| Gardens of Alcatraz |
| The Dirt On . . . visits the gardens of Alcatraz where some pretty famous inmates produced some pretty amazing plants. |
From "The Dirt On..."
episode DTDO-108 |
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Welcome to The Rock — which once housed Al Capone, Robert "Birdman" Stroud and Machine Gun Kelly. Now the infamous prison is home to something a little more cheery — some pretty impressive gardens.
Volunteers from The Garden Conservancy, a national nonprofit organization, are keeping the plants here growing strong so the million-plus visitors that flock to the island every year can enjoy them. This is no small feat. Military officers planted the gardens when Alcatraz was a military prison and they, along with their families, tended them. When Alcatraz became a federal prison, the warden, his family and even the prisoners took over the job of maintaining the gardens. The prison was shut down in 1963 but that wasn't the end of the gardens. These hardy plants stayed alive but without anyone to care for them, they grew out of control. The Garden Conservancy volunteers have brought these gardens back to their original glory and continue to nurture them to this day notwithstanding the lack of soil and water on the island. They ship in all the necessities in from neighboring Angel Island and continue the tradition of planting each plant by hand with love. Today the island of Alcatraz is filled with over 140 plant species that have been transplanted from all over the world. It's quite a sight to behold for travelers looking to find a unique piece of gardening history.
RESOURCES :
The Garden Conservancy
www.gardenconservancy.com
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