2024-05-08 02:01:16
This meeting, which is part of a cycle of conferences dedicated to botany, as part of the Centenary of the Majorelle Garden, was an opportunity for this renowned researcher to shed light on the different aspects of botany. he evolution, over time, of this iconic family of plants in California, moving from simple general collections to very specific approaches to design.
Thus, Mr. Kelch noted that cacti have been used as flagship plants for more than 150 years in California, where the first garden of this species was the “Arizona Garden”, installed around 1880.
After highlighting the design and diversity of a panoply of magical cactus gardens that California abounds, the expert stressed that the Majorelle Garden is one of the “most breathtaking” cactus gardens in the world.
Upon entering this magnificent space “we see a fusion of a landscape of spectacular colors with a classic Moroccan architectural style, illustrated by the modern approach of the Islamic fountain”, he noted, adding that another strong theme remains “the repetition of columnar cacti”.
The Marjorelle Garden “has much to teach us about potential approaches to designing cactus gardens in sunny landscapes”, he observed, emphasizing that “despite its age and fame, its idiosyncratic approach to the design of “Cactus gardens will continue to inform and inspire us into the future and show us the way forward in designing cactus gardens in the warmer regions of the world.”
In a statement to MAP, the researcher also highlighted the importance of cacti for the Moroccan economy and the place this species enjoys in Moroccan culture.
For his part, the director of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech, Alexis Sornin, noted that this conference takes place on the occasion of the centenary of the Majorelle Garden, since there is also talk of a cactus expression in the temporary exhibition of the YSL Museum, for which Dean Kelch wrote one of the chapters of the catalog published in French and English by Jardin Majorelle.
In a similar statement, Mr. Sornin also recalled that this cycle of conferences was recently initiated with the Italian writer and landscaper, Umberto Pasti, indicating that two other conferences are planned for next September, still around the theme of botany. in Morocco and more generally in the world.
Earning a doctorate in botany from the University of California, Davis in 1996, Dean G. Kelch served as director of the Ruth Bancro & Garden & Nursery in Walnut Creek, California, as well as a researcher and lecturer at the University of California.
He is currently an environmental program manager at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, as well as a research associate at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dean G. Kelch is the author of the essay “Cactus: The Evolving Landscape of an Iconic Plant Family,” published in the catalog of the Cactus exhibition, on view through Sunday, July 7, 2024, co-curated by Marc Jeanson and Laurent Le Bon, in the temporary gallery of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech.
2024-05-08 02:01:16