September 19, 2001
Contact: Tim Stephens (831) 459-2495; stephens@cats.ucsc.edu

Garden Exhibit by UC Santa Cruz Arboretum Wins Prize at County Fair

SANTA CRUZ, CA--A garden by the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum won Best of Show in the garden category at the Santa Cruz County Fair, held September 12-16 at the County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. Designer Angel Guerzon and Arboretum staff members created the award-winning exotic garden using plants from the Arboretum, as well as plants originally introduced by the Arboretum and now grown by local nurseries.

Guerzon, an Arboretum Associates board member and a designer for Silver Tree Designs, said the effect he was aiming for was that of a large bouquet of living plants representative of the Arboretum's collection.

"I had a lot of help putting it together from Arboretum staff and volunteers, and I was very happy with the way it turned out," Guerzon said.

The garden used unusual plants from the protea and myrtle families to produce a stunning visual statement at the entrance to the garden area of the fair. The foundation plants included protea, leucospermum, and leucodendron cultivars imported by the Arboretum from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. A dramatic bouquet designed by Shirley Beneke, also an Arboretum Associates board member, featured cut flowers from the Arboretum.

"Most of these plants bloom in the winter and spring, but she found some blooming banksias and gorgeous proteas and made a floral arrangement that really added to the drama," Guerzon said.

Suncrest Nurseries and Rosendale/Sierra Azul Nurseries donated plants for the exhibit.

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