Image: Rosa 'Lyda Rose'

Interpretive Volunteer Updates

Howdy everyone,

We hope that you're having a great spring in the Gardens and enjoying the sun before the summer fog arrives! This is your first What's Growing sent from Jenn, and we're hoping to change up the format a little bit to include some more interpretive information for you all.

Please register for assignments and enrichments through the links below. 

San Francisco Botanical Garden:
Great Meadow: Rosa 'Lyda Rose' (featured header image)

Rosa 'Lyda Rose' is a small shrub with clusters of fragrant white to pink flowers. 'Lyda Rose' was developed in the 1990s and was named for the breeder's daughter and the song by the same name from the 1957 musical The Music Man.

San Francisco Botanical Garden:
Garden of Fragrance: Lavandula stoechas 'Winter Bee'

The 'Winters Bee' is a small shrub in the Lamiaceae family. This cultivar is known for its fragrant foliage and bright purple flowers that are popular with pollinators.

Conservatory of Flowers:
Lowlands Gallery: Musa acuminata. Commonly known as Red Banana.

The red bracts fold back, revealing rows of individual flowers. The upper flowers on the stock are female, with a receptive stigma leading to the ovary. The flowers that will appear lower on the stock as it elongates will be male, producing pollen on stamens.

Conservatory of Flowers:
Lowlands Gallery: Heliconia rostrata

Sometimes called the hanging lobster claw, this striking bloom is a nectar source for hummingbirds. Native to parts of Central and South America, it is the national flower of Bolivia and is widely cultivated in tropical gardens.

Conservatory of Flowers:
Register to volunteer:

Japanese Tea Garden:
Enjoy a tour of the Japanese Tea Garden: 

San Francisco Botanical Garden:
Register to volunteer:

Book Group: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies and The Language of Butterflies
Thursday, June 13, 10am-12pm
Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture

All Gardens volunteers are invited to our next Book Group event. The next book the group is a special butterfly edition where the group will read and discuss both The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman and The Language of Butterflies: How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists, and Other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World's Favorite Insect by Wendy Williams. 

Register here >> 

Training: Roving in the Gardens!
Tuesday, June 25, 5-6:30pm
Meet at the Bookstore

Join Director of Education, Annette Huddle, for a late afternoon walk in the Botanical Garden and an opportunity to learn about and share the experience of being a Garden Rover. The Rover position at SFBG developed during the pandemic when gathering in groups was impossible, and now it has become a popular option for volunteers familiar with the Garden.

Rovers may have trained to lead public walks, guide school groups, or staff interpretation stations, or they may have worked in other volunteer capacities that develop familiarity with the Gardens. Pick up tips shared by current Rovers, learn how to access resources like Garden Explorer to share with visitors, and enjoy the company of other Garden volunteers. Please RSVP in advance.

Register here >>

A Celebration of Life for volunteer Patricia "Pat" Koblenz will take place in the Botanical Garden on June 14, hosted by her family. If you would like more information and to be included on the invitation and guest list, please email Volunteer Program Manager Crystal Lee Stone at clstone@gggp.org.

San Francisco Botanical Garden:

Conservatory of Flowers:

Thanks for all you do, and looking forward to connecting more with you over the next few months!

Warmly, 
Jenn

Jenn Tapler | Interim Volunteer Program Manager
Gardens of Golden Gate Park 
(415) 661-1316 Ext. 404
jtapler@gggp.org

P.S. Did you miss an update? Catch up by viewing past newsletters. 

Gardens of Golden Gate Park

1199 9th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122