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Re: Gardens in San Luis Obispo area?

Hi Carol,

>If one was going to be spending the weekend in the San Luis
>Obispo/Atascadero area of California's central, are there public
>gardens/arboretums/great nurseries that you would suggest visiting?

I'm an alum of Cal Poly SLO, and I'd recommend that you spend some
time wandering the campus there. Recently, they've put in some really
nice areas, many using Mediterranean climate plants. You can also see
the miniature rose that students and faculty at Cal Poly developed.
Cal Poly has thriving Environmental Horticulture (formerly Ornamental
Horticulture) and Landscape Architecture degree programs, so some
areas appear to be meant for student projects and are likely to be more
experimental in nature. Down by the stadium there's an area planted
with a large number of roses, and near that, edging a lawn behind the
new Business building (a really lovely building, btw), there's a
well-labeled section laid out by the plants' original region, if I
remember correctly. In the middle of the old Science building--an odd
building shaped something like an insect with legs splayed--there is
a large courtyard area with several topiaries, including a
caterpillar and a head with a mohawk haircut. Just down the hill from
the Dining Hall is a little nook that I *think* is a memorial garden.
These little garden areas are all around; you just have to wander a bit
to find them.

Walking around Cal Poly can be somewhat strenuous, as it's built on
the side of a hill. If you go on a weekend, you may not need to pay
for parking, but check the signs in the parking lots.

If you can stretch your trip, try to go down there in time for Farmer's
Market on Thursday nights. In addition to a standard Farmer's Market,
Thursday night is when the downtown shops stay open late and the two
main streets through San Luis Obispo are closed to cars. I've seen
jugglers and folk dancers there.

Wasn't someone on this list putting together an arboretum in this area?

Have fun! It's a lovely area...
Cheryl

Cheryl and Wayne Renshaw
Santa Clara, California
renshaw@best.com
http://www.best.com/~renshaw/
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