Botanical Gardens

C. Pierce Salguero, associate professor of Asian History and Religious Studies at Penn State Abington, provides an introduction to the principles of Sino-Buddhist medicine, the product of centuries of cross-cultural exchange between medieval India and China, with particular focus on pharmacology and medicinal plants. This program is part of the East Asian Garden Lecture series.

Internationally renowned botanist David Lee, emeritus professor at Florida International University, discusses blue pigments in plants and why they are so rare. Lee is the author of Nature's Fabric: Leaves in Science and Culture.

Rose hybridizer Tom Carruth, the E. L. and Ruth B. Shannon Curator of the Rose Collections at The Huntington, introduces his newest floribunda, 'Huntington's Hundredth', developed to commemorate the institution's upcoming centennial. The old-fashioned rose is a soft pastel yellow touched with a blush of orchid pink and cream, with a powerful fragrance reminiscent of citrus blossoms and sweet fruit.

Award-winning horticulturist Chris Woods describes the most arresting features in public parks, botanic gardens, and private estates in locations ranging from New Delhi and Dubai to Chile and Australia from his book GardenLust. Throughout, he reveals the fascinating people, plants, and stories that make these gardens so lust-worthy.

Sadafumi Uchiyama, Garden Curator of the Portland Japanese Garden, reflects on their recent expansion and newly founded institute for teaching garden history, design, construction, and maintenance.

Landscape historian Nancy Carol Carter examines the horticultural legacy of Kate Sessions (1857–1940), the pioneering nursery owner and garden designer who left an indelible mark on the Southern California landscape. Best known for her work in San Diego, Sessions is credited with introducing and popularizing many of the beloved tree species in the region. The lecture is presented in collaboration with the California Garden and Landscape History Society. Recorded Mar. 19, 2017.

Printmaker and book artist Richard Wagener discusses how the visually striking plants in The Huntington’s Desert Garden have inspired his recent work. A series of his wood engravings are reproduced in a new limited edition, fine-press publication titled Exoticum: Twenty-five Desert Plants from the Huntington Gardens. Recorded Jan. 29, 2017.

Andrea Wulf talks about her book “Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation.” She explains that the Founding Fathers’ passion for agriculture and botany was as deeply ingrained in their characters as their belief in liberty.

Kendall Brown explores the evolution of Japanese gardens in premodern Japan and modern America. The program is the first in a new series of lectures on the history of Japanese gardens. Brown is professor of Asian art history at California State University, Long Beach. He is introduced by Jim Folsom, the Telleen/Jorgensen Director of the Botanical Gardens at The Huntington.