April 6, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Eltzroth
(805) 756-2888
Now is the Time to Follow the Signs in Cal Poly's Leaning Pine Arboretum
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Avid gardeners and spring visitors to Cal Poly's Leaning Pine Arboretum can now enjoy the grounds even more thanks to a series of new interpretive displays.
The colorful, informative display signs are located in eight areas of the five-acre arboretum. The new signs are designed to enhance visitor experiences by explaining the botany and horticulture associated with nearby plantings, as well as providing home gardening tips, said Arboretum Director and Horticulture Professor Emeritus Tom Eltzroth.
The
signs are located in all of the arboretum's major gardens, which
feature plants from California, Chile, South Africa, the Mediterranean
basin, and Australia, as well as the arboretum's palm and aloe collection.
Topics covered on the new garden markers include gardening in the shade using California native plants, succeeding with South African proteas and their relatives, growing culinary herbs from the Mediterranean basin, and more.
The information on each sign is written for students and home gardeners, Eltzroth stressed. Most signs include a section called "Success in Your Garden," with useful plant culture information, along with photos, maps, and other illustrations.
The Leaning Pine Arboretum is the Central Coast's premier horticultural display garden. Its gardens display hundreds of unique and intriguing plants from the world's five Mediterranean climate regions, along with extensive collections of palms, aloes and other succulents, dwarf and unusual conifers, and plants from New Zealand. Spring is an excellent time to visit the South African garden in the arboretum, which is in full bloom.
The arboretum is operated by Cal Poly's Horticulture and Crop Science Department. To get to the arboretum, take Highway 1 to the Highland Drive entrance to Cal Poly. From Highland Drive, turn left on Via Carta and follow the signs to the arboretum and the Cal Poly Plant Shop. The arboretum is located behind the Environmental Horticultural Science greenhouses and the Poly Plant Shop.
The arboretum is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round, and closed Sundays and academic holidays. Admission is free, and parking on campus is free on Saturdays.
For additional information contact Eltzroth at (805) 756-2888 or teltzrot@calpoly.edu.
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