2018 Saratoga Horticultural Research Endowment Proposal The Ruth Bancroft Garden- Aloe Hybrid Breeding Project Aloe Hybrid Breeding Project for California and Tissue Culture Production of Selected Plants for Sale Proposal Total Budget: $ 25,415 - $39, 415; Requested Amount: $ 25,000 Applicant Organization: The Ruth Bancroft Garden 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 Location of Project: The Ruth Bancroft Garden, (hereinafter TRBG), address above Co-Principal Investigators and Project Managers: Brian Kemble, Curator, The Ruth Bancroft Garden Walker Young, Assistant Curator, The Ruth Bancroft Garden (925) 944-9352 The Ruth Bancroft Garden office;
[email protected] Consultants: Randy Baldwin, Owner-San Marcos Growers;
[email protected] Ernesto Sandoval, Curator-Botanical Conservatory, UC Davis;
[email protected] Executive Summary This project seeks to develop new aloe hybrids to encourage the transition to more water-conserving garden plants and to expand the range of climate-appropriate plants available for California gardens. We propose to take five aloe hybrids created by Brian Kemble over the last 35 years, and test them in three microclimates at TRBG for a year. These hybrids differ from the bulk of recent introductions. Many fine aloe hybrids have come out of South Africa in recent years, but these come from the summer rainfall region, and focus on flowers alone. Aloes from southern California have focused on miniatures with unusual leaves. This project focuses on landscape-worthy hybrids suited for California’s Mediterranean climate. Data collected will be used to determine how well the hybrids perform. Results will be used to put the top performers into tissue culture for introduction into commercial use.