What: Marin Art and Garden Center
Where: 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross
Information: 415-455-5260; maringarden.org
Hours: Grounds open from sunrise to sunset. Parking lot open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thursdays, when it closes at 3 p.m. Restrooms close at 4 p.m.
Set on a busy road in a busy area, the Marin Art and Garden Center is a hidden, quiet gem in the village of Ross in south Marin County.
An old brick wall insulates the parking lot and garden from the road. Upon emerging from your car in the tree-lined and garden-edged parking lot, you’ll find the busyness immediately falls away.
Rich, leafy entry plantings and winding paths beckon you into the garden, where specimen trees, native oaks and colorful plants are everywhere. There is much to explore, and it is easy to spend a morning or afternoon in this multifaceted garden, admiring the historic buildings, picnicking, visiting the art and cultural events studio and perusing interesting items at its shop. It’s family-friendly, and there is something for everyone.
There are several distinct gardens within the property: a succulent garden, basketry garden, edible garden, sun garden, habitat garden, a garden around a fountain and a fenced rose garden. They combine easily through an engaging garden layout. All the gardens are managed organically, without pesticides.
The garden’s most arresting feature is the centrally located, iconic magnolia circle, originally a single tree planted in the late 19th century by the garden’s original developers, the Worn family.
It is now naturally grown into a unique tree ring, a living sculpture that both children and adults are immediately drawn to. Surrounded by a small comfortable lawn, it’s a perfect place for a picnic.
Another landmark tree is a huge English oak that casts a wide pool of shade over lush plantings by a seasonal creek. Nearby is a giant sequoia with a dome-like appearance. Brought from Yosemite Valley in the 1880s, it has seen many changes to the neighborhood.
Besides being a wonderful place to wander and relax, the Marin Art and Garden Center is of interest to many gardeners for showcasing deer-resistant plants. Deer move freely here, and it’s an ideal place to see many plants they avoid or nibble only lightly.
These gardens will be a place to keep an eye on for the future. What began as a lush garden with many high-water-use plants like rhododendrons, dogwoods and azaleas fed by high seasonal rainfall and sustained by a benign climate is now facing a much lower-precipitation environment.
Maintaining the feeling of a lush, green garden is a continuing goal of the garden’s stewards, who are making some changes to replace plants lost to a drier climate. New additions will be drought- resistant plants with wide application in the larger Bay Area.
Public gardens are an important asset to communities to help educate gardeners about appropriate gardening for a summer-dry climate. They can offer many ideas and much information.
In addition to making the garden more drought-resistant, the stewards are committed to including plants that support wildlife like bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and songbirds. Garden Manager Michael Bogart can answer questions from visitors and show them garden highlights.
The Marin Art and Garden Center has recently been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The decision was based on the center’s social, cultural, architectural and landscape-architectural significance.
The center began in 1945 as a historic 11-acre estate property that the founding women (Caroline Livermore, Sepha Evers, Portia Forbes, Helen Van Pelt, Gladys Smith and others) in 1945 wished to save from development.
They wanted to create a place for community gatherings to celebrate the arts and gardens. They set up a nonprofit and commissioned some of the best architects and landscape architects in the Bay Area — including Gardner Dailey, Donn Emmons, Thomas Church and Robert Royston — giving it a rich legacy of midcentury modern design.
What’s interesting is that these women also were instrumental in conserving other beloved, popular parks and open spaces in Marin County, such as Tomales Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore, Angel Island State Park, Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Samuel P. Taylor Park. The Marin Garden Club established 1931 and where they were members is still active at the center.
The center’s founding day coincided with the end of World War II.
“The property was seen as a living memorial — the trees, plants and earth forming a sense of a repository, a place of community memory,” said Executive Director Antonia Adezio. “Families of World War II servicemen and women still visit the garden today in this capacity.” There also are frequent weddings and private events.
The Studio, a large open building completely renovated in 2016, hosts exhibitions and cultural programs highlighting the connection between art and science. Past exhibitions are listed on the website.
The Marin Art and Garden Center functions as a sanctuary, a place of pleasure, education and experience. It’s worth a visit.
Kate Frey’s column appears every other week in Sonoma Home. Contact Kate at: katebfrey@gmail.com, freygardens.com, Twitter @katebfrey.
What: Marin Art and Garden Center
Where: 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross
Information: 415-455-5260; maringarden.org
Hours: Grounds open from sunrise to sunset. Parking lot open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thursdays, when it closes at 3 p.m. Restrooms close at 4 p.m.
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