Looking at different garden societies

ON GARDENING

Variegata Fox Tail Agave (Agave attenuata ‘Variegata’). A heavily variegated cultivar of the Agave attenuata genus. Because the plant’s variegation is unstable each leaf can have a different variegation. The wide, pale-green, pliable leaves have yellow stripes near the margins that differ from leaf to leaf. The leaves have so little green chlorophyll that the plant grows very slowly. Eventually, the plant grows up to 3 feet high and 6 feet wide. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOM KARWIN

Iris ‘That’s All Folks’ This tall bearded iris grows to 40 inches high and blooms mid-season. The standards are brilliant gold, the falls are white with gold blending to a wide muted gold band, and the beards are gold. This plant was hybridized by William Maryott by Joseph Ghio. It has earned several awards, including the prestigious American Dykes Medal in 2013. This description is edited from the American Iris Society’s Iris Encyclopedia (https: — wiki.irises.org/), which includes over 80,000 fact sheets for Iris names.

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Our recent exploration of social gardening emphasized hands-on gardening. Another important aspect of social gardening is that garden societies emphasize interpersonal activities.

The purposes of these groups, often formed as nonprofit corporations, include sharing information about gardening methods and encouraging interest in gardening.

Today’s photo gallery includes selections from the most popular genera and categories of garden plants: Dahlias, Irises, Roses, California Natives, and Cacti & Succulents. Other gardeners could have different lists!

Our overview describes three primary focuses of garden societies: a favored plant genus, interest in a selected category of plants, or all gardening activities. Some societies’ activities could overlap these categories.

Garden societies on plant genera — local

• Carmel Orchid Society https://www.carmelorchidsociety.org/

• Monterey Bay Dahlia Society https://www.mbdahlias.org/

• Monterey Bay Iris Society https://montereybayiris.org/

• Monterey Bay Rose Society https://montereybayrosesociety.org/index.html

• Santa Cruz Orchid Society http://santacruzorchidsociety.org/

• Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris https://www.pacificcoastiris.org/

Garden societies on plant categories

• California Native Plant Society https://www.cnps.org/

• California Native Plant Society, Monterey Bay Chapter https://chapters.cnps.org/montereybay/

• California Rare Fruit Growers https://crfg.org/• California Rare Fruit Growers, Monterey Bay Chapter http://mbcrfg.org/

• Golden State Bonsai Federation https://www.santacruzbonsaikai.com/

• Monterey Bay Area Cactus & Succulent Society https://mbsucculent.org/

• Monterey Bonsai Club www.montereybonsai.org

• Pacific Bulb Society https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbsforum/index.php?page=membership

• Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai https://www.santacruzbonsaikai.com/

Garden societies on gardening

• California Garden and Landscape History Society https://cglhs.org/

• California Garden Clubs https://www.californiagardenclubs.com/

• Carmel Valley Garden Club https://cvgc.clubexpress.com/

• Marina Tree & Garden Club https://marinatreeandgarden.org/

• Pacific Horticulture https://pacifichorticulture.org/

• Santa Cruz Garden Exchange https://www.facebook.com/groups/305590139896038/

• The Gardeners’ Club https://www.thegardenersclub.org/

• UC Master Gardeners of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties https://mbmg.ucanr.edu/

National garden societies

• The American Horticultural Society’s website provides links to 53 national Plant Societies, state-level Native Plant Societies, and national and regional Garden Clubs https://ahsgardening.org/gardening-resources/societies-clubs-organizations/

Enjoy your garden.

Tom Karwin is a past president of Friends of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and the Monterey Bay Iris Society, a past president and Lifetime Member of the Monterey Bay Area Cactus & Succulent Society, and a Lifetime UC Master Gardener (Certified 1999-2009). He is now a board member of the Santa Cruz Hostel Society, and active with the Pacific Horticultural Society. To view photos from his garden, https://www.facebook.com/ongardeningcom-5665117 63375123/ . For garden coaching info and an archive of On Gardening columns, visit ongardening.com for earlier columns or visit www.santacruzsentinel.com/ and search for “Karwin” for more recent columns. Email comments or questions to gardening@karwin.com.