About this Event
Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Wednesday, January 14 when Cricket Riley and Alice Kitajima come to the store to present their new book Designing the Lush Dry Garden: Create a Climate-Resilient, Low-Water Paradise. Their presentation will include a slideshow and the authors will sign books afterward.
to order a copy of Designing The Lush Dry Garden.
“Drawing on the wisdom of the late Ruth Bancroft, this book shows how to adapt her renowned dry garden principles to modern landscapes. It demonstrates how these ideas can transform real-life spaces into thriving, beautiful sanctuaries.” ―The American Garden
The Ruth Bancroft Garden, known as one of the finest dry gardens in the world, is a pioneering example of resilient design with a focus on water conservation. Ruth Bancroft (1908-2017) was a self-taught gardener and designer whose eclectic methods encourage richly textured, bold, and colorful layers of regionally climate-appropriate flowers, shrubs, trees, and succulents. These include her favorite aloes, agaves, yuccas, and echeverias that she collected and experimented with for over 60 years, and which the garden has continued to steward.
Designing the Lush Dry Garden is the first guide to lay out Ruth Bancroft’s methods for the home gardener and designer. With gorgeous photographs by Caitlin Atkinson, and detailed portraits of 20 gardens inspired by the Garden, discover how to create a design that suits your vision, including:
- How to choose the right plants for your site, including Ruth’s favorites
- The appropriate methods for adapting your garden to climate change
- Advice on integrating paths and structures in a waterwise design
- Tips for low-water container gardens and designs
CRICKET RILEY is the co-owner of Lush Dry Gardens , a landscape design firm specializing in low-water garden design. She worked at The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek from 2017 to 2025 where she held a variety of positions, including Director of the Design Services department. She is currently serving her first term as a commissioner on the Design Review Commission for the City of Walnut Creek.
ALICE KITAJIMA’s profound connection to gardens and landscape design began at an early age, inspired by her father, who immigrated to Los Angeles to install Japanese-style gardens. After completing studies in forestry and music at the University of California, Berkeley, she worked at botanical gardens and arboreta across the United States. As Program Director at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, where she oversaw the education department, her greatest passion was fostering meaningful, lasting connections between people and plants.
THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 6:00 pm on January 14.
BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend.
DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged.
WALK-INS will be accommodated only if space allows.
WE ASK that attendees arrive between 6:45 and 7:00 PM for the event.
PLEASE leave your non-support companion animals at home.
OUR shared restrooms are not accessible after 6:30 PM, please plan accordingly.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Mrs Dalloway's, 2904 College Avenue, Berkeley, United States
USD 0.00
