A Future Garden for the Central Coast of California

We are propagating plant ensembles inside three donated Buckminster Fuller domes located at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum. We are testing novel ensembles for resilience at a 50-year predicted temperature increase of 3–4 degrees celsius. 

Each greenhouse will hold a unique ensemble and will be held at 3–4 degrees C above average year round. We expect to have die-off and we will be replacing species as the experiment develops. This investigation will be focused on building, in the now, a diverse group of plants that can move into the region by creating a self-complicating scaffold of species that act as replacements as others die back from rapid temperature changes. The Future Garden intends to make a serious contribution to the well-being of local biotic communities 50–75 years from now. Opening to the public in May 2018. 

This project could not have happened without the support of the Institute of Arts and Sciences (IAS) and the Arts division at UCSC. It has been funded by the Metabolic Studio and the McEvoy Family Fund of the San Francisco Community Foundation, Rowland and Pat Rebele, Kathleen Rose, and annual donors to the IAS.