Since its installation in April, the expansive Drew School vertical garden has filled out beautifully. Gracing the new Sam Cuddeback Assembly Wing with California native species,
Patrick Blanc at Drew School Garden © Alice Joyce
the garden merited a “Wow… wow!” from its designer, artist/botanist Patrick Blanc, the inventor of the Green Wall as we have come to know it.
Only a few hours after his flight from Paris touched down in the Bay Area, Patrick had arrived at the Drew School to mingle with parents and fans of his work, before presenting an update on current projects – of which there are many from Miami to Bahrain. Patrick shared his impressions of how the school’s garden fared thus far. Overall, the San Francisco habitat is proving beneficial to most of the plant selections, with a spot here and there that may need replanting; the amount of water will be reduced now that plants have become established.
Patrick Blanc and Alice Joyce
A good-by hug after Patrick’s enthusiastic presentation at the school’s state-of-the-art theatre.
An exciting revelation in Patrick’s talk: The world-class botanist specializing in tropical flora has had a new plant named for him. Patrick discovered Begonia blancii in Palawan, in the Philippine Islands.
Blanc Garden Heuchera Bloom Oct 2011 © Alice Joyce
Heuchera and Aquilegia, lupine and Mimulus area but a few of the plants blooming now.
Below: Fall 2011 Blanc Garden
Approximately six months since the planting of the Drew School Vertical Garden and the growth is lush, and rich with blooms.
Nice project! I often think that SF is a prime location for such vertical garden work, not as cold as the Pac NW, not as dry as San Diego, and not as extreme in hot-cold-dry as us desert rats. It would be interesting to look more into what worked, why it did, etc etc! Thanks…
Wonderful garden. I wonder if that man in the window knew he would appear in a photograph. Good thing he is not doing anything naughty.
Thank you Alice for this post, i am glad to know Patrick Blanc was here in our country, and it looks like he has been here many times. I am just a bit sad it still takes a foreigner to identify our endemic plant, and be named as his, when we also have botanists here. The problem maybe with us is lack of projects and funds to study them.
Andrea,
It must be truly disappointing when put into the context you describe. Patrick has been botanizing for decades, and I believe this is the first time he’s ‘discovered’ a new species. I hope the funding increases so more research may be conducted. Thank you for commenting.