The Magnolia
"The Center is mourning the demise of its magnificent 135 year old magnolia. Armillaria (oat root fungus) had destroyed its root system so that one of its double trunks blew over in a December storm. The other trunk was so unstable it had to be taken down. The tree is directly related to the history of Ross. In 1859 James Ross bought 10,000 acres in central Marin, from Pt. San Quentin to Bald Hill. When his daughter, Annie, married George Worn in 1862, Ross presented them with the ten acres that are now the Marin Art and Garden Center. |
George Worn, who was very interested in horticulture planted a small magnolia in 1870. It exceeded all height and longevity expectations and became a beloved symbol of the Center. We are left with the small forest of trees that formed when the lower branches of the magnolia bent to the ground and rooted. They will be a living memorial to the grand old tree. Interest in horticulture runs in the Worn family. A daughter of Annie and George Worn wa sone of the designers of the Filoli Gardens down the Peninsula and other descendants, Tom and Ross Perry, operate Sunnyside Nursery in San Anselmo." Kay Slade, The Center Post, March/April 2006 |
