Red Butte Garden Winter 2013 Newsletter

Winter 2013 Issue dec • jan • feb 25 Years of Volunteers Winter Solstice Holiday Open House WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG

Editors

Bryn Ramjoué, Kate Randall

Gregory Lee, Bryn Ramjoué, Rita Reisor, Meghan Eames, Jason Alba

Contributing Writers

Contributing Photographers

Pierce McConnell, Meghan Eames, Jim Bach Graphic Designer Pierce

McConnell

Printed by

IC Group

Red Butte Garden, a part of the University of Utah, is a nonprofit organization located in Salt Lake City, Utah. With 100 acres, including display gardens, walking paths, and natural areas with hiking trails, Red Butte Garden is the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West that tests, displays, and interprets regional horticulture.

300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108 · 801.585.0556 Copyright © 2013 Red Butte Garden. All rights reserved.

Red Butte Garden Celebrates 25 Years of Volunteers

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This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Red Butte Garden’s volunteer program.

In that time it has grown from a small handful of dedicated people who believed in the importance of public gardens, to 300 people donating more than 15,500 hours a year. I want to thank each and every one of the thousands of volunteers, who, over the last 25 years, have helped to build Red Butte Garden into what it is today.

I like to think of Red Butte Garden’s donors as the skeleton, the main support of the Garden, with the Garden’s staff providing the muscle of the organization. If so, then the Garden’s volunteers are its life-blood, sustaining all our activities and bringing energy to everything we do.

Volunteers donate their time and skills everywhere at the Garden—in the greenhouse; working the soil and plants in the gardens proper; leading school groups and summer camps; teaching classes; guiding public tours; staffing concerts, Garden After Dark, and other special events; collecting seeds; doing rare plant research; and helping with a myriad of administrative, computer, and internet functions. Daily, they bring their passion and ideas to the Garden, invigorating everything they touch.

Individually, the Garden’s volunteers are extraordinary—they give so much of themselves and their time. They come from different places and stages in their lives, different careers and lifestyles, but they are all drawn together by the Garden.

Collectively they are just plain awesome. If it weren’t for the volunteers who offset our small staff, many of our events would not be feasible. We have over 50 volunteers wearing Halloween costumes and working at Garden After Dark every night of the event. The Outdoor Concert Series requires so many people to do so many different tasks that it would be impossible to pull it all off without at least 30 volunteers working each show. It is this way with everything we do here, from the mass planting of thousands of bulbs each year (400,000 total as of this fall), to the deadheading of plants and weeding of the garden throughout the season.

Not only do our volunteers touch the Garden everywhere, they also touch the people, whether visitors, staff, or other volunteers, with whom they work. Gardens tend to attract good people, whether they are visitors, members, donors, or staff, and no group is finer than our volunteers.

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RED BUTTE GARDEN

- Gregory J. Lee, Executive Director

Table of Contents 2

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

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GROWING KIDS ALL WINTER

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CONSERVATION PLANT HIGHLIGHT: BIODIVERSITY: THE HEART OF CONSERVATION

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13TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE FREE ADMISSION THANKS TO ZAP

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2014 ANNUAL EVENTS CALENDAR

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WINTER WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

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MAXIMIZE YOUR MEMBERSHIP: ACTIVITIES FREE WITH GARDEN MEMBERSHIP/ADMISSION 10

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A TRUE LABOR OF LOVE: 25 YEARS OF VOLUNTEERS

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THE WINTER GARDEN

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BOTANICAL MANDALA WORKSHOP / GARDEN INSPIRED GIFTS

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MEMORIALS / CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT / GIFT MEMBERSHIPS

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GARDEN ADVENTURES / WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

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WINTER EVENTS CALENDAR

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WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG

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By Jason Alba, Children’s Garden Lead Keeping children busy in the garden and teaching them about the environment is easy in the spring and summer. How do you keep them just as engaged when snow starts falling? Try these simple tips and activities to keep your family’s interest in gardening and nature piqued all winter long.

Home Tweet Home

Many bird species spend the winter in Utah, so why not make a cozy winter abode for them? Craft stores sell pre-made, unfinished birdhouses that can be decorated with paint, bark, leaves, sticks, or other craft supplies. Hang your personalized birdhouses around your yard to give birds a hip new home for the winter.

Feed the Birds

Using string, pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed, children can create a sweet snack for hungry winter birds. Tie the string in a loop around the top of the pinecone, cover the pinecone with peanut butter, roll it in the birdseed, and hang it from a tree branch in your yard. Your family will enjoy watching birds feast on this homemade creation. Birds also need water in the winter. Consider providing them a fresh water source in your yard.

Terra Cotta Pot Faces

Indulge your inner artist by drawing or painting faces on inexpensive terra cotta pots available at most craft and garden stores. Use paint, glitter, pipe cleaners, and other craft supplies to decorate clay pots as people. Fill the pots with potting soil, plant with grass seed or succulents, place in a sunny spot, and watch your pot person’s “hair” grow. As a bonus, use these charming planters as homemade birthday or holiday gifts.

Naturally Beautiful Collages

Take your family for a walk around your neighborhood or park to collect pinecones, leaves, sticks, and stones. Then, turn them into works of art by gluing their unique finds onto craft store canvasboard, construction paper or cardboard. Display these found object collages around your house or give them away as gifts.

Fascinating Flora

A plant that eats insects is sure to amaze kids of all ages! Consider buying a Venus flytrap or sundew to teach your family about carnivorous plants. To help answer questions, pick up a copy of Hungry Plants by Mary Batten from your local library or bookstore. The Red Butte Garden Gift Shop carries this book and we also have carnivorous plants for sale for a limited time.

Grow in the Snow

Bring the outdoors inside with a windowsill garden. Find a window in your house that gets direct sunlight, then find a few small pots, potting soil, a few packets of seeds, and plant an indoor garden. Herbs grow particularly well in windowsill gardens, and can be used to bring a touch of summer freshness to winter cooking.

Awesome Avocados

Try growing your own avocado tree. Save the pit of an avocado and suspend it pointy end up with toothpicks in a jar or glass of water. Simply change the water every few days while waiting for the pit to split and send out roots. Then, plant the pit with its new roots in potting soil and watch your avocado tree grow indoors!

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RED BUTTE GARDEN

CONSERVATION PLANT HIGHLIGHT: Biodiversity: The Heart of Conservation

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By Katie Plumb, Americorps & Rita Reisor, Red Butte Garden Conservation Department

In the world of desert plant conservation, the Red Butte Garden Conservation Department spends a lot of time focused on a number of small and inconspicuous desert plants. Every once in a while, someone asks, “Why?” The answer, in short, is “biodiversity.” But what is biodiversity and why does it matter?

Biodiversity is the number or variety of different species of plants and animals found within a particular environment or region.

The more species there are, the better an environment can function, adapt to change, and recover from disturbance. A diverse plant community is more resilient; it doesn’t depend on the health of just a few species.

It has more resources to draw on in order to revegetate the soil after disturbance, prevent noxious weed invasion or disease, and continuously provide wildlife habitat.

Red Butte Garden’s Conservation Department often works with desert plants that have adapted to small areas of specific soil types or thrive at distinct elevations. The desert climate restricts the growing season for plants so that recovery from damage may take decades or longer. As a result, desert ecosystems are extremely fragile and disturbances can be devastating to the life that has managed to survive in these extreme conditions. Two examples of this are the Gierisch globemallow (Sphaeralcea gierischii), which only grows on gypsum soils in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona; and Graham’s penstemon (Penstemon grahamii), found only on outcrops of Green River shale (oil shale) in the Uinta Basin. Any small loss of that habitat due to fire, disease or human activities such as offroad vehicle recreation, mining, oil and gas development, and urbanization can threaten their populations or even their existence.

Due to their habitat specificity, these plants can’t be protected by simply moving them to different locations. One way we protect them is to collect seeds and re-vegetate their habitat after disturbances occur. Even though these plants may seem insignificant, if they disappear, other organisms in this already limited biodiversity region will also suffer.

Protecting our regionally threatened plant species is a key component of Red Butte Garden’s mission. Just how significant can one

small plant species be? Perhaps Aldo Leopold, naturalist and author, answered this best: “The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, ‘What good is it?’ If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”

-Round River: From the Journals of Aldo Leopold Biodiversity of plants is crucial to all life on Earth. Plants invariably offer food and shelter to insects, birds, animals, and humans. Every plant, no matter how small, is also absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen to maintain our atmosphere. Plants both stabilize soil as well as break up the soil via root growth.

Plant roots, especially in desert regions, hold surface soil in place while allowing water to penetrate the crust, creating a better habitat for insects, microbes, and more plants, while also replenishing the water table. Plant biodiversity has been indispensible in creating modern medicine and improving agricultural crops.

Celebrated scientist E.O. Wilson is one of the most prominent voices for the preservation of biodiversity. In his book, The Diversity of Life, he writes: “It is easy to overlook the services that conserved ecosystems provide humanity.

They enrich the soil and create the very air we breathe. Without these amenities, the remaining tenure on Earth of the human race would be nasty and brief. The life-sustaining matrix is built of green plants with legions of microorganisms and mostly small, obscure animals—in other words, weeds and bugs.”

When we ask ourselves “Why do we do what we do?” we remember that every plant species plays an essential role in its particular environment. If one species is destroyed, others may, like dominoes, follow. Our goal is to help ensure that biodiversity, even within a desert of inconspicuous plants, survives.

WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG

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13TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

DECEMBER 7 & 8, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Find unique hand-made holiday gifts crafted by local artists including jewelry, pottery, fiber art, glass, photography and more; all in the Orangerie.

! n o i s s i n Adm

e d r a G Free

In addition, save 10% on all purchases in the Red Butte Garden Gift Shop.

Garden Members recieve an additional 10% off!

Thanks to

THE PEOPLE OF SALT LAKE COUNTY FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE ZOO, ARTS & PARKS PROGRAM

Glass Art Show NOV 8 - DEC 8

Happy Holidays!

This year has been craazzyy! I got lost among the spring daffodils. There were so many blooms that my pointed hat looked like a shark fin in a sea of yellow.

Summer was a blast with groups of busy summer-camp kids buzzing by me, and garden visitors snapping my photo—I felt like such a celebrity!

This fall was not so much fun. I was lampooned by fearsome flora at Garden After Dark and a whole mystery unfolded with kids and grown ups figuring out that it was Spike Thornton, the porcupine tomato, who left me riddled with prickles.

I do hope winter will be as peaceful and beautiful as usual. The garden fauna and I like the idea of chillin’ for a while!

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RED BUTTE GARDEN

Love, Chauncey

2014 ANNUAL EVENTS CALENDAR THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS WE OFFER. FOR MORE I N F O R M AT I O N P L E A S E C H E C K O U R W E B S I T E : W W W. R E D B U T T E G A R D E N . O R G Plant Highlight: Paperbark Maple, Lacebark Pine Snowshoe in the Natural Area Botanical Mandala Workshop Terrarium Workshop Plant Highlight: Lenten Rose, Witch Hazel, Winter Jasmine Snowshoe in the Natural Area Greenhouse Tour Evergreen Tour Plant Highlight: Magnolia, Snowdrop, Crocus, Squill Utah Rare Plant Meeting Tomato Propagation Workshop Art of Pruning Workshop

Residential Landscaping Workshop Summer Camp Registration Begins Volunteer Training

Plant Highlight: 400,000 Daffodils & Other Blooms Spring Orchid Show Water-wise Landscapes Workshop Irrigation Basics Workshop Spring Bulb Show Plant Highlight: Wisteria, Crabapple, Peony, Lilac ZAP Free Day – National Public Gardens Day Summer Camp Registration begins Annual Spring Plant Sale

Spring Bonsai Show Outdoor Concert Series

Plant Highlight: Rose, Ser viceberr y, Iris, Viburnum Garden Maintenance Workshop Monday Family Nights Sundance Outdoor Film Series

Outdoor Concert Series

Plant Highlight: Daylily, Rose, Hibiscus, Coneflower Outdoor Concert Series ZAP Free Day - Pioneer Day Monday Family Nights & Campouts Sundance Outdoor Film Series Plant Highlight: Butterfly Bush, Lavender, Rudbeckia Monday Family Nights & Campouts Sundance Outdoor Film Series Outdoor Concert Series Plant Highlight: Aster, Autumn Crocus, Fall Anemone Greek Theatre Festival ZAP Free Day - Labor Day Outdoor Concert Series Fall Bonsai Show Fall Bulb & Native Plant Sale Plant Highlight: Ornamental Grass, Toad Lily, Fall Foliage ZAP Free Day – Zeke Dumke Day Fall Container Garden Workshop Fall Garden Maintenance Workshop

Garden After Dark

Plant Highlight: Oak Collection, Fall Foliage Closed Thanksgiving Day Holiday Floral Arranging Workshop Fall Orchid Show Art Exhibit: Glass Art Guild of Utah Plant Highlight: Conifer Collection ZAP Free Days - Holiday Open House Wreath-Making Workshop Winter Solstice Celebration

Closed December 24 – January 1

WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG

WINTER WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

To register for Red Butte Garden courses, call 801.581.8454 or visit www.redbuttegarden.org

WREATH WORKSHOPS

DECEMBER 7 - 8, SATURDAY & SUNDAY SECTION 1, SATURDAY, 9:00 AM 45-4NOON *Sold Out 81.8 .5 1 0 8 SECTION 2,aSATURDAY, 1:00 4:00 ll a c st.PM *Sold Out le se ing- liNOON ait w SECTIONP3, SUNDAY, 9:00 AM *Sold Out a n o t e pu SECTIONto4,bSUNDAY, 1:00 - 4:00 PM *Sold Out Start the holiday season by creating a fresh wreath for your front door at our annual wreath-making workshop.

Workshop materials include fresh greens, cones, fruits, assorted decorations, and ribbon that will be used to fill a 16” wreath frame. Attendees are encouraged to bring unusual greens or your favorite ornaments to include.

Please bring gloves, scissors, hand pruners, and a basket.

There are four sections, limited to 20 participants each.

BOTANICAL ART WORKSHOP: BOTANICAL MANDALAS NEW

JANUARY 16 & 17, THURSDAY & FRIDAY 6:00 - 9:00 PM

JANUARY 18, SATURDAY 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM The word “mandala” meaning “circle” in the ancient Sanskrit language, is often linked with the infinite universe and our connection with Earth and environment. In this class, participants will be supplied with a portfolio containing two photo collections. One collection with a set of plant parts of native medicinal plants and the other with plant parts of the wild rose. The artist will draw plant part line drawings from the chosen collection and will then arrange and repeat them on a circular mandala template (provided) and render it in the medium of their choice.

Please call or check website for materials list.

Garden Members: $115 / General Public: $135

GARDEN MEMBERS: $50 / GENERAL PUBLIC: $60

TERRARIUM WORKSHOP NEW

JANUARY 25, SATURDAY 9:00 AM - NOON Participants will learn the history of the terrarium and create one to take home in this hands-on workshop.

Learn tips for selecting containers, the types of plants that can be used in a terrarium, how to arrange for optimal aesthetic balance, quirky add-ins that can bring life to your terrarium, and how to care for the ecosystem inside once it’s been properly set up. Then we’ll roll up our sleeves and put theory to practice, working with provided materials to plan, pot, and plant our very own dose of “spring in a bottle.”

WREATH MAKING WORKSHOP: SQUARED NEW

DECEMBER 9, MONDAY 6:00 - 9:00 PM Whether you’ve taken our wreath-making workshop before and are looking for a new challenge, or if a more contemporary wreath suits your style, this is the workshop for you! A variety of fresh greens will be used to fill a 14” square wreath frame. Materials include fresh greens, cones, fruits, assorted decorations, and ribbon. Bring your favorite ornaments or unusual greens to include on your new square wreath. Please bring gloves, scissors, hand pruners, and a basket.

GARDEN MEMBERS: $55 / GENERAL PUBLIC: $65 8

RED BUTTE GARDEN

GARDEN MEMBERS: $35 / GENERAL PUBLIC: $42

MAXIMIZE Your Membership Benefits This

Winter!

These activities are FREE for Garden Members and are included with the price of admission for the General Public.

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

DECEMBER 14, SATURDAY 9:00 AM - NOON Be a part of the 114th Annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count – the longest running citizen-science survey in the world providing critical data on population trends.

Tens of thousands of volunteers all over America take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations, and Red Butte Garden is once again privileged to be hosting this year. Adults only please, no children.

Space is very limited, so register early and be sure to bring your camera and binoculars.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. CALL (801)581-8454 OR ONLINE AT WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG Dark-eyed Junco

WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

DECEMBER 21, SATURDAY 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Winter Solstice has been celebrated all over the world since ancient times because it heralds the gradual return of the sunlight after the shortest and darkest day of the year.

Bring your kids and celebrate the Solstice in the Children’s Garden. Create head wreaths, winter candles, sip hot chocolate, and make a new-year wish at the Yule log.

RED BUTTE GARDEN GREENHOUSE TOUR

FEBRUARY 6, THURSDAY NOON - 1:30 PM Step out of the cold and into the warmth of Red Butte Garden’s greenhouses. Our staff will provide a behind-thescenes tour of our state-of-the-art greenhouses where all of the Garden’s annuals, basket and container plants, and Orangerie plants are grown. Get a sneak peak at what is to come this spring. Red Butte Garden Greenhouses.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. CALL (801)581-8454 OR ONLINE AT WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG

ENCHANTING EVERGREENS TOUR

FEBRUARY 22, SATURDAY 10:00 AM - NOON Evergreen trees and shrubs offer a visual break from the monotony of winter whites and greys with beautiful and interesting colors and textures. Join us as we walk through the Garden and explore a number of evergreen specimens that provide year round interest and serve as great backdrops for perennials and ornamental grasses.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. CALL (801)581-8454 OR ONLINE AT WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG

Help Red Butte Ga rden Flourish for Gene rations to Come!

Join us in our efforts to educate children, preserve nature, and provide a beautiful, peaceful respite in a busy world by making a planned gift to Red Butte Garden.

When you make or update your will, please consider including the Garden in your plans.

Contact Kathryn Atwood, Development Director, at 801-585-5658 or kathryn.atwood@redbutte.utah.edu for more information.

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By Meghan Eames, Volunteer Coordinator

This year we had the pleasure of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the creation of Red Butte Garden’s formal Volunteer Program. To recognize our program’s contribution to the success of Red Butte Garden and to honor those six individuals who were part of it since the beginning, we had each volunteer (or respective representative) select a wildflower etching in our 10

RED BUTTE GARDEN

courtyard to be imprinted with their names: Steer’s Head for Don and Bev Sudbury, Wasatch Penstemon for Craig and Suzann Pyper, Larkspur for Mary Jo Reiter, and Fleabane Daisy for Janice Tolhurst. Janice was delighted at the honor and called me to express her gratitude and her love for the Garden, “I had no idea what we were starting when we started that. I didn’t

know that the Garden was as young as it was, I didn’t pay any attention to this. We were just having a blast.

We bonded, and our bonding agent was dirt. We just loved it.”

their own roots, creating a support system that lies at the very heart of this organization. They are not here for financial reward, they are not here for recognition; they are here because they love Red Butte Garden.

Who could have predicted what these “Sweet Six” volunteers and the small staff they were working with had started? The formal Garden then consisted of just two small beds surrounding a pond; the 18-acres of lush garden that we know now was at best just a dream waiting to be realized. But, like Jan, the rest of the staff and volunteers just loved the Garden, loved seeing the impact of their hard work, and came back each week, each season, and watched their garden grow. More volunteers joined the fun, and each year this growing pool of volunteers came to fill the gap that is created when a small staff of a small organization has big plans and ideas.

And like Jan Tolhurst, they seem unaware of the full impact that their love and work for Red Butte Garden has on the Garden itself and all who enjoy it. I can’t tell you how many volunteers have thanked me for the opportunity to volunteer here and for all that the Garden gives back to them.

We were just having a blast. We bonded, and our bonding agent was dirt.

Though you might not realize it, volunteers are a large part of your Garden experience. If you stop at the kiosk located in the Visitor Center to check out what’s in bloom in the Garden, it is primarily the work of volunteer Kathy Wallentine (who received her 20 year volunteer recognition last year), whose delicate hands have prepared that display. Our Garden members receive their membership packets after they have been lovingly packaged by volunteer Janet Sahakian (11 years), who also assists the crew in the Terrace Gardens and greets sponsors on the pavilion during the Outdoor Concert Series. Those of you lucky enough to purchase the beautiful hanging baskets at our plant sale, have long-time volunteers Ruta Ehlers (16 years) and Dotty Karras (19 years) to thank for putting them together. Sheri Campbell (11 years) or Maria Fruin (12 years) are likely to take your ticket for at least one Red Butte concert that you attend; and if you’re a sponsor, you’d probably recognize JoAnn Ekstrom (10 years), Kathy Siskin (8 years), or Sue Budden (17 years) without even thinking about it. It is not just our seasoned volunteers that impact your Garden experience. Layne Neilson (5 years) spends enough time working with our horticulture team that people often mistake him for a staff member. On a regular day you may recognize Janeil Ivie (3 years) or Ira Hatch (1 year) in the Garden; the two combined have spent 530 hours this year sharing the Garden with your children.

I could fill this entire newsletter with the names and accomplishments of the volunteers who have graced this Garden with their time and energy. In the 25 years that this program has officially existed, thousands of volunteers have come through the Garden and started

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The Garden’s biggest idea, is it’s mission, “to cultivate the human connection with the beauty of living landscapes.” In my experience, nothing embodies that mission statement more than our volunteers.

Our Horticulture and Greenhouse volunteers help create the beautiful landscape of the Garden, and share the fruits of their labor, regularly bringing friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and classmates to marvel at the beauty of the natural world. Our Garden Guides greet visitors and help orient them to the trails; they lead walking and tram tours to share the Garden’s history, collections, and its best surprises. School Programs and Summer Camp volunteers donate time sharing the Garden with Utah’s youth, leading many children on their very first hikes, creating life-long memories within our Garden gates.

Though we certainly value the contribution they make to our labor force, it is the energy, passion, and enthusiasm that really sets our volunteers apart. As our Executive Director, Greg Lee, explains in his article, our volunteers are the life-blood of this organization—a widespread force on which we absolutely rely. In my experience as Volunteer Coordinator, I have learned that they are also the soul of the Garden. Our program is successful not simply because we have volunteers, but because we have our volunteers. I dedicate this article to them; the ones I know and love now, and all those who have passed through in our 25 years. This Garden is, and always has been, the product of a true labor of love, and without the love of our volunteers, we would not be the Garden that we are today. Here’s to another 25 amazing years of Red Butte Garden volunteers!

Interested in sharing or cultivating your passion with the Garden? Please contact Meghan Eames at volunteers@redbuttegarden.org, or 801.585.5688.

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T H E W INTE R G A R DEN

By: Bryn Ramjoue’, Red Butte Garden Communications Director and winter enthusiast

This is the time of year we head up the canyons in our cars seeking fall and winter landscapes. But, did you realize Red Butte Garden has everything in a seasonal landscape without driving, complete with ample parking. As you retire your summer concert picnics of hearts of palm, goat cheese, and arugula, consider swapping them out for hot chocolate and grilled cheese and visit the Garden for a winter walk. Explore the landscape with all your senses.

Not only are the main garden pathways cleared so you can walk unimpeded by snow, the grounds also host over four miles of hiking trails that provide excellent snowshoe routes and views of the Salt Lake Valley. No snowshoes? Rent them for $8 at University Campus Recreation Services located near the Garden’s amphitheatre.

Campus Recreation Services: www.campusrec.utah.edu | 801.581.8516 Winter is a season that can polarize opinion; some love it and others hate it. Many of our volunteers and staff love it. Our Garden Guides say their favorite winter garden highlights include: the peace and quiet—upon entering the Garden the sounds of traffic and city disappear; the many birds, especially the abundant quail that are more visible this time of year; animal tracks that appear in the snow; deciduous trees whose shapes become prominent without leaves to obscure their branches and trunks. Winter is also the best time to see the paperbark maple and lacebark pine trees reveal their namesake.

Many of the staff, busy with preparations for the coming cold, are excited by the seasonal change as well. They can’t wait for interesting winter foliage, such as that of staghorn sumac with its rust-colored velvet leaves. In this season conifers take the spotlight and they offer you the chance to examine the Garden’s variety of spruce, pines, and firs before selecting a holiday evergreen tree. Staff also expressed excitement about upcoming events such as the Winter Solstice Celebration, Garden Adventure classes, and the Holiday Open House.

Everyone has a favorite among the Garden’s four distinctive seasons. Mine happens to be winter. Some staff members are already wishing for spring daffodils or the next concert season, but I enjoy the slow pace of winter and the fresh, cold air that gives my thoughts a clean slate with every breath. To me, the bright blue sky against the pristine white snow is as rejuvenating as a crabapple tree blossom in spring. Even the muddy earth, when things start to thaw, reminds me that the Garden represents pause, renewal, seasons, process, and nature’s clockwork pace. I invite you to share in my excitement and visit the Garden this winter to be introduced to something new or special. In my opinion, you haven’t really experienced the Garden until you’ve seen it covered in the magical, fairy-dust glittering snow of winter.

Garden hours are 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily General admission is just $5 for adults and $3 for children December through February.

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We build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt.

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-Sir Walter Scott 12

RED BUTTE GARDEN

Botanical Mandala Workshop January 16, 17, & 18

Thursday/Friday 6:00 - 9:00 PM Saturday 9:00 - 4:00 PM Materials list & registration available online at www.redbuttegarden.org Cost: $115 • Limited to 20 participants

Red Butte Garden Gift Shop Garden Inspired Gifts

Delight the gardeners in your life!

Books, jewelry, wind chimes, stationary, local honey, home and holiday decor, a special section for kids, Garden Gift Certificates, and more!

December 7 & 8 save 10% on all Gift Shop items Garden members receive an additional 10% off 801.585.0556

Lucas Allyn Oliver Beitel Cleone P. Eccles Dr. Dan Good Thomas R. Harrison Jack Peake Robert H. Rose Bev Sudbury For tribute & memorial information call Wendy Loyning at 801.585.3813

December 14th, 9:00 AM - Noon The Annual Christmas Bird Count provides the National Audubon Society with critical data about bird population trends, and at year 114, it is the longest-running citizen-science survey in the world!

Red Butte Garden is honored to be a part of this important event on December 14 and we invite you to be a part of it too!

Space is limited, so register early.

Call: 801.581.8454 Online: www.redbuttegarden.org/bird_count

RED four BUTTE GARDEN seasons - a million reasons Share your love of Red Butte Garden by purchasing a gift membership!

Not only does this unique gift build programs and maintain the Garden, your gift will be enjoyed by your friends and loved ones throughout the entire year.

Purchase Gift Memberships at the Visitor Center 801.585.7172 | www.redbuttegarden.org/gift_memberships

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Chauncey th Patron #00 e Gnome 001 Circle of Fri end RED BUTTE GARDEN s

$35 Basic – one adult* $45 Individual – one adult $55 Duo – two adults $65 Family – two adults + six kids $75 Circle of Friends – one adult + three guests $125 Contributor – two adults + six guests * does not include concert benefits

Cedar Waxwing

In Memory Of

114th Annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count

photo by Amanda Abel

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W W W. R E D B U T T E G A R D E N . O R G

Elevate Your Event!

Red Butte Garden is a beautiful setting for weddings, corporate retreats, holiday parties, and other special events. From casual to elegant and any style in between, we provide the gorgeous backdrop with amazing mountain, city, or garden views in any season.

801.585.9563 | www.redbuttegarden.org/event_rental

2013 Advisory Board:

Garden Information Call us!

David Gee, Chair Tom Ramsey, Vice Chair Cathy Foote Angstman Byron Barkley Sandi Behnken Thomas Brickey Jeff Cardon David Classen Fred Esplin Gayle Everest Gregory Lee Carter Livingston Vickie Long Nancy Martin Michele Mattsson Kevin Murphy Michael Perez Chris Satovick Susan Speer Stephen Urquhart Tim Welsh Henry Wurts Emeritus members E.R. Dumke, Jr. Sandy McOmber

Hours:

October 1 - March 31* Daily 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM *Closed Thanksgiving Day and December 24 - January 1

Visitor Center 801.585.0556 Private Event Rental 801.585.9563 Volunteer 801.585.5688 Membership 801.585.7172 Donations 801.585.5658 Class Registration 801.581.8454 Groups of 12 or more receive $1 off regular admission price for each person.

Full group payment is due at time of Garden entry.

Location: Visitor Center, Gift Shop, & Mailing Address: Product group from well-managed forests and other controlled sources 300 Wakara Way - Salt Lake City, UT 84108 Web site: www.redbuttegarden.org Comments: (801)581-4938 or e-mail bryn.ramjoue@redbutte.utah.edu

www.fsc.org Cert no. SCS-COC-001216 1996 Forest Stewardship Council

Look for us on KUTV

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RED BUTTE GARDEN

Just for Kids Garden Adventures

JAN

11

FEB

Make Your Own Snow Globe

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but that doesn’t mean you have to be out in the cold to enjoy it! Whether you recreate an area of the Garden, or your own imaginary winter wonderland, let your creativity shine while crafting your own snow globe.

Tasty Chocolate

Did you know that chocolate comes from a plant? Learn more about the cacao tree, which produces seeds or “beans” that are the main ingredient in chocolate. We’ll also discover other plants that look, smell and taste like chocolate before preparing our own hot chocolate beverage.

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Garden Adventures are Saturday kids’ classes held semi-monthly. All classes start promptly at 10:00 AM and end at 11:30 AM at Em’s Sprout House in the Children’s Garden. Registration is required. Ages 4-12 are welcome with a caregiver. Limit one caregiver per participant (registration not required for caregiver). No infants please.

MEMBERS: $5 PUBLIC: $7 PLEASE REGISTER ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG OR BY CALLING 801.581.8454.

W INTE R SOLSTI C E C ELE B R ATION December 21, Saturday 10 AM – 1 PM

Winter Solstice has been celebrated all over the world since ancient times because it heralds the gradual return of the sunlight after the shortest and darkest day of the year.

Bring your kids and celebrate the Solstice in the Children’s Garden. Create head wreaths, winter candles, sip hot chocolate, and make a new-year wish at the Yule log.

Free with general Garden admission WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG

RED BUTTE GARDEN

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Wreath Workshop 9AM - Noon 1 - 4PM Holiday Open House 9AM - 5PM Glass Art Show Ends

08

01

Sunday

10

09

24

31

23

30

Christmas Eve

Full Moon

JANU

GIVE TO THE GARDEN: Double your impact!

Ask your employer about corporate matching gifts 05

25

18

11

04

06

27

20

13

06

Friday

28

07

Tuesday

08

New Year’s Day

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Wednesday

09

02

Thursday

Winter Solstice Celebration 10AM - 1PM

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Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count 9AM - Noon

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Holiday Open House 9AM - 5PM

Wreath Workshop 9AM - Noon 1 - 4PM

07

Saturday

10

03

Friday

11

04

Saturday

ENJOY HALF-PRICE GARDEN ADMISSION DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY!

GIVE TO THE GARDEN: Help our conservation efforts to protect endangered plants statewide

BOOK YOUR WEDDING OR CORPORATE EVENT TODAY! 801.585.9563

Events at Red Butte Garden

RED BUTTE GARDEN IS CLOSED DECEMBER 24 - JANUARY 1

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12

05

Thursday

Monday

Christmas

Wednesday

Sunday

New Year’s Eve

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Wreath Workshop: Squared 6 - 9PM

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Tuesday

02

Monday

2013 Winter DECEMBER

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24

President’s Day

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16

03

Monday

10

WWW.REDBUTTEGARDEN.ORG

09

Groundhog Day

02

Sunday

ENJOY HALF-PRICE GARDEN ADMISSION DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY!

UARY 25

18

11

04

Tuesday

26

20

19

26

19

12

05

Wednesday

27

28

21

14

27

20

13

Greenhouse Tour Noon - 1:30PM

06

Thursday

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

13

12

28

21

30

23

Botanical Art Workshop (1/3) 6 - 9PM

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Enchhanting Evergreen Tour 10AM - Noon

22

15

08

Garden Adventures “Tasty Chocolate” 10 - 11:30AM

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Saturday

Full Moon

Valentine’s Day Full Moon

14

07

Friday

29

22

15

31

24

Terrarium Workshop 9AM - Noon

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Botanical Art Workshop (3/3) 9AM - 4PM

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Garden Adventures “Snowglobes” 10 - 11:30AM

GIVE TO THE GARDEN: Donations are essential to sustain the beauty of our 100 acres and over 5,000 types of plants

Botanical Art Workshop (2/3) 6 - 9PM

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ENJOY HALF-PRICE GARDEN ADMISSION DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY!

FEBRUARY

Non Profit org.

US Postage PAID Salt Lake City Permit #1529

300 Wakara Way Salt Lake City, UT 84108

What I Love About Winter Frozen lakes Hot pancakes Lots of snow Hot cocoa Skates and skis Evergreen trees Funny hats Thermostats Sunsets blaze Holidays Snowball fights Fireplace nights Chimneys streaming Winter dreaming

- Douglas Florian