The Arcadia Rotary Club had a beautiful day for their annual visit to the Arboretum. Chris Orosz, School and Youth Programs Manager, stated that 16,000 school children visit the Arboretum each year. That number is expected to rise with the construction of a new learning patio, a new curriculum and camps. Chris thanked the Arcadia Rotary for its donation to the busing fund. Bringing students by bus to the Arboretum is a large expense.
Frank McDonough, Botanic Information Consultant, talked about the scents and smells we get from trees and flowers. The use of flowers for their fragrance goes back to the early days of the Egyptians and Romans. Early perfumes were made from distilling rose petals. This process was used for perfumes many years prior to distillation being used for alcoholic spirits. Today the perfume industry uses many different combinations of flower extracts to make the vast array of perfumes on the market. Franks four favorite sweet smelling tree and shrubs in the L. A. area are Sweet Shade, Sweet Almond, South African Gardenias and Flowering Apricot. Frank encouraged anyone who has a garden question to contact him.