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In addition to a lovely visit to The Huntington Botanical Gardens, we also enjoyed some time exploring the gardens of The Getty Center while in Los Angeles. The Getty is quite fascinating, with a variety of art, architecture, and gardens to take in at both The Getty Center and The Getty Villa. The Getty Center features European and American art from medieval times to modern day architecture and gardens, while The Getty Villa draws inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman periods, including 7,000 years of ancient artwork and recreations of old Roman architecture. We could spend days wandering around and admiring the beauty of both!

Of course, our time was quite limited, so on this trip we choose to explore the gardens at The Getty Center. The highlight of this space is Central Garden, which was created by artist Robert Irwin and covers 134,000-square-feet. He began crafting this garden in 1992, and it features a vast assortment of fountains and plants, with new additions regularly being introduced, playing tribute to Irwin’s statement “Always changing, never twice the same.” Its many unique features and over 500 varieties of plant materials make it especially appealing to the senses of sight, sound and smell.

Beyond Central Garden, there are a number of specialty gardens filled with magnificent foliage and plants that have been selected specifically to “accentuate the interplay of light, color, and reflection.” A winding walkway creates the path to oases filled with streams, cascading stone waterfalls, a maze of azaleas and more.

Here’s a look at the Getty gardens from our perspective.

Have you ever been to the Getty gardens? If so, let us know what your favorite part was in a comment below.

And if you are hoping to create your own space inspired by the Getty gardens, or any other garden, contact Dargan Landscape Architects. In person or virtually, we can help you develop a master plan or a tune up and teach you how to Heal the Earth one Garden at a Time!

While in Los Angeles last weekend for “Live Long and Landscape: Gardening for Health and Happiness,” Hugh and I were able to visit The Huntington Botanical Gardens and the Getty Museum. We returned with many great photos of each space, and just had to share some with you!

In particular we loved visiting the Japanese garden with its spectacular collection of bonsai and the Chinese Garden with its wonderful pavilions and large water body. Our takeaway was that intimacy provided for outdoor spaces is created by walls, views thru walls, a sense of enclosure, the sound of water and interesting plant materials set into winding paths. A transitional “bridge” whether a change of grade or a actual bridge, separates one garden experience from another. By visiting public gardens that exhibit varying styles, one can press the limits of their own design and imagine variable ways to create personal garden spaces.

The Huntington Botanical Gardens covers 207 acres of land, and of that about 120 are landscaped and open for visitors. The land was originally called the San Marino Ranch and was used by Henry Huntington as a ranch that produced a variety of crops, including citrus and other fruits, as well as nuts and alfalfa. He also had a herd of cows and poultry on the ranch. It was his superintendent, William Hertrich that spurred the efforts to introduce the plant collections that created the foundation for the botanical gardens as we know them today.

Now, the botanical gardens feature over 14,000 varieties of plants in 14 themed garden areas, including a Camellia Garden, Chinese and Japanese Gardens, an Herb Garden, Lily Ponds, a Rose Garden and more! Below is just a glimpse at these gorgeous gardens from the Dargan point of view.

Beautiful and inspiring, don’t you think?

Do you have a favorite botanical garden here in the U.S. or elsewhere? Leave a comment below and tell us about it. And if you’re looking to create your own oasis inspired by your favorite garden, contact Dargan Landscape Architects. Whether you are in need of a master plan or a simple tune up, we are happy to assist you and show you how we can Heal the Earth one Garden at a Time!