Friday, February 10, 2017

Walking the Pitzer College Campus, part two...

Yesterday I shared part one of my visit to the beautiful Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. Let's let's jump into part two...

Wow, no that's an impressive Agave bracteosa! Looks like a big mama plant surrounded by a thick fur collar of babies.

The bees were all over this Aloe, it was really a welcome sight having been stuck in a winter landscape back in Portland.

Love this clumping, low-growing Cactus.

Very attractive!

Oh you've got to be kidding me. I lost track of how many people, none of them in fire dept attire, used these stairs while I was standing nearby.

Yuck. All is not perfect in paradise.

Another orange sign!

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING
THE PITZER MULTI-SPECIES COMMONS
Start beneath your feet -- Forage & eat with other species
Make a common world

I think I like the general idea of these signs, but "forage & eat with other species"...on an urban college campus? I just don't...

Oh wait, there's McConnell Center — a three-story mixed-use building with a dining hall! I wonder how many species are eating in there? (sorry, I couldn't resist)

A mural in the making? Or by saying nothing, is it saying something?

Behind this slice of plant goodness is The Grove House, "an arts and crafts bungalow originally built in 1902, was moved to the Pitzer Campus in 1977. After it was renovated, it quickly became a gathering place and campus social center. The Grove House kitchen offers a daily menu that includes sandwiches, fresh-baked cookies, and fresh juices. The house also regularly hosts a variety of events including poetry readings and musical performances." I can say it is indeed a social center, throngs of students were gathered around, it made for interesting eavesdropping!

Unfurling bloom of an Agave attenuatta.

I'm just in awe...

An empty greenhouse!

This little cutie followed me around for awhile.

Okay kids...paint on the plants is not okay!

Loved this one so much it didn't even matter there were no plants in front of it.

Well, that's it folks! Hope you enjoyed this visit as much as I did.

Weather Diary, February 9: Hi 59, Low 37/ Precip 1.12"

All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

30 comments:

  1. It really is a slice of utopia, isn't it? Can you imagine going to school there for four years and then be ejected into the real world?

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    1. No! (ejected into the real world)...I wonder just how many gardeners this campus unconsciously creates?

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  2. It's a xeric western version of the Scott Arboretum (the campus of Swarthmore College, an eastern woodland slice of utopia). Must have quite a budget. E.g., the astounding tree aloes -- this planting isn't old enough for them to have reached tree size in place, is it?

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    1. Well if Joe Clements took over in 2000 and brought in a few large plants then, 17 years later wouldn't they be about right, size wise? I guess I really have no idea how fast (or slow) they grow.

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  3. The variety of orange blooms (and glow fingers) are breath taking. That campus is an awesome place. If I lived in a dry climate I'd go there for inspiration. I can't think greater contrast with a PNW style garden; it would be a challenging experience.

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    1. Indeed, a very large contrast to PNW style, maybe that's why I love it so?

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  4. Loved this tour of Pitzer! I'm suddenly feeling the need to go back to school.

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    1. Or maybe you could be a teacher there?

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    2. That would be pretty sweet but I don't think we could afford to live there.

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  5. Another marvelous post. Those brightly colored Kalanchoe (luciae? thyrsifolia?) made my heart skip a beat, and love those aloe flowers. So glad I can grow some of the cold-hardy Kniphofia to get a similar flower form.

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    1. Ya I substitute with Kniphofia too. The flowers are close, but the foliage...not even.

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  6. All those big, blank walls just cry out for paintings. Surrounded by inspiration, who could resist? And what, pray tell, were the subjects of those overheard conversations? Will this generation save the world?

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    1. Well, to be honest it was the same conversations I took part in when I was their age. Lots of catching up with friends.

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  7. I am a Pitzer College staff member. I want to let you know I love our unique campus landscape and appreciate it every day. The orange signs you refer to do seem a bit mysterious but they are part of a collaborative project combining art + environment. If you want to read more about it, visit http://pitzer.spurse.org/ Joe Clements has been retired since Summer 2015 but he left his mark here, including a lot of rare plants from his personal collection such as the cyphostemma juttae which he thought might be the largest in the U.S. Thanks for your posts about Pitzer College and letting others know how special this place is.

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to comment, and the link. I was a little concerned about that Cyphostemma juttae, it's looking kind of sad. I hope it makes it. I wish I were able to take walks through the campus daily, what an amazing place you work in!

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  8. Great closeup of the bee on the Aloe flower! Cool murals too.

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    1. There were so many of them (the bees), they made it easy.

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  9. It's such a unique campus, at least in my (admittedly limited) experience. I thought the coral trees outside my freshman dorm were fantastic at the time but that landscape had nothing on this one. My favorite photo in this collection may be the giant twin Pachypodium (if that's what they are - photo 31).

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    1. The Pachypodium in this collection set the bar very high. I've seen big ones before, but these were just grown so well, truly magnificent.

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  10. It's kind of ridiculous how long it's been since my last visit to Socal, considering LA is my hometown and I can get down there in a day in my car-ample room for plant purchases too. I sure have put this on my bucket list !

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  11. Oh my, that wall you loved, found myself fixated on it as well, gorgeous! Wouldn't mind that as an interior feature wall as well.

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  12. Your photos really bring back memories. It's so ridiculous how far 40 miles seems in LA -- I should be visiting Pitzer often. I finally sneaked in a visit to the Huntington last week and was told at the gate they were closed on Tuesdays. I nearly cried!

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    1. 40 miles could mean hours at the wrong time of day, right? We were pretty lucky considering all the miles we put on during our short trip. I think the worst was the drive to the airport from Thousand Oaks on a VERY rainy day. Luckily we allowed plenty of time. As for the Huntington being closed on Tuesdays...yep. That's why I wasn't able to visit this time, boo!

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  13. Must get there soon. Looks great! I love the California mid-20th century architecture also and the plants are perfect with it. So evocative of a specific time and place.

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    1. A time and place that I can't get enough of.

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  14. We are planning a trip there in the next couple of weeks! Thanks for whetting our appetites!

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    1. Yay! Hope you have a great time. Will you also visit Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden? It's just up the street and a great place to wander.

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  15. I love this for so many reasons: It's a college. The plants are uber cool and wonderful examples of their type. The buildings are fabulous and right up my alley. And, amazingly, (especially for a college campus) the grounds are beautifully maintained and litter-free. I don't even see the usually ubiquitous cigarette butts in your pics. Thanks for the uplifting tour!

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