Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation invites the public to tour SM facility SAN MARTIN -
If your idea of fun is rooting through soil and lush foliage, then the Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation of San Martin is the place to be this Saturday. SHRF, a nonprofit organization, invites the public to view the fruits of 46 years of labor and research at its annual festival and plant sale at 15185 Murphy Road.
“We’re all very excited,” said Kathy Hesketh, Executive director of SHRF. The foundation was named for the city of Saratoga where it began in 1952. Later the foundation moved to San Martin in 1984, but the name remained.
Buzz Bertolero, the Dirt Gardner of KNBR, is slated to present “What’s Bugging You in Your Garden” at 10 a.m. Other speakers include horticultural experts who will talk on the valued quantities of SHRF plants, floral arranging with SHRF plants and research news of the foundation. In addition, a garden booth will be available to offer plant care and advice.
Even those who don’t like to get dirty can enjoy the music of Michael B and the jazz sounds of the Vince Gomez Duo. When hunger strikes, Piccolo’s Deli will be on hand for food and beverage sales. Entertainment for children includes clowns, face painting and a visit from Bonnie Bloomer, mascot of the California Association of Nurserymen.
The purpose of SHRF, Hesketh explained is to introduce appropriate and dependable plantscape solutions for the state of California.
“At our San Martin site,” Hesketh continued, “which is one of 15 sites, many criteria are taken into consideration. Tests are done for branch habits. Which direction do they grow? Are they at an angle that could hurt someone? If we test a tree for street-planting we look at roots. Will they uproot sidewalks? In addition, we study the effects of climates on the plants. Trees will be studied 10 years before being released. Shrubs might be tested for three to eight years depending on the size and time it takes to tackle the insect problem.”
Plants at the San Martin site, which Hesketh said is the smallest site will eventually be planted in the ground at one of the other larger sites. SHRF plants can be found at Blake Gardens in Berkeley, the city of Modesto, College of the Sequoias and Stanford University, among other places.
“Since its founding in 1951 in Saratoga, SHRF has added millions of dollars to the nursery industry,” Hesketh said.
The foundation which is not state supported, thrives on hosting seminars, tours and once-a-month sales to the public. Lack of funding hasn’t seemed to hinder the foundation. SHRF received the Freeman Medal For Outstanding Plant of 1997, for the Carpenteria California, an evergreen shrub used for outdoor landscaping and the Thuja Plicata, a western red cedar tree, earned the Master Gardener’s Plant of the Year Award.
“We couldn’t survive without the help of about 40 volunteers, membership fees and private donations,” Hesketh said. “The board of directors and resident committee are all formed from volunteers. The full-time staff is only comprised of ten people.”
SRF has proved its hardiness over the past 26 years, similar to the ginkgo, a tree that survived prehistoric times. The foundation grafted, budded and improved the ginkgo, then utilized the leaf for their logo.
One recent claim to fame is the development of a new hybrid, clivia solomoni, named for creator, Joe Solomoni, resident director.
According to Hesketh, success at the SHRF does not always include attractive plants.
“Don’t be fooled into thinking that a plant with brown leaves is dying,” she said. “Some plants are just taking root or are raised for stem-cuttings.”
Once you visit the foundation grounds, it is easy to understand the complexities of horticulture or why years of testing are necessary before plants are released to the public. There is the “head house” where the tedious work of dipping cuttings into cutting hormones and planting them in flats takes place. In the propagation house, branches are snipped and dipped in hormone powder then inserted in peat and perlite. A biotherm heating system and a roof that opens to let heat escape, encourages growth of small plants.
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The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 15185 Murphy Ave., San Martin. Details: 779-3303. Membership dues are $25 annually or $50 for a family.
