The San Diego Floral Association is proud to welcome botany professor and author Matt Ritter as its speaker for the first meeting of the new year. Members and the public are invited to attend this evening gathering on February 21, in Room 101 of Casa del Prado in Balboa Park. Admission is free.
The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. with a catered dinner. Dinner is $20 per person and can be reserved by calling the SDFA office at 619-232-5762. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Dr. Ritter’s lecture will focus on the lives and stories surrounding some of the trees included in his new book, A Californian’s Guide to the Trees Among Us (Heyday, 2011), a natural history and guide to urban and suburban trees around the state. California’s agreeable Mediterranean climate and rich horticultural history have converged to populate towns and cities with innumerable different species of native and ornamental trees. Matt will use photographs, insight, and humor to share stories, cultivation and identification tips, and the natural history of California’s common and exotic trees.
A book signing will follow. Books will be for sale for $20; cash, check or credit cards will be accepted. More information on the book can be found at http://web.me.com/mayritter/Ritter/Home.html
Matt Ritter studies cultivated trees and trees that escape cultivation. He has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a Ph.D. in plant developmental biology. Currently he is a botany professor at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and director of the plant conservatory there.
The program for our evening annual meeting is one of our most interesting and unusual as we welcome Terence Eagan, a creative artist and fine craftsman. Eagan has developed techniques for repairing and restoring faux boisor false wood, a unique craft from the late nineteenth century that creates concrete sculptures that resemble wood. Working at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, he is preserving garden art arbors loved and cherished there for 90 years.
Eagan will share the history and development of this craft and his work with the Huntington&$8217;s team engaged in the restoration of the Japanese Garden for its centenary last year. This restoration project and the faux bois arbors are expected to live on for perhaps hundreds of years for the enjoyment of all who visit the Huntington gardens. To learn more about Terence Eagan and faux bois in advance of his talk, visit www.FauxBoisConcrete.info.
Those of you who were part of our April trip to the Huntington’s Chinese and Japanese gardens won’t want to miss this talk. Those of you who were unable to take this trip will want to plan a visit after hearing Eagan’s talk.
The annual meeting begins with dinner at 6:00 p.m. in Room 101 of Casa del Prado in Balboa Park. The meeting and program begin at 7:00 p.m. There is a $20.00 charge for dinner; the program is free. Please call the San Diego Floral Office at 619-232-5762 to reserve your dinner. This promises to be a very pleasant summer evening for all.