collection was also made to the Garden -- the larger of these 
flowered this spring, look for larger displays in the next few years in 
the Pacific Slope garden.

If anyone is interested in collecting seeds or plants for the Garden, 
your help would be much appreciated. We are looking for general 
collections as well as for specific projects (e.g., the list of bog 
species above or interior rainforest species, particularly endemics or 
coastal disjuncts). Seeds or plants must be ethically-collected 
(permits/permission if required, from large & apparently stable 
populations) with documentation (who, when and where, including lat/long 
coordinates and elevation). Send any questions about collecting directly 
to me.

I hope other gardens (both public and private) with native plant 
collections might also send the listserv an update!

Daniel

-- 
Daniel P.K. Mosquin
Research Manager | UBC Botanical Garden | UBC Biodiversity Collection | 
Faculty of Science

The University of British Columbia | Vancouver
6804 SW Marine Drive | Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4
Phone 604 827 5773 | Fax 604 822 2016

daniel.mosquin at ubc.ca | @ubcgarden
botanicalgarden.ubc.ca  | facebook.com/ubcgarden | bcflora.org | 
botanyjohn.org

-- 
Daniel P.K. Mosquin
Research Manager | UBC Botanical Garden | UBC Biodiversity Collection | 
Faculty of Science

The University of British Columbia | Vancouver
6804 SW Marine Drive | Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4
Phone 604 827 5773 | Fax 604 822 2016

daniel.mosquin at ubc.ca | @ubcgarden
botanicalgarden.ubc.ca  | facebook.com/ubcgarden | bcflora.org | 
botanyjohn.org