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Explore Outdoors: A Retiree's Unique Garden For All To Enjoy

Explore Outdoors: A retiree's unique garden for all to enjoy

Updated: 8:36 AM PDT Apr 12, 2024

CHANCE TO SEE AND SMELL THE BLOOMS OF SPRING AND CARMICHAEL IN THIS WEEK'S EXPLORE OUTDOORS. MIKE TESELLE GUIDES US DOWN A UNIQUE PATH CREATED BY ONE MAN THAT COULD BE ENJOYED BY. THIS SPOT BEGINS WITH A WALK ACROSS THIS SHORT BRIDGE TO A SPOT WITH COLOR, TEXTURE AND A UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL. THIS IS THE STORY OF CHARLES JENSEN AND WHAT IS TODAY CARMICHAEL CHARLES C JENSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN. BACK IN 1958, JENSEN RETIRED AT AN AGE WHEN THE SIGN READS MOST LEAVE AMBITION TO THE YOUNG, BUT THAT IS WHEN HIS AMBITION CAPTURED IN RED, YELLOW, PURPLE, PINK, BLUE, WHITE AND GREEN, LOTS OF GREEN BEGAN. YOU SEE, JENSEN AND HIS WIFE BEGAN MOVING TRUCK LOADS OF PLANTS AND TREES FROM THEIR OAKLAND HOME TO THEIR NEW PROPERTY IN CARMICHAEL AND BY THE TIME OF HIS DEATH AT 80 YEARS OLD, THE FATE OF ALL THESE MAGNOLIAS, DOGWOOD, WOODS, JAPANESE MAPLES, AND EVEN HEAVENLY BAMBOO WOULD BECOME UNCERTAIN. THAT IS, UNTIL A GROUP OF CITIZENS BANDED TOGETHER TO FUND, RAISE AND SAVE THIS BOTANICAL GEM. IN 1976, THE CARMICHAEL RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT WOULD ASSUME OWNERSHIP. ANOTHER UNIQUE ASPECT TO THIS LOCATION IS THE NATURE PATH FOR THE BLIND, A SPOT WHERE THEY CAN COME TO NOT ONLY SMELL WHAT WE CAN SEE, BUT ALSO FEEL THE TEXTURE OF THE DIFFERENT PLANTS. SO IF YOU GO, REMEMBER BEYOND THE COLOR, THE TEXTURE, THE AROMA IS A UNIQUE STORY OF ONE RETIREES DREAM TO FOLLOW A DREAM AT AN AGE WHEN MOST LEAVE. AMBITION TO THE YOUNG. THE JENSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN IN CARMICHA

Explore Outdoors: A retiree's unique garden for all to enjoy

Updated: 8:36 AM PDT Apr 12, 2024

At a time when the sign reads "most leave ambition to the young," one retiree left a natural legacy of color, texture and aroma for all to enjoy in Carmichael.Spring is an especially attractive time to soak in the visual beauty that is the Charles C. Jensen Botanical Garden at 8520 Fair Oaks Blvd.To get a glimpse of the garden, as well as learn the unique history of how one man's vision led a community effort to preserve it for all to enjoy, watch the video above.See more coverage of top California stories hereDownload our app.

CARMICHAEL, Calif. —

At a time when the sign reads "most leave ambition to the young," one retiree left a natural legacy of color, texture and aroma for all to enjoy in Carmichael.

Spring is an especially attractive time to soak in the visual beauty that is the Charles C. Jensen Botanical Garden at 8520 Fair Oaks Blvd.

To get a glimpse of the garden, as well as learn the unique history of how one man's vision led a community effort to preserve it for all to enjoy, watch the video above.

See more coverage of top California stories hereDownload our app.

Corps Of Engineers Botanical Garden Earns Arboretum Accreditation

1 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Coral fuchsia flowers bloom in the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington. The species is one of the more than 500 species and 1,500 varieties of plants from around the world installed in the botanical garden. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded Level II accreditation to the botanical garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo of signage at the entrance of Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Carl S. English Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded Level II accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within USACE, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo of the Enklanthus Campanulatus Redvein Enklanthu plant, originally from Japan, one of the several rare or botanically interesting plant species at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded the accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within the U.S. Corps of Engineers, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 4 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Flowers surround the metal fabricated castle, the official U.S. Army Corps of Engineers logo, in front of the Visitor Center, at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Dam, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded Level II accreditation to the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. No other international program of accreditation exists that is specific to arboreta. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 5 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo of a Flight of the Raven plant, one of several rare or botanically interesting plant species that cover about seven of the 17-acre Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded this accreditation to the botanical garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 6 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo of a Lewisia Columbiana plant, one of several rare or botanically interesting plant species that cover about seven of the 17-acre Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded this accreditation to the botanical garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 7 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pieris japonica, an ornamental garden plant in Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington. The species is one of the more than 500 species and 1,500 varieties of plants from around the world. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded this accreditation to the botanical garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 8 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo of the Edgeworthia Chrysantha Paper Bush plant, native to China, one of the several rare or botanically interesting plant species at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded the accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within the U.S. Corps of Engineers, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 9 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo of a Pandoras Box plant, one of several rare or botanically interesting plant species at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded the accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within the U.S. Corps of Engineers, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 10 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo of Black on Black and Raspberry Summer plants, two among the several rare or botanically interesting plant species at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded the accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within the U.S. Corps of Engineers, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL 11 / 11 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Photo of a Little Fat Dazzler plant, one of several rare or botanically interesting plant species that cover about seven of the 17-acre Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded this accreditation to the botanical garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. (Photo Credit: Nicole Celestine) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden achieved Level II Accreditation from The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum.

The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program established a widely recognized set of industry standards for the arboretum community. No other international program of accreditation exists that is specific to arboreta.

Located on the grounds of Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the seven-acre garden contains more than 500 species and 1,500 varieties of plants from around the world, including fan palms, oaks, Mexican pines, rhododendrons, roses and the once thought extinct Dawn Redwood.

After the Army Corps built the Locks in 1911, they hired then landscape architect English in 1931, and he began the transformation from a construction site to an English landscape-styled garden. Spanning a 43-year career, English planted and tended the garden, with prominent botanists and ship captains supporting him with seeds and plants. Since 1974, the botanical garden officially bears his name, in recognition of his transformation efforts and standing as a renowned horticulturalist in the Pacific Northwest.

"Receiving this accreditation is an honor and testament to many individuals' efforts, including English," said Natural Resource Manager Shay Perryman. "They include then Seattle District Engineer Lt. Col. James Cavanaugh and Seattle Board of Parks and Recreation commissioners, who supported the leading engineers at that time and even supplied some of the first rose and shrub plants that were installed. Our gardeners and natural resource specialists appreciate the continued support from several dedicated partners, in caring for one of the only two USACE botanical gardens," Perryman said.

The botanical garden also earned recognition as an accredited arboretum in the Morton Register of Arboreta, a database of the world's arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.

Sponsored and coordinated by The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, in cooperation with American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta at various levels of development, capacity, and professionalism, according to a set of professional standards. Those standards include planning, governance, public access, programming and tree science, planting and conservation.

The program facilitates sharing knowledge, experience, and other resources to help arboreta meet their institutional goals and works to raise professional standards. More information is available at www.Arbnet.Org.

With an overarching mission to provide water resource and engineering solutions to the Pacific Northwest and the nation, Seattle District delivers military and civil public works services as well as support for other agencies. The district also plays a key role in environmental protection and improvement, from protecting wetlands to ecological restoration and cleaning up hazardous and toxic waste pollution. To request a Locks tour including the botanical gardens and fish ladder, click here.

Explore Long Island's Botanical Gardens And Arboretums

Tulips invite visitors to take a closer look at Clark Botanic Garden. Credit: Newsday/Audrey C. Tiernan

Blooming flowers will surround you as you relax on fields of green, wander into greenhouses and pass ponds at Long Island's botanical gardens and arboretums.

NASSAU Bailey Arboretum

Hours: 9 a.M.-5 p.M. Wed.-Sun. Features:  42 acres, self-guided nature trails, children's outdoor classroom, and a sensory garden. A collection of trees including dawn redwoods. Flowering trees in spring, annuals and perennials throughout the spring and summer. Offers guided walks, educational programs and events and wedding rentals. Fee: Free, donations. More info: 516-801-1458, baileyarboretum.Org; 194 Bayville Rd., Locust Valley. 

The Bailey Arboretum in Lattingtown. Credit: Newsday/Danielle Finkelstein

Clark Botanic Garden

Hours: 10 a.M.-6 p.M. Daily April-Oct., 10 a.M.-4 p.M. Daily Nov.-March. Features: 12 acres of specialty gardens, roses, day lilies, rock garden, herbs, pollinator garden, conifers. Set among three brook-fed ponds and curving paths with an apiary. Variety of garden-related items, honey and pollen sold in the gift shop. Dogs are not permitted. Summer concert series and a number of special events held throughout the year. Community garden beds and tours available. Fee: Free. More info: 516-869-7637, clarkbotanic.Org; 193 I.U. Willets Rd., Albertson. 

Tulips and spring flowers invite visitors to take a closer look at Clark Botanic Garden. Credit: Newsday/Audrey C. Tiernan

Hofstra Arboretum

Hours: Dawn-dusk daily. Features: Spread across the 238-acre campus, with a pinetum and a greenway. A sensory garden features tactile and aromatic plants at wheelchair level. The Sondra Rubin Mack Garden, a New American garden on the north campus, features easy-care perennials and a bird sanctuary (open during guided tours only). Gothic labyrinth made from 40 feet of circular granite with parterre and knot garden; take a self-guided tour or call for guided group tours. Fee: Free. More info: 516-463-6623, hofstra.Edu/arboretum; 129 Hofstra University, Hempstead. 

A statue greets visitors at the entrance of a Pinetum near the Spiegel Theater on the south campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead. Credit: Daniel Brennan

John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden

Hours: 10 a.M.-2 p.M. Sat. and 1-5 p.M. Sun., May-Oct. 27. Features: 7 acres with elements that follow Japanese aesthetic principles, encouraging a contemplative experience. Gravel paths represent streams forming pools and cascading over waterfalls, eventually flowing into the ocean, represented by a pond. Fee: Free. More info: 516-922-1028, northshorelandalliance.Org; Dogwood Lane and Oyster Bay Road, Mill Neck.

The John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden in Mill Neck. Credit: North Shore Land Alliance/North Shore Land Alliance

Old Westbury Gardens

Hours: 10 a.M.-6 p.M. Daily (closed Tue.) April 1-Oct 31. House closes from 1-1:40 p.M. Daily. Features: The 20th-century mansion is surrounded by over 200 acres, including formal gardens like the world-famous Walled Garden, rose garden, cottage garden, wooded trails, lakes and sweeping lawns. Café in the Woods offers a selection of sandwiches, salads and beverages. Fee: $15 (advance purchase currently required), $8 ages 7-17. Additional fees for special events. More info: 516-333-0048, oldwestburygardens.Org; 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. 

Visitors stroll through the walled garden, home to a variety of colorful flowers, rose bushes and trees, at Old Westbury Gardens. Credit: Daniel Brennan

Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park

Hours: 9 a.M.-5 p.M. Daily; Greenhouses, 10 a.M.-4 p.M. Wed.-Mon. Features: 409 acres; 6 miles of trails and 200 acres of landscaped plantings, synoptic garden, rose garden, main greenhouse with orchids, begonias, cactuses and other tropical plants, camellia house, gift shop. Café and visitors center in the Hay Barn. Fee: $8 a car 9 a.M.-5 p.M. Daily May through Sept. 2, weekends and holidays Sept. 7-Nov. 17, and April 6-April 28. Tour: Coe Hall guided tours 10 a.M.-3 p.M. Wed.-Fri. And 10 a.M.-1 p.M. Sat.-Sun., self-guided tours 2-4 p.M. Sat.-Sun.; $10 ages 18-61, $5 ages 7-17. Tour availability may vary. More info: 516-922-9200, plantingfields.Org; 1395 Planting Fields Rd., Oyster Bay. 

People walk inside the rose garden at the Planting Fields Arboretum in Upper Brookville. Credit: Yana Paskova

SUFFOLK Bayard Cutting Arboretum

Hours: 9 a.M.-5 p.M. April-Oct., 9 a.M.-4 p.M. Nov.-March; Closed Mon. Features: 691 acres along the Connetquot River. Enjoy bird-watching, nature walks, woodlands and rhododendron gardens. Pets, bicycle riding, picnics, sports, bathing and games are not permitted. Arboretum grounds and Manor House tours available all year. Hidden Oak Cafe and Manor House overlook the great lawn. Fee: $8 parking, Tue.-Sun. May-Sept. 2, weekends Sept. 7-mid-Nov. And April 6-28. Special events may have additional entrance fees. More info: 631-581-1002, bayardcuttingarboretum.Com; 440 Montauk Hwy. (Route 27A), Great River. 

Manor House at Bayard Cutting Arboretum. Credit: Rick Kopstein

Bridge Gardens

Hours: 10 a.M.-4 p.M. daily. Features: 5-acre garden with a large herb garden showcasing culinary, medicinal, textile dye and ornamental herbs, perennial beds and borders with native and nonnative plants, ornamental shrubs and trees. Expansive vegetable garden, community gardens, numerous educational workshops showcase low-impact, sustainable landscape methods. Programming includes garden tours, garden-to-table demonstrations, children's StoryWalk, summer painting classes and Autumn Open House. Fee: Free. More info: 631-283-3195, peconiclandtrust.Org; 36 Mitchell Lane, Bridgehampton. 

Edgeworthia, blooming in early spring, is one of three favorite plants of horticulturist Rick Bogusch of Bridge Gardens. Credit: Dreamstime

Longhouse Reserve

Season: 12:30-5 p.M. Sat.-Sun. Jan.-March, Wed.-Sun. April-Dec. Features: A 16-acre sculpture garden with works by many artists. The garden includes seasonal blooms, established lawns, collections of bamboo and grasses, conifers and broad-leaved evergreens, ornamental borders, a pond, reflecting pool, and allées anchored by sculptures. Fee: $20 ages 12 and older. Events, classes, workshops, and programs are offered throughout the summer, including painting classes, tai chi, meditation, talks and lectures, and dance, music, and theatrical performances. Reservations can be made on the website. More info: 631-329-3568, longhouse.Org; 133 Hands Creek Rd., East Hampton. 

The Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads by Ai Weiwei at the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.

Madoo Conservancy

Hours: Noon-4 p.M. Fri.-Sat., and beginning June 15 noon-4 p.M. Wed. Through Sept. 18, by appointment. Season: April 19-Sept. 21. Features: A 2-acre organic garden created by writer and gardener Robert Dash (1931-2013) . Within the property, one can see gardens with American, European and Asian influences. Highlights include an Asian-inspired bridge crossing a pond, an exotic garden and sunken terrace, a yew and mulberry maze, and a potager, a French-style vegetable garden. Two historic houses are found within the landscape. Exhibits: Dash's former painting studio, now a gallery, exhibits contemporary art through the season. Fee: Free. More info: 631-537-8200, madoo.Org; 618 Sagg-Main St., Sagaponack. 

The gardens at the Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack. Credit: Mary Elizabeth Andriotis

Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum

Hours: 8 a.M.-6:30 p.M. April 30-Oct., 8 a.M.-5 p.M. Nov.-March. Features: Open and expansive landscape with hundreds of acres of manicured grounds, architecture, flowing bronze fountains and flower-lined public walking trails. This Level II-accredited arboretum is home to Nikko maple, weeping beech and katsura trees as well as memorial gardens. A tour of the 500-acre arboretum aboard an old-fashioned trolley takes place yearly in June. A map of the arboretum can be picked up at the main office building. Fee: Free. More info: 631-249-6100, pinelawn.Com; 2030 Wellwood Ave., Farmingdale. 

Ariel Sieber, 9, from Queens places a praying mantis egg sack on a branch at the praying mantis release event at Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum in Farmingdale in May 2022. Credit: Morgan Campbell

By Newsday Staff

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