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Nursery Building
The Nursery Building is on the left a you enter the deer proof fenced area in the back of the Horticulture Center. It comprises the nursery staff offices and lunch room, herbarium, volunteer meeting room and Laboratory Classroom, where students learn hands on techniques for plant propagation and care.
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Laboratory Classroom
The Nursery classroom is an expansive space with stainless steel tables and a concrete floor with drains, a perfect room for learning the arts of nursery production in all its phases. Plant materials are shown and used to demonstrate propagation techniques as well as pruning and other general care issues. |
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Hoop Houses
There are four hoop houses near the back of the nursery area. During most of the year they house the succulent cuttings for the Spring Plant Sale, and then display many of our annuals and cut flower starts for the big weekend. They have each been named to honor the contributions of The Westcliff Foundation, Golden State Bulb Growers, Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and Driscoll Strawberry Associates.
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Greenhouse
The prize of the Nursery Area is the 8,000 square foot greenhouse complex named in honor of the Solari family. In the center is the Head House where much of the propagation goes on during the year by our staff and volunteers. On either side are the 3,00 square foot greenhouse areas where hanging baskets and many of our fuchsias are grown on one side, and the seedlings and starts are maintained on the other. |
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Shade Houses
The Nursery Area wouldn't be complete without its shade houses. The Spencer/Rooney North Shade House contains many of the "mother plants" used for propagating, and many larger plants. When the Plant Sale commences, it is transformed into the vegetable patch where many varieties of heirloom and hybrid table crops are displayed along with a host of herbs to enhance their flavor. The South Shade House is home to our California Natives collection and shade loving perrenials, while the East Shade House is home to a vast array of sun loving perennials. The soon to be constructed West Shade House will be home to various succulents and perennial cut flowers.
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