2021 Cultivate / Winter 2021 1 IN SEASON | Shaving Brush (Pseudobombax ellipticum)

2 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 1 FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

OUR MISSION

Conserve & Discover. Engage & Inspire. To develop and conserve collections and habitats representative of the flora and cultures between the 26th latitudes. Welcome to 2021! To discover, research, and share knowledge about these and their gifts to us of beauty, tranquility, sustenance, and well-being. And to engage and inspire everyone to care for the plants around them and become stewards of the environment. As we start this new year, I find myself reflecting ON THE COVER on the idea of “adaptability.” Nature is the perfect teacher, The prop roots of the screw ( utilis), which, despite its name, is not really a pine at all, bend and twist to form a distinctive support adjusting to new conditions, rebounding system. This charismatic monocot, native to , sets the tone for our season, dedicated to an exploration of roots and other unseen forces of nature. Find it in Irma's Garden and near the meeting points of the Water Garden, Kapnick Brazilian Garden, and Kapnick Garden. from natural disasters, evolving to ensure survival.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

More than a Perhaps the most critical thing channel, you can learn about 4 trip to the nursery 24 What's ➳ From the Café we learned in 2020 was the art the fascinating world beneath Happening How we source plants of adaptation. We introduced our feet. We’re sharing the for our collections. 12 Making a 25 new safety protocols, found unseen work that is at the 8 priority list Berger Shop Finds Gardening different ways to interact with “root” of the Garden’s mission, How-Tos How we determine what visitors, and launched new too. In this issue, discover Repot your plants 15 plants to save — first. 26 in 4 easy steps. Membership News digital and at-home programs how we choose new species to Nature and Planned GIving Journaling to serve those who were unable add to our collections based 10 ➳ to be out in public. (See how we on their showstopping appeal Perspectives Here’s what happened when this 27 in-person program went digital. 16 adapted our Nature Journaling or because they need our Art, culture, Donor Profile and living Nature’s secrets program into an online You can still enjoy dining in protection (see pages 12 collections unearthed 29 learning opportunity on page Fogg Café. And you can still and 15). From the Journey with artist Steve Tobin through 16, and discover the impact find exciting new exhibitions, For all who supported us 20 this teeming world beneath the soil. Garden Blog of the Sustaining Leadership such as Steve Tobin: Nature last year, I thank you from the IN SEASON Council’s #HatsInOurGardens Underground (see page 20), bottom of my heart. I wish you onochromatic frozen vitifolium) at the top of Scott Garden Winter- landscapes are far away this boasts buttery-yellow blooms. The shaving campaign, this year’s digital currently on display, or and your families well in 2021, blooming Mtime of year as the Garden’s brush (Pseudobombax spp.) bursts with stand-in for the beloved annual America’s Everglades: Through and I hope we’ll see you often viridescent flora frames our striking winter- flamboyant florescence (pictured here) Trees blooming trees. Don't skirt the flame of the while the showstopping silver trumpet tree fundraiser, on page 28). the Lens of Clyde Butcher, here in the Garden. forest (Butea monosperma) in Irma’s Garden (Tabebuia aurea) and its golden blanket of as it sprinkles the Smith Entry Prow and flowers centered in the LaGrippe Orchid Ironically, those changes opening April 15. pond with vibrant orange "flames," while Garden entices passersby to stay a bit the double buttercup tree (Cochlospermum longer, and bask in the glowing hue. allow us to provide a sense of Inspired by Tobin, we

normalcy. You can still come to are focusing much of our CULTIVATE / WINTER 2021 the Garden for solace, beauty, programming and content Donna McGinnis Contributors: Erin Wolfe Bell, Tatiana Castro, Kristen Camisa, Peggy Farren, Jenny Fuentes TripAdvisor President & CEO Darby Kordonowy, Jennifer Reed, and Christian Torres-Santana. Top-rated recreation, and connection with around the theme of Roots: family and friends. Power of the Unseen. On the Naples Botanical Garden Thank you to Edwards Cultivate is financed in part by U.S. This magazine is sponsored in part by Department of Treasury, Florida Division of Asset Management for the State of Florida, Department of State, Garden’s blog and YouTube Emergency Management, and Collier County Division of Cultural Affairs, and the support of this publication. Community and Human Services Division. Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

This magazine is printed by an FSC®-certified printer. Forest Stewardship Council® certification imposes stringent standards for forest management that benefits people, wildlife, and the environment. Cover photo: © Seamus Payne

2 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 3 WITH HIS CENTURY-OLD CAMERA, CLYDE BUTCHER HAS BEEN EXPLORING AND DOCUMENTING THE EVERGLADES What’s FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES. THE RESULT IS A STUNNING COLLECTION OF LARGE-FORMAT BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT CAPTURE UNTOUCHED

happening PARTS OF THE NATION’S LARGEST SUBTROPICAL WILDERNESS. HIS WORK CHALLENGES US TO

EXPLORE THE HERITAGE WE SHARE IN THE NATURAL WORLD AND TO WORK TOGETHER TO PROTECT IT.

Orchids as far as Stop and the eye can see smell the More color and texture await more orchids. Expect to see an in the LaGrippe Orchid Garden, array of these plants in bloom as oolite pedestals now border next time you’re in the Garden. vanilla this space, providing increased Recent donor contributions surface area to showcase, well, helped support these The next time you’re in the Kapnick enhancements, as well as Caribbean Garden, you might notice the addition of more unique APRIL 15 – JUNE 15 orchid species and varieties a new trellis wrapped in green. That’s to add to our collections. Vanilla planifolia, a vine native to Mexico, COMING SOON and the only orchid that produces an edible fruit, the vanilla “bean.” Once pollinated, this orchid’s seedpod must AMERICA’S EVERGLADES ripen for nine months before it is edible. There’s a chance you’ve seen vanilla Through the Lens of Clyde Butcher growing the Garden before, and just didn’t realize it. Hint: Look up!

4 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 5 WHAT'S HAPPENING

JANUARY Feathered Friends FEBRUARY TAKE THE Super Plants MARCH AUDIO Explore the Garden as a family with a Fabulous Flowers new W.O.N.D.E.R. Activity Packet every APRIL Bamboo-zled TOUR! month! Simply stop by Ticketing for MAY yours; included with Garden admission. Mother Earth, May I? W O N D E R Walk. . Observe. . Navigate. . Draw. . Explore. . Read. . Share and share SUNSET WEDNESDAYS Presented by Wintrust Banking Center alike

If there is one thing that Garden staff had the drives botanical gardens opportunity to learn more Steve Tobin: and the people who about operations at each Nature Underground work for them—well, aside locale, and to trade tips Let our interactive GPS map and from plants—it’s a penchant with fellow horticulturists corresponding audio tour guide to share. Clippings, seeds, at the Wonder Gardens you through this exhibition. While you’ll learn more about the artist’s even some wisdom—it’s on fertilizing and general perspective behind the pieces, expect to pick up some knowledge all fair game, which is care for plants that thrive on the power of roots and what they why it’s not surprising in our region. Our thank mean to the plant world, and to us. that on November 13, you for the time spent Plus, during your next visit, be sure Midweek gets a little sweeter starting February 3, as the to look for details in the Garden Garden team members with colleagues at each Garden stays open until 8pm Wednesdays so you can stroll on our text chat feature. Ask us made the short trip north location: plant donations, and savor the magic of a Naples sunset overlooking the questions about what you see in the Garden, as you see it. to Bonita Springs to with various plumeria . Experience the monumental sculptures from Steve the Everglades Wonder among the offerings. Tobin: Nature Underground bathed in the light of sunset, Take the Gardens and Shangri-La and after nightfall, in simple garden illuminations. Members audio tour: bycell.co/ctfcn Springs, a boutique get in free. It’s the perfect occasion for an outdoor dinner at Fogg Café and Made possible by hotel, spa, and organic Marilyn and Brit Bartter afterschool play dates with the kids. dining paradise.

6 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 7 GARDENING HOW-TOS

Did you know that for most plants, there is as much growth below the soil as there is above it?

Over time, you may notice that your plant begins to droop, yellow, or simply appears Repotting too big for its container. The reason for these changes is that the soil that holds the roots could be unhealthy, too damp, or insufficient for the plant’s size. Overgrowth of roots can look Step-by-step instructions more drastic for some plants more than others. Some may not even look like they need more from Tatiana Castro, room, and others may appear to be moving themselves out of their own pots. Not to worry, Assistant Curator of Education & Visitor Experience Plants though; repotting is an easy fix that will leave both you and your plant baby happy!

Set up your workspace outside or in an area that is Don’t forget to place your plant easy to sweep—this will in a spot with adequate sunlight get a bit messy! so that it can continue to grow.

To cut down on clean-up, With this simple change, you may ensure your plant— notice your plant will grow bigger and its soil—are dry. and better than before. 1 2 3 4 To do this, you will need: You may even find your plant developing new shoots, which A trowel and pair of you can propagate to add to gardening gloves Prepare your larger Remove your plant Check if your plant Place the plant into the container. Fill up the from the original has a tangled root ball. new container. Add enough your collection! A container about twice Keep an eye on your plant as large as the current one container about ¾ of the container carefully. You can gently loosen soil to keep your plant way to the top with fresh You can use a trowel this section by hand, upright and roots covered. to ensure it is growing well. Potting soil fit for your plant Remember: it is the unseen (all-purpose, cactus mix, potting soil. Depending or use a gloved hand to unraveling the roots Depending on the plant processes beneath the soil or a floral mix) on the size of your plant, help loosen the soil. and removing soil type and the last time it was that play a crucial role in your you will need to account Take care to avoid until the roots are no watered, consider watering plant’s success. for extra space to ripping the roots. longer tangled. your plant again now that it accommodate is in its new home. longer roots.

8 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 9 PERSPECTIVES

A living work of art Botanical gardens: Where collections and culture meet

PERSPECTIVE FROM ERIN WOLFE BELL, DIRECTOR OF EXHIBITIONS & SPECIAL PROGRAMS

visit the garden on any given day, coordinate exhibitions and festivals The Garden’s ever-changing rotation and there is a good chance you will round for the community—all of which are of exhibitions, along with the artistic a corner and encounter an artist totally tied to the outdoors. Although I had display of holiday lights and stunning immersed in his or her latest creation. never considered the exciting work of flower shows, have become an integral Photographers, painters, writers, and botanical gardens, now I can’t imagine part of the Garden experience. When others all find inspiration within the my life without them. thinking about new exhibitions to bring beauty of our landscapes. Gardens are to the Garden, I always focus on the fact places where we naturally slow down and “We’re so fortunate that we are a garden first. In our case, each project is not art for art’s sake; it take a closer look at our surroundings. to have spaces The act of observation and quiet reflection must have a deep connection to our seems to bring out people’s creative sides. and opportunities mission. This season’s major exhibition, As Director of Exhibitions & Special to use art and cultural Steve Tobin: Nature Underground, Programs, it always delights me to see programs as is a perfect example. The sculptor’s their minds—and hands—at work when a stepping stone towering tree roots inspired us to I am in the Garden. to help us talk about celebrate these important lifelines and To me, the Garden itself is the biggest our mission.” the power of the unseen all year long work of art in our collection. It has color, through special self-guided tours, form, texture, dimension, and meaning. digital content, family activity kits, and Each square foot was created with I sharing with people that art related offerings. We’re so fortunate purpose and intent. A visionary group has always been part of the Garden’s to have spaces and opportunities to of artists—landscape architects to be story. Well before the main Garden use art and cultural programs as a exact—conceived our cultivated gardens, opened, the community created a one- stepping stone to help us talk about our and our artistically inclined team adds of-a-kind tile wall that served as a focal mission, and while we strive to present to their beauty year after year. point for the Mosaic Garden, a small world-class installations, what’s even People don’t always know the space built to generate excitement and more important to me is that they’re huge role that art and culture play hint at the beauty to come. In building approachable for visitors. Look for a in botanical gardens. I certainly today’s Garden, designers chose not a new programmatic theme in the fall to didn’t. While training in art history plant, but a piece of art to dominate the coincide with our next major exhibition and museum studies, I envisioned first viewshed guests see from the Smith debuting in November 2021. myself working at an art museum, Entry Prow. The Roberto Burle Marx Next time you are in the Garden, meticulously cataloging works of art mosaic sits atop the Kapnick Brazilian I invite you to think about it as a living in an enclosed, windowless building, Garden—the only piece of the famed work of art. Consider what colors and which would have been my dream. landscape architect’s work on public textures you gravitate toward and the Or so I thought. Instead, I get to display in . It’s a place I compositions you can create as you move work closely with artists, musicians, visit often because it reminds me that through the Garden. And next time, and cultural partners to plan and I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. bring paper and a pencil to capture it. © Seamus Payne Seamus Payne ©

10 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 11 MORE THAN A TRIP TO THE NURSERY says Liz Chehayl, the Brian Holley “We look at Our staff grew it from a clipping offered Curator of Collections. The rare tree is whether a plant by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, just one of a variety of plant species the which got theirs from a clipping from Garden can display that can’t be grown is in any other The Huntington, a botanical garden, elsewhere in the continental US. garden collections. library, and museum in California. An inside look They’re just saplings now, placed If no one is During a visit to The Huntington a few in various spots around the Lea Asian conserving it, years ago, our staff saw the mother plant Garden, but in time, they’ll tower over and learned its history—it had been at how the Garden finds surrounding plants. That raises an it's a good grown from the seed of a wild coussapoa important point. In deciding what to opportunity for found in a cave in Costa Rica. collect and where to put it, our team us to do so.” “Botanical gardens are some of the has to look at myriad questions: What’s best sources. They’re repositories of beautiful, , threatened the plant’s growth pattern? Is there plants from all over the world,” says enough space for its roots? Will it block Then comes the question of where to Galligan. Now that our collection has a pathway? Disrupt a viewshed? Is it get the plants. matured, we offer seeds or cuttings to and uniquerare plants to fragrant? When does it bloom? Does “It’s all relationships. You can’t buy fellow gardens. it go dormant during our peak season? these things online,” Galligan says. Many other contributions come Will it complement surrounding plants? Some contributions come from other from plant collectors—people like put on display Is it too similar to nearby species? Will it botanical gardens with climates similar Knox and Stephen Brady, a tropical get adequate sunlight? to ours. The Coussapoa sp., a ficus fruit tree obsessive (he was featured in “There’s so much that goes into it,” relative that can be found in the Kapnick a documentary on the subject), who has Galligan says. Brazilian Garden, is a good example. contributed his plants and knowledge to

here are some 391,000 known from the wild, rather than a nursery; species of vascular plants in those with fascinating stories to tell; the world. How on earth does those that need protecting because their Tour staff decide which ones to pursue numbers have been depleted or their for display in the Garden? habitats are at risk; and, critically, those There are obvious disqualifiers. that can’t be grown outdoors anywhere Nothing from the chilly north (including else in the . Our Garden is even North Florida). Nothing from the one of a handful that can display tropical mountains. Or from regions that boast where,” says Brian Galligan, Vice species in the landscape rather than rich, nutrient-dense soils. Or from places President of Horticulture. encased in glass houses. that receive regular rain rather than our In the Garden’s early days, inaugural New magnolias, planted last cycles of extreme wet and dry. staff scrambled to fill space and create a summer, checked a lot of those boxes. The No worries. The tropics and beautiful guest experience. But today, as a species, including Magnolia rajaniana, subtropics alone give our staff boundless more mature and discerning organization, M. chapensis, and M. foveolata, hail opportunities to collect must-have the staff is seeking higher-value plants. from Asia, making them a natural fit plants. In this year of examining the They want, for example: plants that come for the Lea Asian Garden. They are well “garden unseen,” we peer into the process adapted to Southwest Florida’s climate of identifying new species to and growing conditions. In time, they’ll add to our cultivated gardens. produce star-like blooms and perfume It starts with the Collections Committee. “In deciding the air around them. The trees come from The group, including representatives what to collect a stellar source: Gary Knox, a University from the Horticulture, Conservation, and and where to put it, of Florida professor of environmental Education departments, formed about a year our team has horticulture and past president of the M M ago to create a more process-driven, inclusive Magnolia Society International. Costus acreanus (left) and Relationships with way of collecting and planting new plants. to look at myriad “He was bringing us tropical Costus arabicus (right) are examples collectors such as Skinner “We decided we needed to get more questions ...” magnolias that probably wouldn’t grow of the species Costus collector are a primary way we consensus in terms of what’s going in any other place but South Florida,” Dave Skinner has given the Garden. acquire new species.

12 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 13 of the Pseudophoenix lediniana, a rare Botanical institutions encourage collections broken up—this is the camellia palm native only to a small region in the appreciation of these conservation- section or this is the cycad collection,” island’s southwest. (To learn more about worthy species by displaying them for says Director of Collections Nick Ewy, how we identify the plants most in need guests to enjoy. They also preserve their who oversees the placement of new plants. of protection, see sidebar below.) genetic material for restoration projects. That’s a fine layout for plant experts or We don’t only seek the rare. Our seed bank holds tens of thousands hobbyists infatuated with certain species. “We want to go beyond that,” of seeds of any given species. It may not appeal to general visitors, Washburn says. As part of the collections however. “We try to incorporate plants process, the team considers more ur approach to showcasing within the gardens, and make it more common plants whose futures are at our collections differs pleasing,” Ewy says. risk because of invasive pests or from older botanical gardens, Galligan agrees. threatened habitats. The swamp bay tree Owhich may group plants by family. “We’re a botanical garden. We’re is a good example; a fungus carried by We intersperse species throughout based on collections,” he says. “But the redbay ambrosia beetle, an invasive our cultivated gardens, making our at the end of the day, most guests pest from Asia, is causing laurel wilt landscapes more about art than science. want to see a beautiful garden, disease and felling swamp bay and its “Some gardens you go to, especially a beautiful space.” relatives by the millions. the older, established ones might have

Making a priority list fewer collections, including M M 15 that are in no collections. Many were also found to be Copernicia gigas, The detail shows the broad leaves of the coussapoa, A data-driven approach to determine the plants under some level of threat by a Cuban palm, also a fast-growing ficus relative located near the Roberto Burle most at threat of extinction IUCN standards. a gift from a collector. Marx mosaic in the Kapnick Brazilian Garden. “We could really make The next time you walk in a difference through seed the woods, take a look at all banking and bringing plants into the plants that surround you. the Garden,” Roland says. the Garden for years. Or Dave Skinner, a “Our Garden elationships matter when If you had to pick one species Once the assessments are collector and expert on the Costus family it comes to collecting plants to save for the future, how reviewed and published, they is one of a handful would you choose? may identify land that warrants of plants, who treks Central and South for conservation, as well. The In a way, that’s a question protection, inspire research America in pursuit of new specimens. that can display RGarden has built a network among peer our conservation experts projects, and steer conservation Building the relationships isn’t an tropical species organizations throughout the Caribbean. wrestle with, too. efforts. Take, for example, overnight process—plant collectors These partnering gardens share rare Naples Botanical Garden Guilandina culebrae, a vine with in the landscape focuses on protecting the yellow flowers recorded only are a quirky bunch—but once you and threatened plants in order to plants of South Florida and the on Culebra, a small island off win their trust, they’ll open their rather than protect them. Caribbean. But even when we the east coast of Puerto Rico, collections to you and open doors for encased in glass “We look at whether a plant is in team up with other botanical ChristianPhoto: Torres-Santana and on Cayo Diablo, a tiny cay gardens, we don’t have the nearby. Its extremely small you. That’s how last summer we got any other garden collections. If no one is left This particular specimen of Guilandina culebrae was planted at a private houses.” resources to save everything. residence on the island of Culebra, just off the coast of Puerto Rico. The seeds were geographic range makes the seeds from 56 species of Australian conserving it, it’s a good opportunity for That’s why the Conservation gathered from nearby Cayo Diablo. right Carly Roland, Conservation Associate species a prime candidate plants; a collector friend of Brady sent us to do so,” says Chad Washburn, Vice Team, led by Conservation for conservation. them to our horticulture staff, who are President of Conservation. They also Associate Carly Roland, has we can best prioritize are in their native ranges, “This is such a great embarked on a major effort to the ones we need to collect whether their habitats are at opportunity for high-risk plants trialing them now in our nursery. That’s plants from other parts of the world to consider whether a potential addition is assess select plants through and conserve. risk, and whether they are like this to be brought into a a big part of the collections process, see how they fare here. Their findings endemic to a certain region, meaning it the International Union for Together with experts from under the protection of botanic botanical collection, both to too. After taking precautions to make may result in new display gardens for grows only there. Such species tend to Conservation of Nature partnering botanical gardens, gardens anywhere in the world. share with the public and to (IUCN) Red List process. By Roland combs databases to So far, she and the working safeguard their genetic material sure they don’t introduce something our grounds or in sharing new species be at higher risk than those found in a determining which species investigate targeted plants, group have assessed 52 species. for future recovery efforts,” invasive or otherwise harmful, our with growers and landscapers to wide geographic range. Our partners in are most at risk of extinction, examining how prevalent they Of those, 37 are in three or Roland says. horticulturalists experiment with beautify Southwest Florida. Haiti, for example, recently shared seeds

14 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 15

Can online learning fill in Learning to Zoom “It does take a little bit of time to get used to the virtual aspect,” says Mary Helen Reuter, the Curator of Education and Visitor Experience and staff facilitator for the nature journaling program. Some participants had used the Zoom video conferencing platform in the past, but for most, it was a new experience. The first week for in-person was “quiet,” Reuter reports. But once members learned to post their work on Facebook and navigate Zoom’s instruction? chat feature, “it started blowing up,” she says. “It was like opening new doors.”

These older adults think so.

Forced to suspend group activities, the Garden transforms its nature journaling program into a digital experience, arming older adults with new tools—both artistic and technical.

Since 2019, the Garden has offered Nature Journaling: Botany Through Art, eight-week courses for older adults that teach the fundamentals of watercolor painting and the art of chronicling nature through picture and word.

When COVID-19 halted and connected during “Zoom and art are an group activities, Garden isolating times. excellent combination,” educators and the program’s For students, it was one wrote in her course funder, Aroha Philanthropies, not only an extension of evaluation. worried about the well-being their art instruction, but it of older adults sequestered was also a technological Follow along for at home. At the foundation’s crash course. They took snapshots of what invitation, the Garden class over Zoom and transpired. applied for—and won— shared their work, a grant to create a virtual critiques, and questions experience. We launched via a Facebook group. an online program for By the end of the sessions, nature journaling alums, participants shattered expanding the fundamentals whatever stereotypes and—more critically— exist about older people keeping them engaged and technology.

16 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 17

Carmina Rodriguez Villa loved the several other organizations between A new in-person experience of her previous visits to family throughout the country. nature journaling session. She misses the interaction, though way of “But under the circumstances, it at 75 she knows she needs to protect teaching couldn’t be better,” she says of the her health. online format. “I thought Elizabeth “This was a little ray of sunshine,” “Well, there were challenges and benefits,” says artist Finding was wonderful in how she went over she says of the course. “They made Elizabeth Smith, the instructor. “I did not get the everything and how patient she was.” us appreciate the nature around immediate feedback you get when you are together light “(Zoom) was a good way to see us. We’re a little bit down, but nature in person. And overcoming the technology bridge each other’s faces,” she adds, “though is up.” was difficult for some students.” in trying I miss greeting people in the Garden.” But the new format had its perks. Reuter posted In normal circumstances, Rodriguez the Zoom sessions to a private YouTube channel times Villa volunteers for the Garden and where participants could review lessons. “They could go back and watch them, stop them, or paint along with me,” Smith says. “They could By the end of the sessions, participants re-watch the video as many times as they wanted.” Elizabeth Smith shattered whatever stereotypes exist about older people and technology.

N Here’s one example of the online interaction.

Pandemic spurs practice

Because the participants had taken a nature journaling class before, the online sessions were designed to take their skills to the next level. And they did. Mary Raymond is a botanist by trade, a Garden volunteer, and a floral design judge for the Garden Club of America. She spent the pandemic honing her nature-inspired art, taking not only the Garden’s online course but also other web offerings. Being a part of an organized group helped motivate her to practice, she says. And practicing allowed her to immerse herself in Carmina Rodriguez Villa something meaningful. “During these times, we need a distraction. We have all this time on our hands. (Art) takes time, and concentration and The next Nature Journaling: quiet. It’s kind of selfish, but sometimes we need something Botany Through Art exhibition will be March 5-6 in Kapnick Hall. that belongs to us and no one else.”

Mary Raymond 18 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 19 At the Garden this year, life underground is upended, unearthed, and its secrets unleashed. A major, yearlong exhibition of artist Steve Tobin’s monumental roots sculptures opened in October 2020 and will dominate the landscape through September.

he exhibition Steve Tobin: In a wide-ranging conversation Nature Underground last fall from his home in Pennsylvania, pays homage to intricate Tobin shares the origins of his Tterrestrial ecosystems, ideas and the inspiration he finds forgotten in their invisibility but in the outdoors. fundamental to all life on Earth. Tobin’s fascination with roots The exhibition is the focal point started when he came across a toppled of the Garden’s 2020-21 season, pine tree that bared its underside. An Roots: Power of the Unseen, which epiphany, he says of that moment. celebrates the complex world “It was probably about the most beneath our feet and the unnoticed beautiful thing I had ever seen, parts of the natural world. and for me, beauty is complex,” he “Steve Tobin has been on our says. Tobin, who studied theoretical radar for several years, and we mathematics, likens himself to the always knew his work would be a great fit for the Garden,” says Erin Wolfe Bell, Director of Exhibitions & Special Programs. “All of his pieces are closely connected to nature, but we specifically wanted to bring his Roots series and explore that topic deeply to truly make this an educational experience for both “Seeing things children and adults. It’s an honor to be able to bring this kind of world- out of context class exhibition to the community.” allows you Tobin’s repertoire is vast and includes works in glass, clay, mixed to see things media, stainless steel, and bronze again for the and steel, from which he created his two distinct series of root first time.” sculptures. His compositions are eclectic but bound by a reverence character of Raymond Babbitt in for nature: sections of forest floors the movie “Rain Man.” Like Raymond, immortalized in bronze; awe- Tobin has extraordinary numeric- Nature’s Secrets inspiring waterfalls fashioned related talents. In Tobin’s case, an from glass; African termite hills— ability to discern patterns and count skyscrapers of the insect world— the objects that comprise them, such Unearthed glorified through molds and metal. as the number of leaves on a tree. His newest series depicts clouds; our “Part of the beauty of (the pine Garden is the first venue to publicly roots) may have been the patterns, display one of these works. which in hindsight, could be expressed STEVE TOBIN ON A CAREER SPENT BRINGING THE UNSEEN INTO THE LIGHT

20 21 Tobin continued to find inspiration underground, but expressed himself in an entirely new way, shifting from naturalist to modernist. “I made the biggest move of my career, which was metal roots to metal roots,” he quips. “It doesn’t sound like much of a change, but I went from literal cast bronze to modernist bent roots that were more metaphorically roots.” The bronze sculptures are twisting and angular. The steel ones graceful and arching, “cathedral like,” to their creator. “It’s like they are churches, and the content of the church is nature,” Tobin says. The pieces intertwine, but each component has its own defined space and pathway. Tobin, during a stint in Japan, How to get developed a fascination with traditional calligraphy. Those who know the Asian characters will spot them embedded within the most out Head in the Clouds, 2020, in the Lea Asian Garden the sculptures or in the shadows they cast. The shadows, incidentally, are as much as a part of each sculpture as the of Nature in terms of fractal relationships from large to small. There’s a kind metal pieces themselves. of profound beauty, I guess I would call it.” Underground He sketched the roots, changing their axis from horizontal to ature Underground contains two additional vertical. A shift in perspective, he explains, forces viewers to stop sculptures, showcasing nature’s many forms and Steve Tobin generally doesn’t name his work. This is so viewers may derive their above Detail of Romeo and Juliet, and reconsider something so familiar it fades into the landscape. an artist’s career three decades in the making. own interpretations. 2003, on view in the Kapnick Caribbean Garden “Seeing things out of context allows you to see things again NThe first is a work depicting potted bamboo, an “The less I have to title pieces, the less they have to read about my process, for the first time,” he says. “When you take something out of important botanic collection at the Garden. He cast circular then the more they have a blank canvas of experience to write their own reaction and context, it allows you to see it in a way you haven’t been able to holes in the reeds, giving it both visual and auditory interest. responses and what they learned, and not have to study what the artist intended,” since you were an infant.” On windy days, you can can hear the air rushing through them. The human mind, he explains, is programmed to The other: a selection from his new cloud series, located he says. (There’s one notable exception, a pair of sculptures entitled Romeo and Juliet “recognize and dismiss” common sights, lest we suffer from in the Helen and Richard Thomas Lotus Pool within the for obvious reasons. Those pieces are located in the Kapnick Caribbean Garden.) sensory and information overload. “What I’m doing in my Lea Asian Garden. Mirror-polished stainless steel draws the Tobin offers suggestions on how to best experience his work: work is recontextualizing nature.” out-of-reach sky down to earth. Steve Tobin: Nature Underground will be on display Visit Look between Yes, Feel with your through September 6 and is included in regular Garden or the Bronze Roots, he used actual trees (nonliving ones, often. the lines. please touch! emotions, too. Tobin assures), and in doing so, he captured the textures, admission. For hours, ticket prices, and COVID-19 safety twists, knobs, fissures, complexity of the structures. The protocols, visit naplesgarden.org. roots dwarf the viewers—a stark reminder of the outsized F Bamboo, 2009, in the Grove hold nature has on us. Tobin works in metaphor. “I took the roots from unseen to seen. I shined light into the shadows, and by taking them above ground, it decontextualizes

from hidden, and they stand on their own. They are about “Every moment,” he says, “is The Steelroots may wow and When you approach the steel Tune into your feelings as you bringing unseen power to light,” the artist says. different from every other inspire for their scope and shape, sculptures, notice the textures. view the works. How do the His sole interpretive touch was in how he and his team moment … I encourage you to but there’s art between the lines. Tobin works with recycled steel structures make you feel? come back multiple times, and “You see the object—the metal— steel pipes. The bronze ones? Does the arranged various sections of the roots once cast. look at the same pieces from but it’s the negative space that’s “They have the texture of cloud trigger a reaction? That, “We reassemble them in lyrical ways. They are not as they the same position because the content,” Tobin says. the history they’ve lived,” he says. of course, is the essence of art: were, but as they could have been,” he says. “I don’t think I’m with the different light and Steel pillars dissect the The pockmarks and the divots using an object to provoke ideas defying their biology, but I am having a little artistic expression.” the different angle of the sun, space around them, creating are not imperfections; they and emotions. the piece will be different.” “landscape paintings,” sections are stories. “I know how they are going to Tobin culminated his Bronze Roots series with Trinity of foliage or sky or groundcover look; I have control over all my Root, created from the enormous roots of a shattered sycamore framed by richly colored mediums now. But I don’t know tree that shielded New York’s St. Paul’s Church during the 9/11 metal. The pictures change how they are going to feel.” terrorist attacks. It was installed in the courtyard of Trinity as your relationship to the That, he says, is up to you. sculpture changes. Church, the parent church in that Episcopal diocese.

22 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 23 FROM THE CAFÉ BERGER SHOP FINDS

Spice up your kitchen with Fogg Café Chef Jack Raben’s tasty turmeric curry chicken wings recipe, the perfect meal for a cozy night at home or with friends outdoors!

The Horticulture Team at Naples Botanical Garden harvested turmeric (Curcuma longa) Cast Bronze $12,500 From this fall in the Marcia and L. Bates Lea Asian Garden. Native to South Asia, turmeric is a member of the ginger family Zingiberaceae and is an herbaceous perennial. Turmeric’s root to active ingredient, curcumin, which comes from its roots, helps give the herb its golden color and is used to make curry powder. Curcumin also serves as a natural antioxidant that has table anti-inflammatory benefits to treat fatigue, reduce pain, and help fight off free radicals.

Turmeric Curry Chicken Color Dip Steel $4,500 SERVES 4-6 Photos are not exact representations of Bring the Garden home with you Brine Sauce sculpture size. Please call the Berger Shop with the purchase of an original creation by For this recipe, for details: 239.325.1350. Chef Jack used chicken 2-3 pounds chicken 1 can (13.5) fluid ounces Steve Tobin, the contemporary artist behind our current exhibition, Steve Tobin: wings, but thighs, breasts, unsweetened coconut milk 2 quarts water Nature Underground. and legs will also work. ½ cup kosher salt 3 tablespoons red curry paste 5 fresh bay leaves, if available, or dry ½ cup turmeric root, peeled and sliced thin across the grain 6-7 sprigs thyme (¼ cup powder may be used if deeply rooted 3 tablespoons fresh turmeric, fresh root is not available) peeled and sliced thin The Jane and Chuck Berger Shop 1 lime, juiced and zested 1 tablespoon coriander seeds in the Garden features a wide array of Tobin’s ½  teaspoon fish sauce (optional) smaller-scale works, which draw from the inspiration 2 cups sugar Blend all ingredients in a medium bowl, of the artist’s deep respect for the natural world Combine and marinate chicken for simmer in a saucepan, and reduce by half. as a source of constantly changing forms. 4 to 24 hours. Remove chicken and pat dry, and discard brine when finished. To cook Set oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook chicken, uncovered, 35-45 Vegetables are another minutes until internal temperature option. This can work as a of chicken is 165 degrees F. vegan recipe by omitting the fish sauce and using only Final touches vegetables. Once done, lightly drip the curry sauce over the chicken, and add lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and sliced red Yellow Steel $16,000 chili peppers.

Thanks to Chef Jack Raben for this recipe. To see a full menu of what the Fogg Café team is serving up this winter, visit naplesgarden.org. Members save 10% on purchases in Fogg Café and the Berger Shop in the Garden. Red Steel $12,500

24 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 25 MEMBERSHIP NEWS DONOR PROFILE

Royal Palm Society What brought you Because of to the Garden REOPENED OFFERED COLLABORATED Members “The thing that caused us to following a MORE THAN 3,900 SELF-GUIDED VIRTUALLY Why We Give visit was the Garden’s outreach 3-month closure due with colleagues In 2020, the to COVID-19 W.O.N.D.E.R. to the community—we went to from around Garden: ACTIVITY PACKETS explore it on Mothers’ Day. Mothers COMPLETE WITH the Caribbean FOR FAMILIES A few minutes in the Garden were free that day. I think that’s CRUCIAL SAFETY in English and in Spanish TO IDENTIFY with Mike Atkins and Sherry Turner what sets the Garden apart; WELCOMED ENHANCEMENTS more than ENDANGERED it works with the community, it (timed tickets, PLANTS has a lot of outreach, and its team plexiglass barriers, 200,000 touchless water ADDED and make plans to tries to find ways to bring people VISITORS bottle stations) 369 TAXA, OR TYPES, OF PLANTS conserve them into the Garden, and to open up the doors to where they’ll come The Garden’s 13,000 member households generate over $2 million in annual and experience it.” — MIKE support. Membership alone makes up over 25% of the Garden’s income. Those Favorite thing funds are essential for the Garden’s day-to-day activities, especially now. “We’ve often said that we should mark our calendar at the beginning of every month and go, PLANNED GIVING and just walk through, and look at what’s not blooming that was blooming the month before, In times of uncertainty, nature is where we find solace, strength and see all the changes. It’s just for our footing, and connection to the world around us. You know you’re fully invested in the Garden when you can rattle off, amazing. We’re in there frequently, in great detail, a list of favorite trees. By that measure alone, Mike Atkins and we always walk by something, You can play a vital part in ensuring this and Sherry Turner, Royal Palm Society members, are “all in.” and one of us will look and important role of the Garden to connect In a recent conversation, they our grounds: the silk floss say, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen people with the plant world, both now, shared the ones that delight (Ceiba ). They show that before.’” — SHERRY and for generations to come. them most. The old man palm it to everyone they bring to the (Coccothrinax crinita) catches their Garden. “I’m just amazed at Why you give to Making a gift to the Garden Now, more than ever, attention first, just as they step off how sharp those points are,” the Garden in your estate plans isn’t see how your support and the Smith Entry Prow Boardwalk. Atkins marvels.And of course, “The only things that motivate us merely a future event. The commitment shapes the The quirky tree with its fibrous there’s the rainbow eucalyptus to give of any significance, as Perennial Legacy Society future of the Garden, today. husk that wraps in wiry layers (Eucalyptus deglupta) trees. we’ve looked back, either has to be offers the opportunity to learn If you have already around the trunk never ceases to They both get nostalgic when something that breaks our heart, and grow through informative included the Garden in your evoke a smile. remembering the majestic or the alternative would be the lectures and exclusive estate plans, simply let us “We always laugh at the old specimen that used to greet Garden, which makes you happy. Garden experiences. Explore know, so that we may invite man palms when we first walk in. guests near the Naples Garden Every time you walk in the door, firsthand the impact of the you to Society events. We look for them,” says Sherry Club Idea Garden, before it was it makes you smile, it makes Garden’s community and To inform us of your future Turner. “And then there’s Mike’s relocated. Now, they share a bit favorite, ‘the back scratch tree.’” more about what they think makes you happy. And the way you are conservation programs gift intention, or for a free Turner’s husband, Mike Atkins, the Garden unique, and why recognized and appreciated through behind-the-scenes “how-to” legacy brochure, elaborates on the staple here on they give to benefit our mission. makes you happy.” — MIKE presentations as you get contact Cindy Learned to know fellow Society at 239.325.1927 or members. [email protected]. To learn more about becoming a Royal Palm Society member, visit naplesgarden.org/membership.

26 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 27 

SUSTAINING LEADERSHIP COUNCIL FROM THE GARDEN BLOG

As a result of the generous support of the Sustaining Leadership Council and #HatsInOurGardens participants, Naples Botanical Garden is extending its Community Appreciation Program through May 2021. This program offers complimentary Garden access for health care “… if you have and essential service employers to share with their employees, providing a place of respite during these difficult times. them outside,

To date, more than 7,000 essential workers and their families they bring the have enjoyed time in the Garden thanks to this initiative. clouds and the If you are a health care provider or oversee an essential blue sky down to business, and wish to enroll your company in the Community Appreciation Program, the ground, and please contact [email protected]. the surroundings

THE SUSTAINING LEADERSHIP COUNCIL go into the PLATINUM clouds. As our Jane Purdy Berger Grace B. Evenstad Ann Khan Patrice Schoonmaker Jenny Wren Sutton Mary Ann E. Bindley Donna S. Hall Linda Koehn Karen M. Scott Carol A. Walter Joanne Brown Nancy H. Hamill Jody B. Lippes Lynne Shotwell Shirley Z. Welsh dreams do.” Eleanor B. Chabraja Barbara J. Hills Joan T. Loos Jeannie M. Smith Christine G. Williamson Joan E. Clifford Jerrilyn M. Hoffmann Gloria P. Messey Mary S. Smith Kathryn E. Woods Artist Steve Tobin on the effect Parker J. Collier Kathleen Kapnick Donna D. Nelson Vicky C. Smith of mirror-polished stainless GOLD steel used to create Head in the Cortney L. Beebe Leslie K. S. Fogg Paula J. Malone Kathleen Rooney Susan C. Stielow Clouds, 2020, on view in the Carol Dinardo Amy M. Heuerman Barbara L. Morrison Wynnell Schrenk Connie Vandenberg Lea Asian Garden water features. Geren W. Fauth Melissa G. Keiswetter Katherine R. Pallas Shelly Stayer Linda G. White

Hats Off to the Following Sponsors & Underwriters for their Generous Support Media Sponsor:

Supported by: City Mattress | Edwards Asset Management | Fiddler Films | Guita M. Fine Jewels | The Hoffmann Family of Companies Amy Moglia Heuerman | Kaleidoscope Floral | Luminaire Foto | Marissa Collections | Naples Transportation & Tours Walk the Steve Tobin: Nature Underground exhibition with Philip Douglas Salon | PranaSleep | Beth Preddy | Premier Sotheby’s International Realty | Sea Salt the artist in this Notes from the Garden blog post: naplesgarden.org/nature-unearthed-artists-guide-to-the-exhibition.

28 Naples Botanical Garden Cultivate / Winter 2021 29 4820 Bayshore Drive Naples, FL 34112 239.643.7275 naplesgarden.org

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