Alta Vista Botanical Gardens

The Welcome Garden Obelisk at Alta Vista Gardens

The Alta Vista Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden located in Vista, California. The mission of the Gardens is to "bring together people, nature and art”. The purpose of the garden to provide an interactive living classroom for North San Diego County students.

History

"Plans for a botanical garden in Vista go back more than 35 years, and a nonprofit formed in 1999 to oversee the project". In November 2005, the Gardens' board of directors adopted a new master plan for a collection of themed garden spaces and gathering spots that were to be built on 13 acres of city-owned land at the top of a hill in Brengle Terrace Park. Shortly after, the Vista City Council unanimously approved the plan. Council members called the plan "inspiring" and "magical" and acknowledged that the gardens have been a long-awaited goal of the city. "A lot of dreams went into this", Councilwoman Judy Ritter said after the vote. In April 2009, a final plan for Alta Vista Garden’s new Bugs, Birds & Butterflies Children’s garden was submitted to the Board for approval.

Butterfly habitat

The Gardens are certified by the North American Butterfly Association as a Butterfly Habitat and as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Part of this is a pledge to be chemical and pesticide free. "The Garden utilizes only natural solutions toward the maintenance and health of the Gardens. Everything at Alta Vista Gardens is done naturally", Bryan Morse said. “Here, we’re totally organic,” he said. “We’re a nature habitat. We don’t use any chemicals at all. We don’t use any bug spray. We don’t use fertilizers unless they’re 100 percent organic. Everything is done that way. That’s why we have more hummingbirds and more butterflies and more ladybugs and everything else. The nature is coming to the place.” [2] Of special interest to visitors is the incredible array of butterflies that fill the air all over the Gardens. Early on, a conscious effort was made to plant the primary food sources of many different butterfly species. The result, large colonies are making their home at Alta Vista Gardens. Over the years the Gardens have planted thousands of Milkweed plants; this is the mother plant for the Monarch Butterfly. The dominant variety is Asclepias curassavica however, Asclepias eriocarpa may be found in the California Native and the Desert Gardens. A large part of the Jungle Garden is dedicated to the creation of a sub-tropical Food Forest which creates habitat for butterflies and birds. Although the Children's Garden is the central home of the Monarch butterfly colony, butterflies can now be found in all corners of the Gardens.

Gardens

• Australasia Garden
• Birds, Bugs and Butterflies Children's Garden
  • Jeffrey Stein Children's Music Garden
  • Dino Digs
  • Kite Plaza
  • Totally Tubular
  • Butterfly Teepee
  • Incredible Edibles
  • Lowe's Plaza
• Jungle Garden
  • Ponds and waterway
  • Unusual Fruit Garden
  • Jungle Shade Garden
  • Sub Tropical Garden
• Mediterranean Garden
  • Labyrinth
  • Sharon Kern Culinary Herb Garden
  • Poet's Patio
  • Ceremonial Garden
  • Medicinal Herb Garden
• Prehistoric and Cycad Garden
• California Native Garden
• Arid Garden
  • Oasis in the Desert
  • Medicine Wheel: from Native American tradition
  • Dry Stream Bed
  • Aloe & Agave Collection
  • Opuntia Collection
• South African Garden
• Madagascar Garden
• Pan-Asian Garden
• Heritage Rose Collection

Art in the Garden

Alta Vista Garden's mission is to "bring together people, nature and art” Patrice Dunn donated the first sculpture to Alta Vista Gardens the others followed. Below is a list of represented artists in the order that they joined the Garden.

• Melissa Ralston: ‘Tail Spin’(20090, ‘Blessing Tree’(2010)
• Charles Bronson: ‘Sea Breeze’ (2009), ‘Born to Run’ (2010)
• Steve Bundy: ‘Calla Lily’(2009)
• Anthony Amato: ‘Broken Link’(2009)
• Lia Strell: ‘A Creative Bloom’(2009); ‘Golden Torsion’(2011); 'Sacred Ginko' (2015)
• Buddy Smith: Mosaic table top(2009)
• Mindy Rodman & Paul White: ‘Miro Kite(2010)
• Benjamin Lavender: ‘Kite of Paradise’(2010)
• Fritzie Urquhart: ‘The Constellation Tree’(2010)
• Bryan Morse: ‘Chanson Joyeuse’ patio (Joyous Song) (2010); ‘I Raggi Crescenti di Amore’ patio (expanding rays of love) (2010); 'Three Easter Island Statues' (2012), 'The Mouth of Truth' (2015)
• Robert Rochin: 'Piano Pebble Chime'(2010); 'Baobab Tree'(2014)
• John Dole: ‘Arborescence’(2011)
• Morris Squire: ‘Lamed’(2011)
• Phillip Galshoff: Five whimsical sculptures by artist grace the ‘Sharon Kern Culinary Herb Garden’ 'Chef 'D', 'Shari Chef', 'Penelope Hoop', 'Silly Boy Trey' & 'Flying Chef' (2012)
• Dan Peragine: ‘Transpersonal’ is located just below the Cycad Garden.(2013)
• Anne Little: 'Human Sundial' and over forty mosaic signs created with a grant from the Kenneth A. Picerne Foundation (2014)
• 'Quilted Glories of the Garden': Linda Bannan:'Horse Sculpture'; Melanie Chang:'Banana Leaves'; Carol Clarke: 'Water Lily'; Lendia Kinnaman: 'Dragon Fly'; Carole Lee:'Kite Tail Sculpture'; Cheri McClow: 'Front of the Garden House'; Sue Ramos: 'Succulent' (2015)
• Ricardo Breceda: 'Tyrannosaurus', 'Tricerotops', 'Veloceraptor', 'Scorpion', 'Two Giraffes', 'Agave', 'Small Raptor', 'Serpent' (2015)
• Amber Irwin: 'Essential Elements' (2016)

See also

• List of botanical gardens in California