College - Author 1
College of Liberal Arts
Department - Author 1
English Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BA in English
Date
6-2024
Primary Advisor
Jason Peters, College of Liberal Arts, English Department
Additional Advisors
Tiffany Faulstich, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Plant Sciences Department
Abstract/Summary
The Leaning Pine Arboretum, located on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, was founded in 1973 by a conglomerate of faculty of the horticultural sciences. The author sat with current and retired faculty to curate a written history based on oral interviews which investigated the development of the 5-acre garden across fifty years of volunteer work, student employees, class projects, and senior projects. Professor Emeritus Tom Eltzroth became the first director of the Arboretum and established the core design principle of celebrating the five Mediterranean climates of the world: Australia, California, Chile, the Mediterranean basin, and South Africa. Today, the Arboretum features a growing collection of gardens that are freely accessible to the public, including the five climate zones as well as the Entry Garden, the Formal Garden, the New Zealand garden, the Dwarf and Unusual Conifer garden, the Primitive garden, and the Palm and Aloe garden. Notable contributions throughout the history of the Arboretum were made by instructors including Professor Eltzroth, Wes Connor, Tony Amato, Ron Regan, Woody Frey, Tim Gaskin, Mike Zohns, Professor Virginia Walter, David Fross, Chris Wassenberg, and current Arboretum Manager Tiffany Faulstich, as well as financial donors. As the Arboretum moves into the future, it aims to remain a model of practical sustainability practices, be a resource for hands-on education, and continue to provide botanical diversity and landscaping inspiration while maintaining its goal to be “The Central Coast’s Premier Horticulture Display Garden”.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/englsp/16
