Brian Sullivan, senior horticulturalist at Descanso Gardens, will offer his suggestions on container gardening at the Palisades Garden Club meeting on Monday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. Descanso Gardens is renowned for a camellia forest with more than 34,000 plants and more than 700 camellia taxa, growing on 20 acres, an extensive rose garden with more than 3,000 plants, and California native plants. While these collections mostly dictate what goes into the landscape, the seasonal flowerbeds and containers provide an outlet for color and unusual plants, Sullivan says. Sullivan is responsible for the flowerbeds and the color displays in the large terracotta containers that decorate the lower part of the garden referred to as the courtyard. ‘So the landscape changes with the seasons. We might have chrysanthemums in the fall, tulips in the spring.’ A 10-year veteran at the garden, Sullivan does the seasonal thinking– what’s coming up next–but he also is involved in planning for large capital improvements and fundraising. ‘The most exciting thing I’ve been involved with recently is the olive grove that we are planting on the hillside behind the area. We have a mix of cultivars, mostly sterile, from Greece, North Africa and Spain. It will provide a great educational resource for visitors to the garden.’ Sullivan’s career in public horticulture is a departure from his intended plans after graduating from Boston University with a degree in business. ‘I was working in marketing in the film business, and it really wasn’t for me,’ he says. ‘I didn’t know about public horticulture and the opportunity for careers in the field.’ He researched some public gardens and applied at Descanso. I started out as a maintenance worker, but slowly worked my way up. I took classes at UCLA and Pomona and I’ve been here ever since.’ Sullivan will bring ideas and displays to the Garden Club meeting, with tips on soil, plant selection and arrangement. He will also demonstrate techniques on how to keep a pot looking good for three to six months. With an enthusiasm for travel, Sullivan visited Ecuador last summer and brought back many ideas for unusual plants. ‘The most fun I’ve had recently is with elephant ears (colocasia),’ that tuberous bulb plant that defies logic in size and proportion to other plants. ‘I like to mix them with other tropical plants like bananas, gingers and cannas.’ The elephant ears come in many color varieties’the black leaf, red stemmed, green (colocasia esculenta) and purple leaf (black magic). Sullivan says that most gardeners buy the giant-sized bulbs, and that more and more container-grown plants are being sold. He will be touring the narcissus plantings at Descanso Gardens on March 11 at 1 p.m. Not only will he advise on how to select and plant these bulbs, he also will offer tips on working with bulbs for a spring display. All are welcome to the Garden Club meeting.
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