TWIGS _Special Issue_Updates and Happy May Day

~ TWIGS ~

Quarterly Newsletter of

Friends of Jensen - Olson Arboretum

Special Issue April 2020

Updates...and...

Happy May Day (a little early) - will you surprise someone's doorstep tomorrow

with a basket of flowers?

In this issue: Our regular readers will know that we revised the Spring issue to focus on inspiring images from around the Arboretum during an otherwise challenging time...with this issue, you can catch up with all the Arboretum news and

learn more about the plant collection - find a cozy spot, and read on...

Visit our website

Event cancellations to report

The Arboretum is open during regular visitor hours, but with COVID concerns still among us, we have several cancellations and postponements to report:

Cancelled: Annual Plant Sale, A Day of Primula , Children's Program 1

Postponed til further notice: 2020 Seasonal Docent Volunteer Service, Docent Training, Party Honoring Life Members

Revised: Alaska Public Gardens Day takes place the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, but this year with no tours or refreshments; bring your family and enjoy a simple stroll through the garden

Yet to be determined: Children's Program 2

The FJOA Annual Board Meeting was held according to schedule via Zoom, and with many thanks to Aurah Landau for coordinating the technology.

A message from the outgoing President

Dear Friends of the Arboretum,

As the outgoing president of FJOA, I am delighted to announce new leadership for the Friends confirmed at our annual meeting April 16 via Zoom.

Pat White is our new president, Mary Mathisen is vice-president, Kim Garnero will continue as treasurer, and Lauren Smoker will be secretary. We also welcomed Aurah Landau and Michelle Duncan to the board as members-at-large, joining veteran board members, Chiska Derr and myself. I’m excited by the energy the new officers and board members bring to our organization. I would also like to acknowledge Pat Hartman, our outgoing vice-president for her many contributions and excellent organizational skills.

Over our 10 year history, it has been my pleasure to work with many other dedicated and talented volunteers and board members including: Bobby Lee Daniels, Peter Froehlich, Natalee Rothaus, Suzanne Sakewitz, Morgan Davis, Julie Nielsen, Luann McVey, Chelsie Harris, Laurie Lamm, Iris Korhonen-Penn, Ed Buyarski, Kathy Thatcher, Deb Rudis and of course, Merrill and Kelly Jensen. Thank you all.

And thank you, faithful members; your continuing support has been invaluable in helping us care for Caroline’s Garden.

Sincerely,

Pat Harris

Outgoing FJOA President

Plant identification labels at the Arboretum: visitor education and curatorial practices

For curatorial purposes, there are accession labels one might notice in the beds. These consist of a brass stake with a small zinc label that includes the scientific name and accession number. These assist with tracking of the many accessions acquired annually, and support our ongoing mapping project.

In a previous issue, I explained that the Arboretum collection is curated to ensure that plants are properly identified and that current botanical names are used as much as possible. Taxonomists are constantly exploring the phylogeny (the history of the evolution of a species or group) of different plant families, and as a result, many plant names are changing; sometimes it’s hard for botanic institutions to stay current. A local example of this is our shooting star that graces the damp meadows in spring. Their original scientific name was Dodecatheon; however, taxonomists have now placed that entire genus within Primula. So now, what was once called Dodecatheon pulchellum is now called Primula pulchellum…

Walking the grounds of the Arboretum, you will notice that many of the plants have labels of varying styles. Why is this? As one of Caroline Jensen’s founding tenets, she wanted the Arboretum to be a place “that both teaches and inspires learning in horticulture…”. With this in mind, plant labeling has been one of the most important projects we have pursued.

Our first edition of labels (installed in 2009 shortly after opening to the public in 2007) served to identify for visitors the plants that are core to the collection. These provide scientific and common names, nativity, and the botanical family to which the genus belongs. These are 3” x 5” black, anodized aluminum with the information laser-etched on the surface. As these labels are expensive to produce, we successfully submitted a grant proposal to the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust to cover the cost of production. As our Nationally Accredited Primula Collection ^TM expanded, I found it necessary to add additional signage for those. I wanted smaller labels for those species as that size is a better fit for the plants. The Primula labels are 1”x 3” and were generously funded by the Juneau Garden Club.

Coming in the near future is a field guide to the more common plants of the Arboretum. That, along with an Arboretum map (also forthcoming), will help visitors navigate the grounds and identify that special plant which elicits questions or captures the imagination or serves as a garden muse. Caroline would be pleased…

Merrill Jensen

Arboretum Horticulturist and Manager

As one of the few coastal public gardens in North America, the Arboretum is lucky to share its space with shorebird visitors such as those pictured here, just off the water's edge at the Arboretum earlier this week.

SAVE the DATE

* stay tuned for event details throughout the coming months as we adjust schedules based on safety measures related to COVID

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Visit our website to become a member

or to gift a membership today!

~ Look for these highlights in the Summer issue of TWIGS ~

*Docent Training: update with revised schedule (if available)

*Photography Exhibit Highlighting the Arboretum - recap

*Noteworthy New Accessions in the Collection

Arboretum Wish List

Thank you for asking, and for considering a donation. We appreciate it!

Donations may be dropped off during visitor hours at the Arboretum with a staff member.

* Don Abel gift card (any amount) - where we purchase a specific type of compost

* Glacier Gardens gift card (any amount) - where we purchase some of our plant material

Mission Statement

The vision of the Arboretum is to provide the people of Juneau a place that both teaches and inspires learning in horticulture, natural sciences and landscaping - to preserve the beauty of the landscape for pure aesthetic enjoyment - to maintain the historical and cultural context of the place and its people.

Caroline Jensen