1. HumboldtBotanical Garden:GetYour Nature On
By BenjaminFordham
As we hurryback and forthin our dailylives,it’seasytomistake the ratrace for reality.It’snot.
Realityisplantsandanimals,the sunandsky.Realityisquiet,andpeaceful.Andif you’reinneedof it,
the HumboldtBotanical Garden isan excellentplace tofindit.
Turn off at the NorthEntrance to College of the Redwoods andyou’llfind the Botanical Garden,
locatedonthe CR campus.The garden is a great place to spendalittle qualitytime withourco-habitants
on thisplanet, the plants.Slowdown,walkaround,andyouwill findyourself adjustingtotheirpace.
Opento the publicsince 2006 and maintainedbythe HumboldtBotanical GardenFoundation,
this44.5 acre gardencontains numeroussmaller,themed gardens anddirtorgravel trails to explore.If
yougo, planon spendingatleastanhour, althoughyouwill probablywanttostaylonger. There are also
picnictablesavailable,soyoucan make a day outof itif youlike.
Containingvariousmicro-climatesandspecial features,the gardenshave somethingtoofferfor
people of all agesandinterests.Stroll through arainbow spectrumof plantsinthe Dedekam
Ornamental Terrace Garden,or checkout the ADA-accessible WildberriesNatural RiparianArea.View
the extensiverhododendroncollection,ordosome bird-watching.
You can evenfind,inthe MossFamilyTemperate WoodlandGarden,aspecimenof the ultra-
rare Wollemia nobilis,or Wollemi Pine,thoughttohave gone extinct120 millionyearsago.Accordingto
CollinTudge in SecretLife of Trees,findingspecimensof the Wollemi growinginAustraliain1994 was
“conceptuallysimilar”tofindingalivingT-Rex.
The garden alsoplacesanemphasisonnative plants, offeringatrue glimpse intowhatnatural
Humboldtessentiallyis.Inaworldwhere all ourcars andhouseslookthe same,thisisa chance to see
whathas grown inour area formore than 500 years.
You’ll find conifers,irises,lilies,lilacsandstrawberries all nativetothe area.Native plants
generallyrequire lesswater, fertilizer,pesticides,andmaintenance thannon-natives. (Formore on
Native Gardeningsee SarahMoore’sJune 10th article, “Native Gardening:YouCanand You Should”)
There are alsoa numberof classesand eventsofferedatthe gardens,rangingfromcorporate
functionsandfund-raiserstoweddingsandbirthdayparties.Classesare offeredthrough the HBGF
Educational Series,with classesupcomingonplantpropagationandsustainablelandscaping.

2. Anothernice feature of the gardensare the manyeye-catchingsculptures. Rangingfrom
whimsical toelegant,youwill findthemplacedstrategically throughoutthe groundsasyouexplore.
Theyadd a pleasing,satori-inducingdimensiontothe experience. Seeingthe sculptureshere,outin
nature,itreally seemsaperfectvenue forthem.
At the back of the garden youwill find PeterSantino’s “All HappyNow”earthsculpture. The
sculpture consists of a100-foot in diameter,gentlyrisingearthenmoundworkedintoayin-yang
symbol.Completedin2008 and locatedona bluff with fantasticviewsof the surroundingarea,“All
Happy Now”givesvisitorsthe opportunitytositandreflect,orinteract. Ipersonallyrecommendthat
youwalkone of the circular pathsto the top. Once there,laydowninthe middle of the moundforat
least10 minutes.Youwill feel better.
If you’re fit,I alsohighlyrecommendyoumake the climbtothe OliverEitzenLookoutPoint.This
spotalso features amazingviewsof the surroundingarea,including Table Bluff,HumboldtBay,andthe
PacificOcean.Fromhere yourealize that,inactuality,the freewayisjustatiny,thinstripof landin an
otherwise vastwilderness.
The HumboldtBotanical Gardenisa memberof the AmericanHorticultural Society’s Reciprocal
AdmissionProgram,orRAP,whichprovidesmemberswithfree orreducedpricestoover200 botanical
gardensnationally. Tojoin,ortojointhe HumboldtBotanical GardenFoundation,visitwww.hbgf.org.
Summerhoursfor the gardensare 10-2, WednesdaythroughSaturday,andthe firstSundayof every
month11-3.
“Look deepintonature,andthenyouwill understandeverything”-AlbertEinstein