Re: gardens of LA area

Chantal you must make sure to see the Watts Towers if you are in LA. I
think they have a web site so you could probably get directions and a
map from that. Altho' the neighbourhood had a bad reputation when the
Watts riots were on some yeras back there appears to have been some
significant community effort to make it a much better place to live. The
gardens of the houses around the little park where the towers stand are
charming - mostly Mexican and Afro-American folks but most still house
proud.

I found Descanso a bit tired when I went there - and too many gopher
holes in the walking areas for safety if you are a bit older.

The Huntingdon is great and they have just re-opened a rejuvenated
section of the cactus garden. I haven't seen it but the section that's
been open for years is spectacular so I'd expect the new section to be
at least as equally exciting. I think I heard they are building a new
Chinese garden too.

LA County Arboretum is fine, esp the trees from the warm dry
sub-Tropics such as the palms and bauhinias and chorisa ( a tree with
green trunk, spikey protruberances and brilliant pink flowers) I think
it is sometimes called the Pink Floss Tree.

The gardens at the new Getty are challenging as they defy many
conceptions of what a garden should be and look like; esp the main
garden which is an exercise in artistic license - or an exercise in
defiance of reality - or a garden of denial (of its environment) -
whichever way you look at it it is certainly very interesting. the
garden requires an extremely high standard of maintenance and
plantsmanship to work as an experience, so be prepared for a feeling of
slight disappointment - the Board of Trustees (or whoever pays for it
all) clearly doesn't appreciate just how much it would cost to maintain
the idealist perfection of the artists vision.

have fun

trevor n



Trevor Nottle
Education Initiatives Manager
TAFE SA Hub
Educational Services & Programmes
120 Currie Street (temp.)
Adelaide
SA 5000

Mobile: 0401 717 004

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>>> Chantal Guiraud <chantal.guiraud@modulonet.fr> 19/05/2005 3:20 pm
>>>
Hi all,

I'm planning a trip to Los Angeles from 20 to 27 of june and would like
to
visit gardens and nurseries.
Could you give me some adresses of interesting places to go ?
Of course, my husband and I will rent a car.
Chantal
Montpellier, France
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